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Meet Ewaoluwa

Author • Poet • Coach • Ghostwriter

At the beginning of the year, I was lucky enough to get to know Ewaoluwa (who also goes by the name Kristina), who runs Pendacious. Talented in just about every aspect of writing and publishing that you can think of, I was drawn to the empathy she shows authors.

Thank you, Ewaoluwa, for your time, your continuous generosity, and for being my guinea pig as I delve into interviews.

Pendacious...

Pendacious has to be one of my favourite website names. What is the meaning behind it?

It means audacious with the pen. At the time I chose this name, I’d just rediscovered my passion for writing; how much I loved it and my intense desire to be crazy good at it with intentionality. So, that was my goal. To be audacious with my writing, do my best, and try my hardest.

You are a woman of many talents, including your incredible ghostwriting, betaing, editing, and coaching skills. What would you say is your favourite line of work?

Gosh! It’s writing. Followed closely by editing. I found them early in life and I have intense passion for both of them, but at this time, writing consumes me more. Like I said, I rediscovered my passion for it.

When I read your profile, I absolutely loved your message that you are there to support authors. Your ability to connect and empathise with readers’ needs on a personal level is quite rare in the publishing world. How did this come about?

I was unable to read or write for 6 months after a traumatic incident. It hurt. It hurt like crazy. That period forced me to think deeply about everything I was doing. I considered my standing in this industry and the callousness with which I took ghostwriting jobs. What I did had lost its meaning, and for me, money could never be enough. I was going to quit ghostwriting entirely but I talked a writing coach and we dived into what I really desired to do — dive into people’s stories with them.

And that’s how the job position of writing partnership was birthed.

I love the idea of a 'writing partnership.' Why do you think it is important authors have someone in their corner?

The authors and writers I desire to work with want to write but are facing obstacles like loneliness, stress, confusion, or lack of motivation. It’s easy to give up when we face these things and writing is no easy task. What I want to do is be involved in every part of the process alongside them, even writing.

What do you think makes a good writing coach? What should authors look for when looking to hire someone?

My position goes beyond writing coaching but I think that a good writing coach is someone who’s willing and able to tailor their approach to meet you where you are. They’re not so caught up in the ‘rules’ and ‘must-dos’ of writing that they lose sight of who they’re helping. I think you can evaluate this through the feedback they give when you have that first conversation with them.

Ghostwriting

What are some of the misconceptions you’ve come across about ghostwriting? What would you like readers to know about it?

We aren’t machines. As a fiction ghostwriter, most clients I’ve come across aren’t writers themselves. They have these inhuman expectations of us. The deadlines are short and the pay isn’t worth the burnout. I’d like readers to be realistic about their expectations of ghostwriters and not treat them like slave workers.

What do you think writers should look for when looking to hire a ghostwriter?

A listener. A ghostwriter is someone who writes for you as you, but can they be in tune with your expectations enough to do that? A good ghostwriter is interested in you and they want to hear you.

Stories, Articles, & Poetry

We can pretend we don’t have favourite children, but between you and me (and the many readers seeing this), what is your favourite piece of work you’ve written?

It’s my first book. It’s my favorite because it’s immortalized. I hand wrote it at eleven in a book, and it was burned soon after when the house was being cleared, so I can’t look back at it and evaluate the difference between my skill now and my skill then. I can only remember how proud I was that I wrote it and that my classmates, whom I shared it with, loved it.

A close favorite is an article I just wrote titled, 'The Most Iconic Scene in Game of Thrones and its Life Changing Insight.'

You wrote your first book at just eleven years old. I'm so sorry to hear about its loss. Tell me more about it.

It was about a 15-year-old girl whose parents had gotten divorced because they were always arguing. She had to move with her mum to a new home and join a new school. She was really sad about how swiftly her world had changed. There, she met a boy who liked her and they started dating despite opposition from a well-liked bully who liked him as well. They started dating, went to college together and got married. They started to have problems in their marriage when she got pregnant, similar to her parents, and she grieved that her life would end up like her mother's, but eventually they communicated and fixed things. It was based in the US, as most of the books I read at that age were written by foreign authors.

Last year when I wrote about it for my website, I realized that this story was a mirror of my (admittedly more complex) family situation at the time and my desire for a happy ending, but more than that it was a really fun project I got to share with my classmates. Most of the girls in my class were book worms (most still are), so I was glad they liked mine.

As a teenager, you delved into poetry. Did you find it hard to switch from story writing or did the words flow naturally? Were there any particular conventions or styles you felt you had to conform to?

For me at thirteen, it was all about the rhymes. I still have the notebook I wrote them all in. I didn’t realize there was more to poetry until I was sixteen; I hated myself and I joined a poetry club, so I started to express myself without rhyming.

Will we get to see any samples published?

This poem won a prize at a competition. My country was dealing with a police brutality crisis at the time and competitions like this was one of the ways we spoke out against it.

NON-BULLETPROOF

Men in black

Come with death tools

To plant their bullet seeds in our soil

And they use

Our tears like rain mixed with the blood they shed

To wet the mounds they dug

And harvest skulls.

Men in trust

Have now betrayed us.

The labour of our heroes past in vain;

The lives of our future heroes hanging in a balance.

Should our fates be decided by the hands that hold guns?

God forbid! That we will not labour in valour and speak up.

