Erhu Kome is an Urhobo author who writes romance and speculative fiction. She is the author of The Smoke That Thunders, Barter, and Love, Chaos, and My Cupid- a trio of stories that have earned honours including two Nommo Award finalist badges, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and a Tome Society Book Award. She is proud to be the first Nigerian female author of bizarro fiction.
Beyond her writing, Erhu runs a mentorship program for unpublished female Nigerian children’s writers, offering guidance and encouragement. She also organized the inaugural Storytellers Writing Retreat, creating a nurturing space for writers to reconnect with their creativity. When she’s not writing, mentoring, or dreaming up new stories, you’ll find her deep in the mommying trenches. Or trying to carve out time to tackle her TBR, keep up with her Crunchyroll anime list, and finally finish playing Ghost of Tsushima.
Haneefah: Congratulations on being shortlisted for the Nommo Awards with ‘The Smoke That Thunders’! What does this recognition mean to you, and how does it feel to see your work acknowledged in the African speculative fiction community?
Erhu Kome: Thank you! It’s an incredible honour. The Nommo Awards is a vital space for celebrating African speculative fiction, and to see my work recognized alongside so many brilliant stories is amazing. It feels like a confirmation that I’m on the right path and have to keep going.
Haneefah: You are also the first female Nigerian author of bizarro fiction. What is your assessment of the development of women writers in Nigeria in the last two decades?
Erhu Kome: Over the last twenty years, Nigerian women writers have become increasingly visible, bold, and experimental. We’ve moved beyond simply claiming space to actively reshaping it, challenging narratives, centring women’s voices, and weaving our traditions, myths, and realities into global conversations. It’s been so wonderful to witness how far we’ve come.
Haneefah: Can you take us back to the moment when you first started writing? What sparked your creativity, and what emotions or experiences inspired you to bring this story to life?
Erhu Kome: I started writing as a child. Putting down what I saw in movies in prose form. My first professional writing was a short story published on Brittle Paper. My creativity has always been sparked by the need to tell entertaining stories and inspiration came from other stories I’d read
Haneefah: What sparked your idea for “The Smoke That Thunders”, and how did your Urhobo heritage influence the story?
Erhu Kome: The idea began with a girl and her desire to not be just what her society told her she could be. She wants to be more, and she’ll fight for it. My Urhobo heritage provided a natural foundation for the world. The traditions, culture, mythology, and way of life.
Haneefah: Can you share the significance of the title “The Smoke That Thunders” and its connection to the narrative?
Erhu Kome: The title refers to Victoria Falls, one of the most beautiful natural wonders of Africa, which is locally known as Mosi-oa-Tunya: The Smoke That Thunders. For me, it symbolizes both strength and resilience. In the book, it mirrors Naborhi’s traits and journey: the clash between obeying tradition and carving out one’s own path.
Haneefah: The Smoke That Thunders” explores themes of heritage, tradition, and self-discovery. Can you discuss the importance of these themes in the context of the story?
Erhu Kome: In the story, Naborhi wrestles with inherited expectations while carving her own path. That tension reflects a broader truth: we cannot fully know ourselves without reckoning with where we come from. Also, heritage and tradition can sometimes be stifling, but they can also be sources of strength and grounding.
Haneefah: Can you share any challenges or surprises you encountered during the writing process, and how you overcame them?
Erhu Kome: The challenges came during the editing stage. I had to cut out more than 20k words and replace that word count. I needed to develop the story further so I had to reach deeper to find what will make the story better. That wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.
Haneefah: What was the most daring part of writing the smoke that thunders?
Erhu Kome: It was giving Naborhi the agency to break family expectations in a dramatic way. In many Nigerian communities, defying heritage and duty is almost unthinkable.
Haneefah: What is the most daring thing you’ve done as a writer?
Erhu Kome: Self-publishing two books in one year.
Haneefah: How do you find balance between creative expression and societal expectations?
Erhu Kome: It’s not always easy, especially in a society that has strong ideas of what a woman “should” be or do. Storytelling is an indulgence and a necessity. It shapes culture, preserves memory, and sparks change. Finding balance often means compromise one way or another.
Haneefah: If any of your books is to be adapted into a film, would you prefer Nollywood or Hollywood to handle the project? Why?
Erhu Kome: Nollywood for the heart, Hollywood for the hype. If my work is adapted, I’d want Nollywood at the helm for authenticity, but I wouldn’t mind Hollywood lending its scale. Best of both worlds really.
Haneefah: As an author who has experience with both independent and traditional publishing, what guidance would you offer to first-time authors who want to publish their books?
Erhu Kome: First, know your goals. Independent publishing gives you creative control and speed, while traditional publishing provides ease, structure, distribution, and credibility. Both paths have challenges. Do your research, don’t rush, ensure your manuscript is the strongest it can be.
Haneefah: What are you currently working on? Tell us in detail.
Erhu Kome: I’ve been working on building my romance list and establishing myself in the genre. I’m also working on my next book which may come out next year if my plans work out as it should. It’s going be another speculative adult romance
Haneefah Abdulrahman is a writer, interviewer, spoken poetry artiste and podcaster from Nigeria whose work has appeared in Nigerian Review, Wisprout Project, Arts MuseFair, and elsewhere. She is a 2021 fellow of Ebedi International Writers Residency, a Pioneer fellow of Imodoye Writers’ Residency, and she was a Columnist at DailyTrust Newspaper. She is the Author of Shades of Becoming. She is the 2021 Winner of The Arewa Rising Literary Star. Born in Kaduna, Haneefah is an indigene of Kogi State. She is a student of English Literature at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Haneefah is the founder of FitzNArtz. She is the Chairperson of the Kaduna Branch, Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation, the 2021/ 2022 Chairperson of the Creative Writers Club, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria – Nigeria, the Editor-in-Chief of Literature Voices (LITVO) and the Editorial Assistant of the Moveee Magazine.
