- The Kingdom of Oru is rich with elements like agbára, magic, and gods. What inspired you to create this mythology and magic system?
The foundational magic system for the world of Oru was the balance between agabra oru (heat energy) and agabra Òtútù (cold energy) or the simply put, fire and ice. Further down the line, while creating L'ọrẹ as the main character, it was important that she be without the power to harness the magic from the sun like everyone else in Oru. This meant that she needed something to help hide this secret to avoid being killed before she got old enough for the story to start. This gap was a natural fit for the introduction of Yoruba myths and gods who show up as the old gods FOTS. By calling upon the old god, Ṣàngo, L'ọrẹ is able to create the illusion of fire in her blades and this successfully fools everyone around her- for a while. I got play around with the old Yoruba myths and gods by creating rules around the magic that created tension for the story. For example, in the world of Oru, everyone must stick to the first god they call upon for help. The gods here are jealous and so while there are a patheon of gods who together can do almost everything from seeing the future to healing the worst of wounds to striking the earth with lightning, you may call upon just one god for the entirety of your life or risk being cursed. Things like this allowed me to mix current day myths in yorubaland with fantasy elements in a way that felt like paying homage to the storytellers that came before me while still feeling like the story itself brings some exciting, if familiar, concepts.
- L'ore's secret of not having agbára sets her apart from everyone else. What motivated you to create a protagonist who is different in such a crucial way? How does this shape her relationship with other characters, such as Alawani?
L'ọrẹ has no agbára oru. This is a secret that can get her killed because the ruling party of the kingdom would be terrified of what a c person without agabra means for the rest of them and the future of the kingdom. To hide this, she summons the old gods. In Oru, since everyone is born with magic (agbára) all learned magic is forbidden to all but the priests of the Holy Order. L'ọrẹ however is forced to summon old gods with spells she learns from her father. It was important to her character arc and journey that she starts off with so much uncertainty about who she is and how she fits into a world that does not seem to have space for her. L'ọrẹ’s world is small. It consists of her father, her commander and trainer, her favourite sparring partner and her best friend, the prince of Oru. Being able to count everyone she loves on one hand makes L'ọrẹ very protective of the small count. However, she is constantly afraid of losing the little she has and so her decision to keep her lack of powers a secret is one she is comfortable with. Part of her does not want to know whether or not they would turn on her if they did find out. This does make L'ọrẹ hold on a bit too tight.
- L'ore's decision to save Alawani, even at the risk of her own life, is a powerful choice. How did you approach writing the tension of this dilemma for her?
L'ọrẹ is very protective of the people in her life and while in this instance she upends her life for her best friend Alawani, as we get to know her better, we realise that she would have done the same for anyone in her life. She is fiercely loyal and determined to hold on to the bits of joy she’s managed to claw out of a world that hates her. The tension in this particular dilemma comes from the fact that L'ọrẹ is madly in love with Alawani. Theirs is a friends to lovers romance, and while L'ọrẹ has never shared her feelings for Alawani with him, nothing says I will die for you quite like risking one’s own life in a literal life or death situation. It’s hard to go back to just friends after something like that. There’s a moment in the early to mid section of the book where L'ọrẹ is sure she’s lost Alawani, and she terrified to physically let him out of her arms, and he’s so close to her he could kiss her. He wants to. She wants to. And she breaks away thinking, she would rather not know what it feels like to kiss him than for her first kiss with him to be her last. The tension only grows stronger from there on out.
- What was the most challenging part of writing Firstborn of the Sun? Was there a particular scene or character that took a lot of effort to get just right?
Every fight scene was a struggle. I’m happy with all the fight scenes that made it into the final pages but it was so incredibly difficult. I think knowing that this is where I don't feel the most confident makes it the part of writing that I study up on quite a lot. Most two thirds of my craft books are on fight scenes, movement, atmosphere and the six senses. The second hardest scenes are physically intimate moments and if done right should feel either like a dance or a fight. So it all loops back to a balance between movement and emotions.