Olórunmáje! That our vegetative soil should become littered with skulls

Tufiakwa! That our non-Nile rivers should flow with our blood

Allah Ya Kiyaye! That the heroes of our future should fall

Fingers firmly folded into fists

And hands raised above our non-bulletproof heads,

We cry, “END SARS!”

“END POLICE BRUTALITY!”

~Ewaoluwa

That is heartbreakingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing it!

You’ve had over nine years' worth of writing experience. Do you ever tire of writing?

Never! When I cannot write, it feels horribly wrong.

You’re a master of many genres. What is your favourite to work on? Is it the same as your favourite genre to read?

Non-fiction articles. Mostly because of my blog. I incredibly enjoy writing my blog posts.

What would you say influences your writing the most? (for example, family, current trends in literature, culture, dreams, etc).

Myself. My writing is a reflection of my experiences, insights, and thoughts. I write them in ways that make them relevant to the reader, but ultimately, it’s just me.

Are there any current projects you’re working on?

I’m writing a beginners editing course and I’m loving it!

Advice for Authors

Many authors (particularly those new to the industry), aren’t too sure about the difference between editing, proofreading, and beta reading. What should they know?

Beta reading is basically finding a member of your ideal audience and paying them to evaluate your book to determine if your work will appeal to the people you’re writing for. It is similar to editing because part of a professional editor’s job is to bridge the gap between your goals for your book and the needs of your audience. So, in that way, your editor dives into your ideal reader's mind to provide adequate support.

Proofreading is a kind of editing. It’s the final phase before the book gets formatted to check for punctuation errors, spelling errors, tense inconsistencies, numbering… mostly errors relating to grammar and language, and sometimes, fact-checking.

Editing can either be developmental, line, or copy. My advice to authors is to consult with professional editors to determine their specific needs rather than deciding for themselves.

Briefly walk me through the services you provide. What can authors expect?

I provide writing partnership and editing services.

Writing partnership enables me to walk hand-in-hand with authors and writers as a writing partner. Writing can be lonely, confusing, and stressful, but when you have a partner, the burden is shared. So, I define a writing partner as your all-in-one collaborator, expertly working with you through brainstorming, outlining, researching, and writing for an enriched, stress-free, and goal-crushing literary journey. For this job position, I draw from my experience as a ghostwriter who has worked in various genres and an editor who knows how to be the middleman between writer and reader.

If an author only had the budget for one key service (such as editing, betaing, cover art, marketing, etc), what would you recommend they prioritise?

Marketing (if their main aim is money) because even bad books sell.

Editing (if their aim is quality).

Beta reading is likely unnecessary if you’re working with a professional editor.

What is the number one mistake you’ve seen new authors commit? (You may be calling me out here 😅)

Be uninformed. We don’t have to be naive to be hopeful. Most authors think they’re just gonna jump into the industry and be pop stars, but being an indie author is a full-time job. It takes a lot, so have a plan.

Many young girls and boys are eager to write stories but are often discouraged (perhaps it’s fear, parental or peer doubt, lack of motivation or knowledge). What helped you push through any doubts when writing at such a young age?

To be honest, it wasn’t something I thought too deeply about. I was just bored during an holiday because I had no friends nearby to visit so I just wrote it.

I would say to them, ‘just write what you want.’ At the time, this story didn’t have the significance it does to me now, but it did turn out to be incredibly meaningful. So, just write whatever. Have fun!

Beyond the Writer

The age-old question: Have you read any good books lately?

I haven’t. I have read a really good short story by Alex Tizon. My Family’s Slave.

What was your favourite book (picture or novel) at that age? Did you have a favourite character?

The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. George was my favorite character. She rejected being stereotyped as a person who liked ‘girly’ things just because she had a female sexual organ. She was a tomboy, but looking back, she represented for me a girl who chose who she wanted to be, rather than let anyone around her dictate it.

Who is the most influential author (or story) you’ve read? What was their impact on you?

Francine Rivers was my idol when I was young. My dad used to buy me her books. Her writing was so carefully raw. Exposing human thoughts and emotions in a very natural and impactful way. Her messages always burned in my memory months after I read her books. Her writing doesn’t captivate me anymore, but what it did to me as a child is immortalized in my memory and my writing.

If you could attend a dinner party with six characters from any book, movie, or television series, who would they be and why?

Any 5 main characters + Alex from Modern Family because it’s my favorite sitcom.

The Original Family (Klaus and siblings) so I could tell them they’re super dumb for recycling the same trauma over a thousand years.

The Blessed One by Ted Dekker (Caleb + 5 adults who were in charge of him) so I could tell the adults off for exploiting a child.

Instead of a dinner party, you’re stranded on a deserted island with the antagonist of the last book you read. Who is going to survive?

The last book I read (I didn’t finish it) was Lolita. I’m surviving because he’s not interested in women☠️☠️☠️

When you’re not helping writers or putting words on a page, what do you like to do?

Write for myself (it’s my favorite thing). Netflix and lie on my bed. Watch anime. Spend quality time with my friends (some of whom are family).

What is one fact about yourself that would shock readers?

I’m a Nigerian. It’s my first time being interviewed.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?

You’re really sweet.

I write relevant and life-changing articles. Check them out here: pendacious.com/blog

Also, thank you so much for this opportunity.

Thank you, Ewaoluwa! It was a pleasure getting to know you better.

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