Could you introduce us to your novel, ’Til Death, and the inspiration behind it?

’Til Death is a cosy-until-it’s-not mystery about a bride who is poisoned on her wedding day. After receiving threats telling her to cancel her wedding for over six months, her super sleuth cousin, Lara – who has a true passion for mysteries – decides to take it upon herself to solve the mystery of who is sending the notes and who has poisoned her cousin.

’Til Death came about after watching YouTube videos of Nigerian traditional weddings during the pandemic. I had a very morbid thought and said, “Wouldn’t it be crazy if she just died right now?” Now, that’s not a normal thought for a person to have, and I was like, “Busayo, that’s horrible… but as a mystery? Genius!” However, if I was going to write it, I had to know who did it, so I went to the worst-case scenario possible, and the story was born.

The book centres around wedding preparations and parties in Lagos, and features a large cast of characters (suspects!). Did you have a system to keep track of all the characters, clues and red herrings?

I wish I could say that I had a very intricate system and my own murder board like Lara, but unfortunately, it was a lot of back and forth editorially, trying to make sure everything fit in its place perfectly – especially because it was in such a short timeline. I had to make sure it was even possible to do this much in so few days. I will definitely be taking notes for my next book on how to keep a better system, I’ll just say that!

But to be honest, it was very easy to keep track of the characters because they lived in my head so naturally, and I very easily knew what one would say versus another. I also planted red herrings while I was writing, and a lot of them stuck, thankfully, through the editorial process. So, it’s nice to know that I at least did something right.

Family dynamics play a huge part in ’Til Death. Was this always something you wanted to include? Who were your favourite characters to write?

I think with weddings it would be hard not to include family dynamics and a huge cast of characters. When I set out to write ’Til Death, I knew that I wanted to introduce readers to not only Nigerian culture but Nigerian wedding culture, so the fusion of these was something I took much delight in.

Weddings already bring so much drama, but I feel like it is heightened when it’s a Nigerian wedding. You’ve got caterers arguing with mothers of the bride, and you’ve got guests moaning because they didn’t get enough party bags. All of these tidbits I definitely wanted to feature – I could write a whole book about weddings if you let me.

My favourite character to write, apart from Lara, would be Joseph. He’s just so annoying in the best way. I really loved finding pieces of dialogue that were extremely irritating but made a very good point. I also loved writing Seni and Derin’s feud as the wedding went on because I understood both sides equally. I see a lot of myself in Derin, in that I can be too trusting, but I understood some of Seni’s motives also – I can be just as petty, haha.

Main character Lara is a true crime enthusiast, as well as a reader of thrillers and mysteries. Are these interests that you share? Were there any other interests or elements from your own life that you’ve included?

I think my interests with Lara align in the fact that we both love mystery novels. While I do like some aspects of true crime, I’m definitely not a buff like she is. I need to have a surge of energy to want to sit through a true crime documentary. But, of course, I feel as though if I were ever in the predicament, I could do it better than the criminals in the documentary.

It is funny that I say this because, at one point in my life, I did think I was going to be a forensic psychologist… but that dream was short-lived. Like Lara, my mum thought it wasn’t the best fit for me, but unlike Lara, she was right, haha.

Sickle cell is also an important topic in the novel, and the story helpfully informs and educates readers who may be unfamiliar with the disease. What do you hope readers take away from reading about sickle cell in your novel?

Well, firstly, I hope they leave the book with a better understanding of sickle cell, but I also hope readers gain a new or better understanding and recognise the validity of invisible illnesses. These conditions can seem covert, even if it looks like someone’s life is fully under control and, in my character’s case, quite glamorous – but sometimes, there are factors they can’t control. I really hope it helps start up conversations about stigma.

You started as a booktokker before becoming an author. Could you tell us a little about your journey to publication?

So, I was writing before I became a BookTokker, but I used BookTok as an outlet to talk about my works in progress and get people excited about them. I can talk for days and will if you let me, so even when I didn’t think these books were going anywhere, I was still telling a lot of people about them –strangers, though, not my friends, because I felt embarrassed.

When I would post about my book, it made me want to continue writing because people were eager to read it based on just the basic premise. BookTok also helped me be introduced to my current agent, so in a way, I really have it to thank for helping me meet my agent, and then her to thank for everything after. It’s such a special little community.

There is someone out there that wants to read your story, and there is someone’s representation you will be fulfilling with your story.

What would be your top three tips to any aspiring writers out there?

1. Put. The.  Words. Down. On. The. Page.
2. Find what works for you and stick to it. You don’t need to listen to outside voices about their processes if it’s not going to work for you.
3. There is someone out there that wants to read your story, and there is someone’s representation you will be fulfilling with your story.

Are you able to tell us about anything else you’re working on, or that we can look forward to soon?

I don’t think I am, but just for you guys!

My next novel is Desperate Housewives meets Devious Maids x Greenleaf.

If you are older (or just love nostalgic TV shows), it is based on the episode of Desperate Housewives where the wives have a dinner party at each other’s houses. Renee starts with drinks and appetisers, and Gabrielle ends with desserts… but when they get to Gabi’s house, there’s a dead body.

Set in Nigeria again, it will follow three housewives and their maids, with one character aiming to find out what they did with the dead body.

I think that’s all I can say.

Well, that and a familiar character will be coming back… and maybe going undercover.

Busayo Matuluko

BUSAYO MATULUKO is a Black British-Nigerian nurse, YA/Crossover mystery and romance writer, and an extremely opinionated, award-nominated BookToker. As someone who grew up reading many books without the representation she desired, she started writing to fulfil that need. Her books are filled with vibrant Nigerian leads that talk too much, and she will always find a way to wriggle in two Black people falling in love. When she’s not writing, you can find her on Twitter at three a.m. tweeting her most random thoughts or binge-watching TV shows she’s already watched about a thousand times.