Six years ago, in 2020 while the world riled under the yoke of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jolomi Atimomo activated her creative muse. Today, she is a proud author of two bestselling novels, Colour Blind released in 2024 and Colours of Love, which recently hit the bookshelves.
For Atimomo, who spent 25 years working at Nigerian Breweries before retiring in 2005 as PR Manager, writing was her best antidote against the boredom of life after retirement.
The 78-year-old author recently unveiled Colours of Love, a 410-page book, to a select group of media personalities in Lagos, revealing that the work is an emotional story of loss, disappointment, affection, breakthroughs and redemption.
Atimomo, who so much believes in love – the love that comes in different kind of shades – from kindness to forgiveness, gentleness to hope, family and truth, could be described as a late bloomer having started her voyage as an author in her ‘70s. But then she also believes that age shouldn’t be a barrier to venture into new terrain. “Yes, anybody can do anything at any age because we have it in us as humans,” she stressed.
The writer is equally convinced that human beings can mature from within in not time. “You can mature within very quickly. Yet for others, it takes some time before they find themselves. Thus when Colour Blind was launched two years ago, it was borne out of the COVID-19 lockdown. But we may not do it at a particular time, maybe we just needed something to push us to actually go ahead and do it. And so maybe, I’m a late starter,” she stated.
On how she manages her daily schedule, Atimomo, who confessed that creative writing gives her real fulfillment, said: “I live alone, and suddenly I find myself at home and can’t go out. And I’m someone who thrives better if I have a schedule. So, I tried to make a schedule for myself. Wake up in the morning, go for a walk, come back home, have a shower, get breakfast, read a little.
“And as a matter of policy, my TV does not come on till maybe 5pm, even now more than ever before because with all these fantastic things like Netflix, with interesting series, one can be distracted. In fact, one can get lost in it. You can put the television on in the morning and stay there till night.”
The grandmother disclosed that, in two years when she’ll be 80, she would unveil her autobiography. But she’s grateful to her grandchildren that encouraged her to write and publish her writings, triggering a new career entirely.
“The encouragement and interest to publish my first book were from my grandchildren. One of them writes too. And I know that one day she will write a bestseller. And working hard to have Colour Blind published was a way of letting her and others like her know that this thing is possible,” the author noted.
According to Atimomo, she actually started writing about 20 years ago. “I didn’t start writing yesterday. I’ve had lots of stories written over the years. It’s just that they were never published because they have been overtaken by events and also the cost of publishing is high. For me, the reactions of readers of my book are marks of a good book. And a lot of people say, ‘oh, I couldn’t put the book down until I finish reading it.’
Shedding more light on her forthcoming autobiography, Atimomo admitted that it’s a hard story to write, unlike fiction, which is easy. “I love writing fiction. But when it comes to your own story, if you want to be completely honest about your story, it’s hard because you are writing about people who are still alive. And some of the stories may not be palatable. And you are putting such a story out there for the world. It’s something you have to be very careful about, especially when it comes to a factual story, like your story.
“I was conflicted initially. I didn’t know whether to write it in the third person. Maybe that would solve some of the problems writing about somebody else. But, well, I’ve started. I hope that in another two years, I’ll call you again for a book chat,” she concluded.
Atimomo attended Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls School, Lagos and then Yaba College of Technology before gaining admission to South West London College in England.
After her studies, Atimomo worked in several organisations in the UK where she acquired a wealth of experience before returning to Lagos in 1978. She then joined Nigerian Breweries where she retired in 2005.
Following her retirement, the author started a hospitality venture, which she successfully managed for 15 years. Her two books are already selling in bookshops across the country, and are also available on Amazon and Kindle.
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