- In a similar vein, did you always know how the story would unfold, or did the plot take some unexpected turns as you wrote it?
I’m seventy percent discoverer and thirty percent planner. I can easily find the big landmarks for my story. I may even, as I often do, have a very clear idea of the inciting incident. But everything in between the large pillar posts of the outline needs to be discovered. In reality by the time I reach those posts, they have changed form, or become irrelevant altogether but I still need them before I start to have a sense of a goal in mind. With FOTS, I knew there was a girl who was placed in a world where she was different but I did not know how or why. I knew that she would risk her life for someone she loved but I did not know the history that connected them. I knew she would have to leave home but I did not know who she would leave behind or anyone she would meet on the way. The discovery of characters, and the expansion of the world as I write out each word is where the fun is. So yes, this book surprised me in many ways. Book two is turning out to be even more so.
- The world and culture in this book are incredibly rich. Were there any particular books, myths, or cultural traditions that influenced your writing of Oru?
Nearly all of FOTS is inspired by Yoruba culture. Working with a culture that is rooted in oral storytelling makes for a very exciting and mealiable canvas. I got to play around with a lot of the stories and myths I heard growing up. There a thousands of folkL'ọrẹs and tales of how the gods of the pantheon interact with humans, much like the famous gods of Olympia, they can be quite cunning, vengeful and a bit too obsessed with interfering with humanity. The Yoruba pantheon shows up as old gods who are forbidden from being summoned and it adds a layer of risk to L'ọrẹ’s life but also intrigue for the kingdom as whole. With the presence of scions of these gods all around the kingdom, we get to see how far those in power will go to keep them in line. This allows us to see on page some of those incredible powers that are associated with the Yoruba gods.
- I really enjoyed the concept of hidden icy shadow magic vs magic from the sun. Did you draw from any real-world traditions or folklore to craft this aspect of the story?
The icy shadow magic was one of the first ideas I had as I needed something to be a direct opposite to the heat energy that is harnessed with agbára oru. The things that changed as the story evolved was who would wield this power and the history of the people who have it. We don’t see too much of this power in book one outside of L'ọrẹ. We see a bit of it with Moremi in the prologue while she births her child but book two is all about the kingdom of Òtútù and I’m so excited to dive into that dark void on the other side of the sun coin. What I found interesting was choosing how the the magic of the old golds interact with either agbára. To avoid spoilers, I won’t say more but this was fun to weave around.
- If you could step into L'ore’s shoes for a day, would you make the same choices she does? Or would you approach her journey differently?
L'ọrẹ is prompted by her need to protect her family and Alawani. She may not have done anything to change her situation if she had not been pushed to act by the gods who came for those she loves. In another world, I would have had L'ọrẹ infilterate the house of maidens and train to become and assassin to find out what happened to her mother. I might lean towards the later and infiltrate the Holy Order before they had a chance to come for me. But that’s all wishful thinking.
- I know all the characters are probably very close to your heart, however are there any characters in particular that are your favourites? And why?
L'ọrẹ is the anchor and I love her because she gets back up every single time. A close second is Milua. She will move heaven and earth…simply because she can.
- Without too many spoilers! Can you share any teasers for what comes next in the world of Oru? Do you have plans to explore other characters’ backstories or delve deeper into the politics and history of the Kingdom in future books?
The world in which Oru exists is vast. The map in the book shows the full continent. We have two other ‘known’ kingdoms we have not explored. L'ọrẹ is on a journey all through book two, she will get home as is expected. What happens when she does is the spoiler question. But yes, I hope to complete L'ọrẹ’s story, and then go back to Moremi’s story and finally all the way back to when the people of Oru first got their agabra. We are working our way backwards and it’s going to be such a fun ride.
Quick Fire Round
Favourite snack whilst writing? Plantain chips 10/10 would always recommend
If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive who would it be? Funmilayo Kuti- a Nigerian activist and legend.
Favourite book you’ve ever read? Two books I’m loving at the moment- My sister the serial killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite and Shigidi by Wole Talabi
