Before Sixteen

Author's Last Words

I started this journey on January 1st, 2019 with the intention of writing about teenagers, their struggles and their thoughts and in as much as I didn't know it would take this long, I love the way it turned out.

The problems that teenagers face is something that it easily ignored especially in Nigeria that's why I tried to write about it as much as I could.

With Rachael, we saw the effects of peer pressure in the beginning and later on, we saw how she was physically and sexually abused because she had no one to protect her. Believe it or not, there are a lot of teenagers that can relate to Rachael and I'm glad that her character can also serve as a source of hope for everyone who is going through what she went through.

Jay's character was kind of a breather for me while writing and reading the story because while every other character seemed to be going through hell, I could always look at him and relax. With him, we experienced a little effect of loosing someone we love when he lost his dad but I didn't really go deep down that road.

I also liked the fact that with Sebastian, I was able to express how it feels to be trapped and your life suddenly takes a drastic turn. No one wants to be rendered helpless — especially physically. I think him on the wheelchair was a nice arc to his character.

Tunde's character is one I'm most proud of for creating. I'll admit that I didn't really see him being a drug addict when I started the story but I fell in love with his flaws and his struggles. He reminded me that we all have our imperfections and sometimes, all we need is love.

Aisha taught us a lot. The issue of child/forced marriage is something that is seen as a normalcy in some places but I believe everyone should have a say when it comes to life changing decisions such as marriage. Although Aisha went through hell, she came out strong. She showed us that she is a survivor and that being a single mother at a very young age wasn't going to stop her from achieving her dreams.

I thank God for inspiration, vision and strength that he gave me throughout. I still can't believe this has come to an end.

I keep saying this but without the support and encouragement that I get from wattpad, I don't know if I'd still be writing and if I begin to mention names, then I wouldn't finish today. If you're reading this then know that I love you and that God will definitely bless you for me for at least reading this book. Both those who I know and those who I don't know, I'm saying a big THANK YOU. 

And before you start asking, yes, this book will have a sequel.

I'll be posting the blurb soon but feel free to ask any questions.

If you got to this point then you should definitely follow me up and check out my other books.

You can also find me on instagram @donalduzoka

Thank you very much. I love you ♥