Interview with Fantasy and Science Fiction Author Z. T. Soyoye

My next interview is with Fantasy and Science Fiction Author Z. T. Soyoye!

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

Z.T. Soyoye: My Pen Name is Z.T. Soyoye. Telling stories has always been a passion of mine, and being able to publish a book has been one of my greatest achievements. My career started picking up in 2016 when I got my first big break. Since then, I’ve been improving my writing techniques and developing a unique writing style to appeal to readers.

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

Z.T. Soyoye: I think the Percy Jackson series was a big influence. I grew up with it and read it for many years. But I think my influence is just stories in general. Whether in the form of books, anime, movies etc. Any medium that can tell an amazing story.

Alexis: I agree that it’s amazing how so many TV shows, video games, and other mediums have amazing writing and great stories now.

What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you love/hate? Why?

Z.T. Soyoye: I think my least favourite Trope is forcing diversity onto a story when it doesn’t add anything to it. I don’t hate it but I prefer to see it well done e.g. with Miles Morales as a black Spiderman. They integrated it into the story so well and it felt amazing to see someone I could relate to. But when it’s just unnecessarily forced into the story to fit a quota and is done poorly… I roll my eyes.

Alexis: I also loved Miles Morales as Spiderman.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)

Z.T. Soyoye: I think my favourite character is the best friend of the main character. His name is Anthony. He is a psychologically fragile person who is trying their best to become a better person. I really love his character development from a seemingly shallow character to a person with a lot of pain and regret and now trying his best to grow into a person he can be proud of.

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?

Z.T. Soyoye: I’ve been trying my best to keep myself busy. I started with finally making my author website (I’ll link it below) and now I’ve been working on book 2 in my series. Recently I’ve actually been trying my hand at Live streaming! I’ll drop the link below. So yeah, trying your best to keep busy and getting to all those projects you always wished you had time for pre-pandemic.

Alexis: I tried live-streaming once as well, and I enjoyed it quite a bit! I do find that projects that can keep you engaged are really helpful.

What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?

Z.T. Soyoye: I play quite a lot of volleyball which I absolutely love. I’ve been gaming from a young age and still do till this day. I’m also into electronics and technology, I stream myself working on a bunch of fun projects like a Motion controlled fan.

Alexis: Very Cool! Volleyball sounds like tons of fun, and I also love gaming.

What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream?

Z.T. Soyoye: I love so many shows way too much to list but I think I’ll say my favourite “TV shows” that I’ve watched are animes called Haikyuu, Steins Gate and Code Geass. Recently, I think my favourite movie in memory is Spiderman into the spider-verse and Knives Out. I went into them with no expectations and was blown away with their amazing story telling and characters.

One of my favourite TV series is DareDevil. It was an amazing character study that made viewers feel connected to each of them. Daredevil also had amazing cinematography, as well as interesting psychological warfare. It dives deep into what happens when your ideals are tested to the limit.

I love stories like these. Shows that exude passion. They clearly gave each character a lot of depth and I feel I took something meaningful away from each of them.

Alexis: I also loved Into the Spiderverse and Knives Out! I used to watch old school anime like Rurouni Kenshin and Lotus War, but I haven’t watched many recent animes apart from Aggretsuko.

Do you like playing video games? What’s your favorite game right now? Has a video game ever influenced you as a writer?

Z.T. Soyoye: Yeah, I play quite a lot of video games. Right now, mainly Fortnite and Call of Duty. I would say they have influenced me. When I see an amazing story in video games or see interesting concept/powers, I always take note. I also play a lot of games that cause my heart to race. Whenever I’m trying to write a scene with similar feelings and emotions, I remember moments in my life that I felt something similar or that feeling that video games give me. This allows me to describe vividly and give my readers an amazing reading experience.

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

Z.T. Soyoye: Write what you love. I know you might have heard that before but it’s true. Don’t write what you think is popular. Just write a story you’d be excited to read. When I had the idea for my book, I kept daydreaming about it constantly and the idea would not let me rest until I started writing. Even if writing doesn’t turn into your career, all you can do is try. If it doesn’t work out, take it as a learning experience. But don’t take away your chance to find success as well as a potentially amazing story from the world.

Alexis: That’s great advice!

What’s one subject you wish you knew more about? What kinds of things would you like to learn someday?

Z.T. Soyoye: Most things to be honest. I love learning new things. I constantly research new things that I add in my books so I can get it as accurately as possible. It’s always fun learning a cool new fact or connecting to a new subject. Right now though, I’d say Marketing. Marketing is such a weird subject that I don’t think anyone has really mastered. Sure, it’s easy to reach people by paying for an ad but how can you entice them to do what you want. It’s something I’ve been looking into and I’m trying different strategies.