ABOUT ME
MY STORY
I’m from Benoni, a small town on the outskirts of Johannesburg in South Africa. You are not likely to find it on a map, but it’s the hometown of the famous Hollywood actress Charlize Theron and the hometown of a number of diplomats who began their careers in Nelson Mandela’s Government—of which I was one. In fact, three of us lived on the same street and two on the street over.
I spent my university days toyi-toying (protesting the apartheid laws) at the University of Witwatersrand when I should have been studying. Still, I walked away with a Law degree and an Honors degree in International Relations. I also received a Masters degree from the University of Sussex in Brighton, a hippie seaside town outside of London that enlivened my spirit.
My first diplomatic posting was to the United Nations in Geneva where I lived the most romantic version of myself. Then a posting to the United Nations in New York where I fell in love with an American, a writer. We got married, which translated to me quitting diplomacy and making a life as an American.
I continued working with the United Nations as UN Representative for a few prominent international organizations, but began playing a game in my head: “What would you do if you were not doing what you were doing?” My response: “Stay home and write books.”
I did not stay home and write books. When my daughter was born the question/answer rang louder: “What would you do if you were not doing what you were doing?” “Stay home and write books.”
Again, I did not heed the voice in my head. Then the COVID pandemic hit that forced all of us to stay home and many of us to write books. I took it as a sign from the universe, “Hey Fiyola, you wanted to stay home and write books, now stay home and write books.” ​​​
WHAT I'VE WRITTEN
I’ve published a number of fiction and non-fiction pieces, all of which can be read on My Writing page.
My first novel, Where the Dervishes Whirl, is currently out on submission.
I’m working on a second novel, Anna and the City of Gold set in apartheid South Africa and loosely based on the life of my maternal grandmother.
5 FUN FACTS ABOUT ME
1. I live in New York with my husband and daughter. I would trade New York for the Bahamas.
2. I honed my writing craft at Gotham Writers Workshop. My husband is Alexander Steele, the President of Gotham Writers Workshop.
3. Turkey is the country I have visited most often. It is where I had my first love affair.
4. I am a somewhat secret practitioner of Sufism. I am a big fan of Rumi and all things mysticism.
5. I relax by cooking, practicing yoga, and watching re-runs of Friends. The yoga is to offset the calories I’m consuming from all the cooking, and Friends, well, I love to laugh.
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BONUS FACT:
I’ve created a unique creative writing course called Unleash Your Writer, which I teach online. There is even a guided meditation to connect you to your inner writer. You can learn more about the course and my teaching here.
