Like Stars At Night

Fun Facts

1. Daniel's last name was originally supposed to be Wellington but it reminded me too much of Banky W who stars in The Wedding Party which this book is partly inspired by. After some tinkering I came up with Wells and I think that one really suits Daniel better.

2. Amarachi's last name was actually supposed to be Okonkwo but then Amarachi Okonkwo seemed like such a mouthful to me. In the end I shortened it to just Okon.

3. Teni is based on a girl I knew in primary school/junior secondary school. Her name was actually Teni but she wasn't as spiteful or hateful as the one in the book. She and I used to compete for the top position in school but she was such a good sport. I remember she came over one time to congratulate me for getting first position. My mother still talks about it sometimes.

4. Brightway International School is the bougied up version of my secondary school. Almost all of the description of the classes, labs and offices are actual descriptions of my secondary school.

5. The book was actually supposed to be set in a day school. In fact my first chapter had Teni and Amarachi in a confrontation just before the school day ends and they are allowed to go home. I decided to change it because there were too many variables I couldn't control and with them at a boarding school the only limit was my imagination.

6. Daniel was originally supposed to be in SS3 while Amarachi was in SS2.

7. Telemi is based on a junior when I was in secondary school. Her name was actually Telemi and I described her exactly the way she is in real life.

8. In the initial plan for this book Daniel wasn't one of the main characters and he and Amarachi weren't actually supposed to get so attached to each other. He was supposed to breeze into her life, knock down her walls and teach her a lesson about life not going according to plan and that she should be whoever she wants to be before graduating in the middle of the book. Their separation wasn't supposed to be anything painful, just mutual acknowledgement that they had outgrown each other. But somehow, along the way Daniel took on a life of his own and I fell in love with his character and decided to make him one of the main characters.

9. The thing Daniel wanted to tell Amarachi in Chapter 22 was to watch her back and be alert because he suspected Teni was planning to do something hurtful to her. Too little, too late, am I right?

10. None of my characters are like me. Fortunately or unfortunately.

11. In the original draft only Kenny was supposed to be Amarachi's friend. I honestly don't know where Sylvanus popped up from but the story would not be the same without him.

12. The original end of the book was really boring. Amarachi learns to open up more and let go of her unhealthy desire to control everything. Boring!

13. Before I even started writing I had no plot whatsoever. All I knew was that I wanted to write a Nigerian teen fiction with mental health themes and a lovable male character. I was inspired by a movie, song and a book. The Wedding Party, Bad Dancer by Johnny Drille (it is also the first song Daniel and Amarachi dance to in Chapter 19 Part Two because I love it so much) and The Last Days at Forcados High School by A. H. Mohammed, respectively. Without those three muses this book would not have existed in the first place.

14. Daniel is actually from Lagos State and Amarachi is from Imo.

Well that's all I can think of for now. If there's anything other details you want to know about the book or my creative process please let me know.

Ciao for now!