Paula Omokhomion is a Master of Public
Policy student at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy, though
she’s fairly certain that won’t be forever. She holds a B.S. in Public
Health Nutrition from UNC Chapel Hill, where she also minored in
Creative Writing (Fiction) and graduated with highest honors for her
120-page thesis novella, New Age Taffeta.
Paula developed her skills and love
for writing fiction in a very, very interesting Nigerian boarding
school, where the lack of television meant she had to invent
entertainment for everyone else. She loves reading manhwa, watching
Indian TV dramas, listening to music, and writing short stories.When not
doing any of those or in the classroom handling R code, she’s refining
her LinkedIn or taking Instagram selfies.
She lives in California with her family,
including her two fellow triplets, and is currently dreaming of a future
PhD in public health—and maybe another novel.
Author Links
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Thanks for this interview. Would you say it’s been a rocky road
for you in regard to getting your book written and published or pretty
much smooth sailing? Can you tell us about your journey?
I believe that it wasn’t as smooth during the writing compared to the
publishing. When I wrote this book, I was a junior in college, and so I
was handling a lot of important external responsibilities while
ensuring I wrote at least once a day for seven months. This book
actually took almost every day of seven months to write.
I wrote it on Wattpad in its earliest form, and it had over 4k
readers and I would get very supportive comments that really supported
me in writing more. However, if I had to take a break for school or
rest, I would get some mean comments which came off as entitled. I had
to note mid-story I was going on a break and ignore so many comments, so
it wasn’t really smooth. The publishing was smooth sailing because I
used Draft2Digital, which is a very cost-effective and proactive way of
getting your work out there and on different retail platforms. I think
most difficulty was social media marketing because it involved putting
myself out there, which I am not used to.
When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?
I
like to read Manhwas which are the South Korean webtoons, watch Indian
or Spanish Dramas, or listen to music. I am also very
professional/academic-inclined, so I don’t mind spending time on
polishing my CV, updating my website or LinkedIn, or journaling plans
and goals for myself.
What makes your book stand out from the rest?
I believe that Shape of the Sun is different because of how meta it
is. The book is inspired by how fiction canon traditionally does not
express male leads in an unflattering manner, and going further, how
some actually have male leads that do terrible things but put in major
efforts to compensate for it, which could come off as whitewashing in
realtime. Raj, SOTS’ male lead really is that central character that is
by no means misunderstood and is particularly consciously unreliable.
There is also meta-fictional commentary on whether romance can really
wipe out negativity as well as the effect of family neglect and
performative masculinity. So aside from the honest lead angle, its also a
book where everyone is rich and actively carrying out that privilege
even if in the wrong manner. In that way, we have a good view at the rot
that might come with wealth, and the struggle is less of fighting
against the system and more of fighting against oneself to thrive or not
to thrive within the system.
Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?
This is not the first page but it carries a heavy weight in the book:
Even though he was losing, he didn't want to be lost.
Rajkumar was most scared of being alone where no one could find him.
He wanted to be held close when he was drifting as Amma did in the
morning. The warmth of her body had given him peace, enough to meet the
elusive sleep. He wanted some of that warmth and now more than ever,
after seeing that face he so desperately hated.
Rajkumar gathered himself together and gingerly came down from the
bed, delicate feet touching the cold, tiled floor, a hand anchoring
sleeves to wipe the mess on his face while the other clutched a pillow
behind.
He couldn't be by himself for himself.
Soon enough, he was walking across the dark, silent hallway, and at
that moment, Rajkumar realized how small he was, how tiny his frame held
up against that of the space around it. Rajkumar wondered if his
problem was as small too, a tiny speck of dust amongst many. Perhaps, he
was a small fry in a big pond. Perhaps, he should man up and stop
making a fuss.
But the memory of that painful night drove him right back into the
arms of apparent hypocrisy. He couldn't be by himself for himself.
The path to his parents' room meant passing through Priyanka's. She
had come from their aunt's yesterday, he knew, but hadn't come to see
him then or even before leaving for school this morning. Rajkumar's hand
applied more strength to the pillow, a bid to distract from the
billowing wind in his temple, their sails clouding his vision as he
pressed his ear to the paneled door.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
The sails went past, leaving him behind.
Rajkumar wanted to ask Priyanka if she left him behind too. Or was it
that she already knew? Did she see it like he did, the filth he now
was? Could she smell it from afar, the stench making her nauseous, like
it did to him? He felt sick of himself but couldn't even throw up.
Perhaps, his sister had beat him to it - and he didn't blame her.
Rajkumar's heart only ached, reflecting in the tears welling up in his
eyes, cursing Eloise for making him a pariah to the ones that had loved
him so much.
Rajkumar didn't dare step in and ask Priyanka. He knew that she was
suffering as much as he was. He could only pray in his heart that she'd
not forget him so soon.
"Elder sister...." His whisper scattered in the wind passing through the hallway.
Priyanka wasn't here to turn around and yell at him to stop chasing,
then again to pace her. She wouldn't grumble about how ridiculously tall
he was. Couldn't, more like.
There was no more sneaking chocolates into his room when he was ill and pretending that she didn't care.
He had forgotten. He should keep doing so.
The ten-year-old backed up from the door, silently sobbing, his
fingers pressed to his eyes, tears spilling onto his blue shirt and the
dark tiled floor, hoping that his message reached his elder sister, full
of sorrow for this short-lived bond. He was grateful beyond words.
Filth was deserving. Filth could only go where it had no choice but to
be accepted, albeit grudgingly. Filth was ever-grateful. Filth was
forever moving forward, even if alone, even if against its will.
Soon enough though, Rajkumar would learn a spin to that thought.
Filth moved forward, unhinged and off the rails so that when it
needed to stop, it couldn't and fell deeper into the shit, the murky
cesspool that it had only been at the fringes of, to be or not to be.
It crashed and burned harder. It did so alone.
If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?
I think it would be Christmas, because its sweet and its grounded in
the warmth of family and daily living, but its also cold and can also
get rough. There is a lot of preparation that the main characters have
to do in their lives over the series of events in the book.
Would you consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done?
No, I do not think I will turn the book into a series. Though, I have
been getting soem reviews asking for a sequel. So, it is definitely
something I will think over.
When you were young, did you ever see writing as a career or full-time profession?
Not really, I just happened to start writing at fourteen by chance,
because I was in a boarding school in Nigeria and there were no
electronic devices allowed. So I was bored and decided to write for fun,
and got feedback that it was really good. Summarily, I had never
actively thought of writing as a career, but if I happen to write a book
that generates the level of early retirement worthy income, that would
be great.
What’s next on your to do list?
I am currently reworking some completed works that are saved on my
devices, as well as just overall going to school, being a student, and
applying to grad schools.
Paula Onohi Omokhomion's latest book is Shape of the Sun.
