Welcome back to Introduce Yourself, a new and exciting blog segment of The PBS Blog dedicated to introducing to you new and established authors and their books.
Today I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Dolapo Akitoye, our first screenwriter. Welcome to The PBS Blog! Let’s get started.
What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Dolapo Akitoye. A lot of people call me Dolly. I have no worries with anyone trying to call me either. I will answer to both. I am from Nigeria. Born and raised. Specifically, I am from Lagos which makes me Yoruba. Don’t ask me to speak the language though. Lol. I’m not that good at it but I can understand it…mostly. 😃
Yoruba huh? We’re gonna have to chat some more for sure. How many siblings do you have?
I have 3 siblings. Two sisters – an older half-sister and a younger sister- and a younger brother. I grew up being the first born in my household and only learned about my older sister about seven years ago. So, I still have a big-sister mentality. It’s just in me. I love my siblings. They are all so amazing and so smart. My older sister is a tailor and designer who makes the most amazing clothes. My younger sister studies Mathematics and Computer science and my younger brother is studying Law. They are all very wonderful.
Awwue. You sound like a big sister too. What’s your favorite drink?
If you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain. Lol. I love Pina Coladas. I just think that the combination of pineapple and coconut is like heaven in your mouth. I drink Pina Coladas and I know that everything will be okay.
Who is your favorite writer?
I was only going to go with one but that’s not me being honest. This one is a tie for me. There are two writers that just makes me so happy. First is the talented and beautiful Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. When I was in secondary school, her book, Purple Hibiscus was one of the books we had to read for Literature. Typically, even though I love reading, I find it difficult when an authority tells me to read a book. It makes me nervous and under pressure and I never know if I will really enjoy it. This book though was phenomenal and there is something so elegant about the way she writes. There is a subtlety that is so beautiful and I love it. The thing I love the most is that her style of writing almost reminds me of Raymond Carver in that, sometimes you read and you know that something has happened; something has changed; you have changed but you can’t quite figure it out. You have to go back and read it again and understand what is between the lines. She is a wonderful storyteller.
The second person is Dan Brown. I find Dan Brown’s writing really wonderful. His writing opens me up to new thoughts and ideas. I might not always agree with everything but his writing is so good that I don’t even care about that. I have read all his books except one. I have it. I just haven’t had time to read it. His writing makes me feel elevated like I’m in some kind of club that only a few people know about and I really enjoy it.
Nice. I enjoyed Chimamanda’s Ted talk, though I haven’t read any of her books yet. Speaking of writing, can you tell us a little bit about this script you’re writing and how you got into screenwriting?
My movie script is about a Nigerian woman who is going through postpartum depression and the way it changes the lives of her and those around her. The reason why I am writing this story is because in my country, Nigeria (which I love), people do not take depression seriously. People do not understand it and so a lot of times, it is ignored. Now, here we have a woman who does the most natural thing in the world – give birth- and she is going through this depression that she finds hard to understand because she does not feel like she has a right to feel that way and she is oblivious to it. Anyway, that is the basis of it.
I have always wanted to write a book but I never really gathered the confidence to do so and I always felt like I wanted to write something original but no ideas ever came to me. Recently, I started having all these stories in my head and I felt I had to write it. Even if, it never gets anywhere, I feel it in my heart to write it and the more I write it, the more confident I feel as a woman and as a writer.
Nice. If you could shadow your favorite artist, who would it be?
Bruno Mars for sure. No doubt about that. Bruno Mars is so spectacular. His music, the way he moves, the happiness you feel when you hear him, it is out of this world. He works really hard and he has been doing that since he was impersonating Elvis Presley at the age of four. He has such a creative mind and his songs are poetry. If I could shadow him, I feel like I will learn so much in terms of work ethic and writing and letting the words and the music take you.
So, is Dolly taken?
I am single and I will definitely like to be married. I am one of those people who enjoy companionship. I believe that there is someone for everyone and I will enjoy being with someone for the rest of my life. Life can be hard sometimes and it will be nice to have someone go through it with you and I can’t wait for that someone to find me.
Awuee. Would you like to have children?
I would like to have children. I have always known since I was little that I wanted kids. I believe it is one of life’s beautiful miracles and I want to experience that. I have a lot of love to give and I will love to give that to my children.
A miracle indeed. What’s your favorite movie?
My favorite movie is Forrest Gump. I cry every time I watch that movie. It’s just a story of hope. It gives me the feeling that I can do anything. Even thinking about it right now is making me cry. Lol. I just really love that movie and I try to watch it at least once a year.
You know what’s funny? We had an author here last week who also happens to love Forrest Gump. Are you religious Dolly?
I am trying to be more religious. Growing up, we went to church and Bible club and I was even the Christian Worship perfect in my secondary school and so I always saw myself as religious…until about three years ago when I went through this really bad depression period and I just questioned God a lot. I didn’t understand why I was on earth and going through pain. However, God has just shown me so much compassion and love and when I had an accident last year, I won’t say that I had epiphany but I definitely felt God’s love for me in that moment. So, it’s still baby steps and I am trying to pray and read my Bible every day and get to know God in a way that I haven’t known him before. God is Love and I see that every day of my life.
What do you love about yourself?
I think I’m weird. Lol. But I love it. My mind is such a world of its own. The things I think about, read about, listen to, watch and even the little things that makes me happy in most cases, makes me seem weird to a lot of people but it is what makes me happy. Who wants to be normal anyway?
Thank you Dolly for spending this time with us! We enjoyed you for sure.
Bio.
My name is Dolapo Akitoye. I am mostly referred to as Dolly. I am 21 years old and I am a blogger and an aspiring screenwriter. I have a Bachelors degree in Journalism and English Literature and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). I have been blogging for over four years and it has been an outlet for me. To be honest, I feel as though it has saved my life so many times. I am currently working on my first movie script and I plan to work on much more in the future.
Be Sure to Follow Dolapo Online:
Ok, I must stop here! This book was after my heart. I absolutely love both Langston and Zora! In fact the main character of my first book is named for them. I was swooning when the main character not only befriended, but became a contemporary of these icons! Nora was living the life J would have wanted, had I lived in the 1920s.
For me, indie publishing has consisted of a lot of trial-and-error to determine what things work and what things do not. Unlike other types of sales and marketing, as an author it is not only about selling books, but, to some degree, you are selling yourself. This is something I’m extremely uncomfortable with, but I’ve found some ways to adjust my approach to make it more tolerable.
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