Featured Friday! TM Yomide
TM Yomide writes epic stories that blend sci-fi and fantasy into dark, cosmic worlds. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he was raised across several cities, acquiring a perspective shaped by movement. When he is not crafting flawed protagonists and pitching fate against free will, he dives into human psychology at the University of Lagos. He’s a dog person and an MCU fan. His quest into the vast unknown is perilous, but he vows to remain unbreakable as he writes his next book.
What’s your favourite part of the lifestyle of an Author?
It comes down to how deep I can bring readers into my world. The best feeling? It’s when readers don’t want to leave the world I’ve created.
What made you start writing?
I always had an overreactive imagination and with so many stories and alternate lifestyles in my head, I just have to put them down.
Is there an Author that you consider your inspiration?
That goes to Morgan Rice. I read her Sorcerer’s Ring series and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to write my own. I was eighteen at the time and didn’t know anything about books much less writing. After Sorcerer’s Ring, Survival trilogy, and Oliver Blue in The School Of Seers; all written by Morgan Rice, I just had to write my own stories. Ever since, I have been writing. And besides, it is way easier for me than drawing comics.
What’s your number one tip for an aspiring Author?
If you truly want to be an author, then don’t stop writing, even if you suck at it. Don’t stop reading even if you don’t have that much time. And most importantly, always shut out negative comments. Criticism is good, just dull out the negativity.
What type of book do you like to read and does this differ from the genre that you prefer to write?
I read what I write. While I do enjoy a good mystery, contemporary romance, and action thriller, I’ll always pick science fiction and fantasy over all genres.
Which one of your characters would you most like to spend time with?
Whoa, that’s a tough one. If I really have to choose, I’d say Xxus. He is a pain to be around, but you’d never be bored.
Which book do you consider a must-read?
Godbreaker. It’s a short story I wrote to capture an emotional turn of the moment a patriotic loyalist turned into the doomsday villain kind. I have to say, it’s the rawest emotional arc I have ever written, and I am always amused by how I grounded cosmic stakes in humanity. Godbreaker is an epic fantasy short and is exclusively free to my mailing list only.
If you could live in a book, which one would it be?
Pierce Brown’s Golden Son. More specifically, I want to live through an Iron Rain.
If you could pick an Author to write your biography, who would it be?
Morgan Rice. Of course, it’s far-fetched, but it’s only fitting if she could do the honors. She introduced me to this SFF world, and I would love it if she wrote my biography.
Is there any conflict between what you want to write and what you think your readers will like?
Actually no. Although some minor conflicts like that come up in dialogue, word choice, or how long I want to dwell on a specific thing. But in the overall plot and theme, there are no such conflicts.
What effect can a review have on you, if you read them at all? Both the good and the bad.
I generally don’t read comments unless I specifically ask for them. And when I do read comments, I shun off the negativity and embrace all criticism because they help me improve. As for the positive reviews, they always give me a genuine smile. Part of which is pride, the other part is unexplainable. Like I get pleasure in realizing how much a reader enjoyed my book.
Can you sum up your life story in ten words or less?
I can do it in one word: Chaotic.
What’s exciting you about your next project?
Everything about it is exciting. Godbreaker is actually a scene from the antagonist’s pov, and I’m really excited to flesh out the character and many others. However, I think the most exciting part is the world; Era of Stone and Fire is an account of how an era ends and another begins, grounded in transgressions of divine beings and the transcendence of mortals. I am especially excited about making this destiny an inevitable failure…I mean, I want to write the exact opposite of what a “chosen one” trope should be. I can’t stress enough how excited I am to write Era of Stone and Fire, I can’t.
And finally, you have one quote to be remembered by, what is it?
It’s the same quote I use in all my books: I am Unbreakable.
TM Yomide’s The Merged released on the 23rd of January, you can find TM Yomide all round the web and links to his work by checking out his Linktree.
Zealot Script 