Ever read a book that’s so good that you yearn for more? It’s like the writer knew the exact button to press to keep you glued to the book. That’s exactly how I feel whenever I read the works of the Great Steve. I know by now you are wondering who the Great Steve is. Just like you, I was also curious and eager to meet him. I couldn’t meet him in person but I got the chance to have a conversation with him online which later turned out to be a mini-interview. So, my esteemed readers, I present to you the Great Steve.
Introduction
Stephen Abiola Okunlola is a creative writer, editor, trainer, author, and volunteer living in Ogun State Nigeria. A graduate of Sociology from the prestigious Olabisi Onabanjo University; Ago Iwoye Ogun State. He served as the president of the Baptist Student’s fellowship, (OOU) 16/17. He is the President and the lead facilitator of the Creative Hub brand, the training, and service delivery arm of his writing career duly registered with The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
Being a writer and a social media influencer, he writes articles, poems, and write-ups for magazines and constantly shares his write-ups on his social media platforms. He also helps writers to edit and proofread their manuscript and brand it up into a book. He is the author of the amazing novel titled IŞIK! REKINDLING HOPES amongst others. Presently, he is a volunteer coach and a trainer with The Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative YEDI Nigeria.
As fondly called, THE GREAT STEVE, is so much committed to raising hopes and impacting destinies through; public speaking, teachings, insightful and inspirational teachings, and creative writings.
ME: Thank you so much for honoring my invitation, sir. Who exactly is the great steve?
“Thank you for having me mickeygblogs. The Great Steve is a creative writer from Oyo State, Southwest, Nigeria. I am called of God to raise hopes and impact destinies through my writing and teaching skills.”
When did you start writing?
“I was nine(9) years old when I got into secondary school. I was in JSS 1 when I wrote my first stories. Most of them were in Yoruba, my native dialect. Let’s just say I was writing for fun, I didn’t even know what I was doing. I would write and have my friends read it. We would laugh at the stories and sometimes discuss the characters. This trend continued to high school and then I graduated. It was in 2017 that I really took writing very seriously and I am still on it.”
You started writing as early as nine, waw! So what were the stories about?
“Hmmm I can’t really remember all the stories I wrote but I do remember “IKUNLE ABIYAMO”-The Plights and Perils Of Motherhood. This was a story about the sufferings of a parent over a child. Growing up, I watched my parents struggle to raise us. They sacrificed their dreams and passions so we could get the best. This really influenced my thinking and I decided to put my thoughts into words.”
How many books have you written so far?
“I have written more than 8 books and some are short stories too.
I’m still working on collecting my short stories to harness it under this title “Dangerous grounds.”
Few of my work includes the following:
- Rekindling Hopes,
- Miserable perishing 1&2,
- Hot coals,
- The Good sister,
- Epistles from the Grave,
- Whispers of love,
- City scene,
- IŞIK,
- Spell of error,
- Games people play,
- Gone too far.
These books are available on this blog for FREE DOWNLOAD. Sign up to our email list/newsletter and get access to our resource library/freebies to enjoy these lovely stories.
Which of these books is your favorite?
“ISIK is my favorite! I read the book and wonder who the writer is😂. I am really blessed to have written that book. I have received so many testimonies concerning ISIK and I give God all the glory.”
Let’s talk about your recent book -“spell of error”- What’s it about?
“The disciplinary actions taken in most African setting is not supposed to be so. Some people come up with terrible punishment, forgetting it is by grace we have been saved. This book is an eye-opener to issues like these. SPELL OF ERROR is a concise expose of several portions of admonitions, exhortations, and restoration. Herein, we understand that seeking scriptural knowledge after giving one’s life to Christ is very important to avoid making rash decisions that one might live to regret.”
What were some of the challenges you faced as a writer?
“Destructive criticism was the biggest challenge I faced. Most of the hurtful words were coming from people I least expected. Some of them were referring to me as “a wannabe”. I remember last year after publishing rekindling hope, somebody sent me a very long message. In his message, he said I should stop wasting my time and go do something better with my life. He said I had no right to write about matters he felt I wasn’t qualified or experienced to write on. He said a whole lot of other things that could have made me break my pen and just quite. The other challenge I faced was financial constraints. I post most of my works online and most times I don’t have the money to buy data. In 2016 my laptop that contained my drafts was also stolen. That was when I knew that depression was real, oh my! I lost all my work and it was painful.”
How were you able to rise above the critisms?
“Writing for me is not something I do for fun. I have grown past that stage. Writing is a mandate and I refuse to let the opinions of others discourage me. I refuse to give up and I keep on working. Throughout the years I have come to the understanding that people are different. We come from different homes, have different experiences and we believe in different things. So when someone criticizes me, I try to see the sense in what they are trying to say. If it’s something useful to me, I learn from it. If it’s destructive I ignore. Don’t let criticism get to you! If you find yourself around people who do nothing but criticize your work stay focus and be consistent. With time you will be good at what you do.”
Do you have a brand sir?
“Yes, I do. The name of my brand is “The creative Hub”. What we do is help upcoming creative writers, teach people how to write, train people, and we do mentorship. This brand was birthed from my experience. I get people in my DM asking me questions about writing and I thought it wise to create a brand and bring everything under one umbrella. The brand is growing and I have seen most of my students write and publish their ebooks.”
Do you have any word of encouragement to an upcoming creative writer?
“Do not underestimate the power of consistency. You may not have “experience” but just start. There’s no one way to start in life. Everyone’s story is unique so just start and remain consistent. Evolve in your own way, don’t try to copy others. You can learn from others and draw inspiration from their stories but be unique. Do not also despise the days of little beginnings. keep writing and posting even if nobody likes or comments. It will surprise you to know that some certain individuals see and love your work without saying a single word. Just keep going. This is also applicable to everyone out there that is reading this.”
Tell us about your Salvation experience.
“I left secondary (high school) in 2009, so, mum initiated it that I should attend a few programs, then I attended The Deeper Life Church Success Academy for Youths (SAY Conference) at Adeola Odutola Elementary school, Ijebu ode, Ogun State, and on the last day 28th August 2009, a sister walked up to me, and ministered God’s word to me and film! I didn’t know what happened, she led me to Christ and even did a follow-up discipleship work after the program! I can say that there is a great change since I became born again! Thanks to the lover of my soul”
We have come to the end of this interview sir. Do you have any final words or appreciation?
“I appreciate God for His faithfulness. He’s my source and my resource. I appreciate everyone that believed in me and that which that the Lord has called me to do. I appreciate the mickeygblogs.com team. To my fellow writers and upcoming writers, don’t stop believing in yourself and that which you are called to do. It may not be rewarding now, but be sure that your reward is certain.”
For bookings for training sessions, speaking engagement, event host, personal and corporate counseling services contact him via his Contact information; WhatsApp: http://wa.me/2348170632512 Email Address: [email protected] Facebook: Stephen Abiola OkunlolaInstagram: the_great_steve1Check out for me on this link: about.me/stephenabiola.okunlola
