Gbemisola Akinsipe wrote her first novel, Family Again! when she was 13 years old, and a year after,

she is almost done with her second. This SSS3 student’s style of writing is one that can make established writers green with envy. She explains to Adewale Oshodi how she develops her story ideas from events around her.

If one picks up a copy of Gbemisola Akinsipe’s debut novel, Family Again! One would definitely marvel at the fact that the book is written by a 13-year-old secondary school student. Her construction of the narrative can match that of established writers, and this is definitely not a flattery. And a year after her first novel, Gbemisola is almost done with her second, Conundrum!

“I just love writing”, she says, “although I didn’t even plan I was going to publish my first manuscript, but a chance meeting with the Chairman of Spectrum Books made that possible. My Dad was in his office for a meeting, and mum and myself went with him. So, after the meeting, I told the chairman I was writing a book and if his company could publish it, and he said I should bring it first. But, at that time, I was yet to finish the manuscript, so that made me to quickly conclude the story”, she said.

Family Again! is just so well-constructed that one finds it difficult to believe Gbemisola actually wrote it herself, but the Senior Secondary School Three student of Christ Ambassadors International College, Ibadan, says, “even my parents did not get to read the story until after it was published.”

“Being a young girl, I notice there are girls who are not close to their mothers, who do not share what they are going through with their mothers, rather, such girls go to their friends for advice, and which, in most cases, are wrong and they often have consequences.

“It is as a result of this important issue that I developed my first novel, and I know it will help many young girls know the importance of confiding in their mothers; for me, my mum is my best friend, I also talk with my grandmother, I know they have seen things in this world, and their experiences will be available to me when I need them,” Gbemisola said.

On her second novel, Conundrum, the young writer says she tries to document the social aspect of the problems Nigerians are facing.

“I derive my stories from happenings around me. I hope something can be done about the problems facing the people in this country; although there are polical, economic, and even psychological problems facing the people, but I am focusing on the social aspect, and I hope the book will be released later in the year.”

Having started writing at such a young age, Gbemisola does not want to be a full-time writer. “I see writing as a hobby; something you do when you are less busy, rather, I would like to study Computer Science, and then go on to have a professional career. I have a flair for computer and I would love to go deep into that area”

The 14-year-old, who sees Chimamanda Adichie as her role model is, however, appreciative of the proprietress of her school, Evangelist Lilian Bademosi for the support she’s been rendering her since her first book was published.

“The proprietress has been making people, both parents and students, to be aware of the positive values they can gain from Family Again!, and this is giving me a lot of encouragement. It is giving me the boost to write more, and I know more younger people are also being encouraged by what I am doing”.

So, since Gbemisola wants to be a career woman, and not a full-time writer, she is asked if she would prefer to be famous for being a writer or a computer scientist, “I don’t mind being famous in both”, comes the reply, and for a young lady who has the world at her feet, nothing is definitely impossible.