Bina Idonije is the author of "Bridges Are for Burning,” her debut novel, published in 2022 by Masobe Books. Although Bridges Are for Burning is her first published work, Bina has always found herself drawn to writing from a young age. Her early literary influences include Enid Blyton and Buchi Emecheta. If you ask her what sorts of books she prefers, she would answer broadly and say fiction over non-fiction any day. If you asked her to narrow that down, she would say she doesn't have a favorite book or a favorite author and considers herself an eclectic reader, feeling as at home with thrillers as she does with romance. However, here's a brief mention of some memorable books she has read: Plum Island by Nelson DeMille, All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover, and A broken People's playlist by Chimeka Garricks. In terms of Nigerian authors, she particularly favors Chimeka Garricks, Abubakar Ibrahim, TJ Benson, and of course, the illustrious Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Bina is a qualified lawyer and likes to think of herself as a lawyer by day and a writer by night (and weekends!). She is currently working on her second novel and hoping to explore the murder-mystery genre this time around (when eventually she defeats the writer's block she is currently dealing with... one of them has to win this fight, and she knows it's not going to be the disembodied, inanimate writer's block!).

Besides reading and writing, which jointly are her favorite things to do, she enjoys traveling, watching British television drama series, trying out new restaurants, and hosting friends for drinks at her home. Did I mention she is married with children? Oh, she is. A husband, two teenagers, and one pre-teen, and they reside in the chaotic coastal city of Lagos.