Ola Awonubi: Writing Mentor
Your writing mentor, Ola Awonubi
About Ola
Ola Awonubi is an Amazon-bestselling British-Nigerian author whose fiction blends emotional depth, cultural richness and heartfelt storytelling. Writing across contemporary romance, historical fiction and women’s fiction, her work explores love, resilience and identity, and has appeared in anthologies, literary magazines and cultural platforms.
The author of nine books, Ola’s historical novel A Nurse’s Tale showcases her warm, character-driven style as it follows a young Nigerian princess turned wartime nurse navigating the Blitz and the prejudice of 1940s Britain. She followed this with The Marriage Monitoring Aunties Association, a later-in-life romantic comedy about a 50-year-old professional woman juggling meddling aunties, matchmakers, menopause and mental health on her path to happily-ever-after. Her short stories have won first prizes in publications such as Wasafiri and Words of Colour, and her work is recognised for its celebration of women’s experiences.
Why Ola loves mentoring
I know what it feels like to want to write a powerful story but not yet have the clarity, confidence or structure to bring it to life. My own journey to publication took decades of persistence, rejection, reinvention and growth. Along the way, I learned to find my voice, trust it, and write stories that honour identity, history and emotional truth. Those lessons are at the heart of why I mentor.
Over the years, I’ve worked with writers at every stage — from those nurturing the first spark of an idea to those polishing a final draft or trying to make their book stand out in a crowded market — and I love making the writing process feel less overwhelming. Writing a novel is a careful balance of character, emotion, structure and purpose. I help writers uncover the heart of their story, build believable characters, strengthen their narrative arc and develop the confidence to write in their own authentic voice.
I am passionate about supporting writers who want to tell stories rooted in culture, community and lived experience, especially African and diaspora writers who may not always see themselves reflected in mainstream publishing. I also enjoy working with contemporary and historical romance writers and those writing women’s fiction, regardless of background or experience. What matters most to me is helping each writer feel seen, supported and capable of finishing the book they’ve dreamed of writing.
Mentoring allows me to bring together everything I care about — storytelling, empowerment, resilience and creative ownership. It is a privilege to walk alongside writers as they move from confusion to clarity, from doubt to confidence, and from idea to finished manuscript.
Why we love Ola
At Jericho Writers, we’re a team of authors, just like you. Four of us are published by the Big 5, while others are deep in the writing process, honing our craft alongside the writers we support. We work with expert book coaches and carefully chosen mentors, selected for their ability to guide writers through every stage of their journey. It’s this approach that has helped countless authors launch their careers, sign with top literary agents, and even become Sunday Times Bestsellers.
Ola brings both warmth and experience to her mentoring, with a genuine desire to support aspiring authors to write the books that they’ve dreamed of writing. Our writers have already benefitted from Ola speaking at our Festival of Writing, and we’re delighted to now offer one-to-one support with her.
