Introducing: Nothing Comes Close

Accomplish Press is pleased to announce the official publication of Nothing Comes Close, a debut novel by Tolulope Popoola. The story is a compelling tale of the struggle to preserve love in the midst of daunting challenges. Nothing Comes Close is set in London, Milton Keynes and Lagos, with a cast of intriguing characters that showcase a realistic portrayal of the lives of young, ambitious Nigerians in the diaspora.

The Author

Nigerian born author, Tolulope Popoola taps into her experience of living in the UK to write a book about familiar themes - real people with ambitions struggling to make the right choices in their romantic relationships. The story also shows the tensions of living within two cultures - trying to maintain a Nigerian identity whilst absorbing British values.

“I’ve always loved reading,” the author said. “Growing up, I read a lot of books by authors such as Enid Blyton, Louisa May Alcott and Jackie Collins. When I started writing, I wanted to write about characters and situations that people like me would recognise, without the burden of adding to the narrative of what’s expected from an African story.”

Tolulope Popoola was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She moved to England for her university education where she studied BA Accounting and Business Economics, and a Masters in Finance and Investment. She started blogging in 2006, which rekindled her love for writing and telling stories. In 2008, she left her Accounting job to concentrate on writing full-time. She writes short stories, flash fiction and articles for both print and online magazines. Nothing Comes Close is her first novel. Tolulope lives in London with her husband and daughter. She can be reached through her website

The Novel

The plot for Nothing Comes Close grew out of an online series titled In My Dreams It Was Simpler that Tolulope created and co-wrote with eight other writers. She created the main cast, and picked two of them as protagonists for her novel. “The online series ended on a cliff-hanger.” She said. “I wanted to get my female protagonist to a point where she was satisfied with the choices she had made for her future. With the novel, I got to make that happen.”

The story captures the ups and downs in the lives of a Nigerian girl, her group of friends and her love interest as they try to navigate their lives in London. There are issues such as marital infidelity, career decisions, death, heartbreaks, loyalty and cultural expectations. Each of the issues is dealt with in a sensitive, exciting and entertaining way.

For an enticing preview of Nothing Comes Close, visit the Accomplish Press website to download sample chapters and view its exciting trailer. Nothing Comes Close is available as an ebook and paperback from Amazon.com, Waterstones, WHSmith, Barnesandnoble.com, and other online retailers. The book will be officially launched on the 27th of October 2012.

If you want to share the story with your readers, I'd be happy to send you a copy of "Nothing Comes Close" for a review, feature or giveaway; or I can arrange an interview with the author.

Reviews

Nothing Comes Close explores the usual love story in a very fresh manner, employing lovely prose, suspense and the posing of serious questions to tell an immensely entertaining story. I enjoyed every moment spent reading it. Highly recommended." ~ Richard Ali, Editor-in-Chief, Sentinel Nigeria Magazine.

Tolulope Popoola is a good communicator. Her writing connects readers to the story in a way that makes it easy to relate to the characters. I particularly like her description of objects and events, and how they are tied into the story effortlessly. Nothing Comes Close is a book I will really love to see as a movie, I can actually picture the characters and scenes in my mind already! I hope that day will come. ~ Shola Okubote, Editor of Femme Lounge

In her debut novel, Nothing Comes Close, Popoola, explores a theme familiar to most of us, which is that of finding love. However, an unexpected death, imprisonment, betrayal and dark secrets, add twists that make this book much more than a boy meets girl story. A fine debut. ~ Yejide Kilanko, Author of Daughters Who Walk This Path

One word: Riveting. Sometimes unsettling. That’s how I can best describe Nothing Comes Close – Tolulope Popoola’s novel. I appreciate her ability to create believable characters that readers will find themselves rooting for when it comes to that sometimes complicated life challenge of initiating and building love-relationships. ~ Lara Daniels, Author of Love in Paradise and Love at Dawn