IF I EVER WIN A NOBEL–Mike Awoyinfa Column

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An avid lover of horses, Mrs. Victoria O. Kayode-Ojo, is in her seventh heaven having written her first book, a novel titled The Stallion Force with the cover of a fully panoplied knight in shining armour riding the storm “in a world where light and darkness wage an eternal battle” which is the theme of the novel. It is the story of the biblical end times, written in an original, captivating, imaginative style unique to Mrs. Kayode-Ojo. For a first-timer, one cannot but be impressed by the vividness of the author’s spiritual vision, the maturity of language and her narrative. Rev Tony Akinyemi who wrote the foreword, remarks: “There’s no doubt that this book has been inspired by the Holy Spirit. Reading the book has ignited a fresh fire in me. Thanks to our beloved Sister Victoria Ropo Kayode-Ojo for yielding to God on the assignment of writing this great book.” Some weeks to Christmas, the book was presented to a global audience through a well-attended online book presentation.

I cornered the author for an interview. She started by telling me how her avid reading habit paved the way for authorship. “I read just anything that comes my way,” she reveals. “I can write out of every mundane thing. If you read this book, you will be able to see that you can virtually write from any situation. And as much as I read, I belong to many reading groups where we share books. We task ourselves to finish the book within a week or two. I read and I write. I tell people: ‘You can lock me up in a room for a whole year, just make sure that you have books there, and you have paper and pen.’ “This book took me modestly seven years but for the next book, I pray that God will increase my speed so that it won’t be up to seven years. In the middle of writing this book, I got ill and could not write for about three years. I was dying, but then, one day, God just spoke to me, saying: ‘What I told you to write, you have not finished it.’ So, that was when I knew that I was not going to die. I am already on Chapter Five of the next book which carries the young church that came up at the end of this book, to the next book.” So, how did you feel when you saw this book finally out?It was a great day when I saw it and touched it. I saw it online before I touched it. That day, I slept like I had not slept for a long time. It was an awesome feeling that I was able to write this book. As I said, there was a time that I could not write at all. Even this book, I got to the last chapter and I was dry. I had nothing more to write. I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t have any inspiration anymore. But then one day, I was in a state of solitude in Ijebu Jesha. Everywhere was quite and the atmosphere was very good. There, the inspiration came again and I started writing.What will you say to encourage those who don’t have the courage to start writing a book?I believe everybody has a book inside. Like my mentor, a writer by name Ngozi Okorie says: “If you can write a sentence or if you can speak a sentence, you are able to write a book. And if you have a life experience, you are able to write a book.” The problem with writing a book is that it takes a lot of energy and concentration. And not many people have that time. A lot of people have many experiences, they have many ideas, they know what they want to write, but they cannot get themselves up to that point. To be an author, you have to help yourself. God helps those who help themselves. You must make up your mind. There must be a push, a determination. You must sit down and write. You must have a conducive atmosphere. You must be in a world of your own. Such is your concentration that people would pass and you will not even notice them. That is when you are able to get to that concentration level where you are able to think and put your thoughts on paper. What is the difference between being pregnant with a baby and being pregnant with a book idea?(She giggles) The pregnancy of birthing a book and the pregnancy of giving birth to a baby are not exactly alike. The two conceptions are very different. But the joy of welcoming each of them is almost like the same thing. So exhilarating. So exciting. So awesome. The feeling is so indescribable. My human baby is my human baby. I still value my baby above the book. I dedicated this book to my beloved daughter Temi and to my grandchildren, AnjolaOluwa and MoyosolaOluwa, for bringing love and joy into my life. Do you dream to win a Nobel Prize in Literature in your lifetime?I am a very humble person. What has just happened today is just beyond imagination. I never imagined all that happened today. I never imagined there could be a day like this. And so if we are talking about Nobel Prize, I never could imagine what could happen but I know that there is nothing hard work and God cannot do. When I work hard for example and people are able to see my literary progress, maybe if it comes, I would thank God for it.If you win a Nobel Prize, what will you do with the money?If I ever win a Nobel, I will buy a ranch with the money. And there will be many horses. I will build my life around the horses. They are the most beautiful animals in the whole world to me. The other day, I was imagining a world filled with horses. Maybe God should have created only horses and left out cats. I hate cats. My favorite horse is an Arabian horse. It’s such a beautiful horse found in the Arabian Peninsula. I belong to a group of horse lovers. We monitor horses around the world. In your next world, will you love to come as a horse?Yes. They are most beautiful, loving and very strong. I like their strength. I like their wisdom. They are very wise. What role did your husband play in you becoming a writer? I don’t want to say I see a horse in him. But Tope Kayode-Ojo is very, very strong, very determined. There is nothing he sets his heart to do that he will not do. He supports my writing. He will tiptoe to see me writing but I will be so engrossed in my writing. My husband just wants results. He is so happy that I have achieved my dream to be a writer. I thank God for him.