Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a multi-genre author living in Belgium with mixed roots, namely Anglo-Indian and Goan-Portuguese influenced.
Having travelled the world extensively, as an Inflight Safety Training Instructor, I have worked in the Aviation industry for over two decades.
I am quite an artistic person and a professional modern jazz dancer. I love music and I am passionate about writing! Fluent in 5 languages, I love writing poetry, stories and quotes.
My aim is to bring poetry back to its glory and I have already published a narrative poetry story series ‘The Creep’, in a thriller genre! Other fiction genres that I am currently working on are horror, romance, children, fantasy and I will be surprising you all with a few more!
I constantly write poems and I also recently released my first non-fiction series – ‘Aviation Stories’. Other books authored by me include ‘She Said!’, ‘Coffee & Bagels’, ‘Dreams & Dew’, ‘Aviation Stories’ and ‘Accursed Forest’ to name a few.
Currently I am working on book 9!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is ‘Aviation Stories-1: Dying to Fly’. It is the first book in the series of non-fiction books, based on a true story.
Having been in the Aviation sector for so long, it has become second nature to me. I have always found Aviation Safety enormously interesting. Recently, I started hearing ghastly stories from a lot of my friends/ex-colleagues who have ended up on long term sick leave after flying for many years. Unfortunately there are some young crew who have also been put on medical leave due to serious health problems. I found this quite alarming and decided to research more on the subject, after which I felt that a serious voice needed to be given to this subject, which is blaringly ignored! This is what inspired me to write the book.
I also started the “SHIFT” movement (Sharing Helpful Information For Tomorrow) through various social media channels to help crew, passengers, people come forward with their stories, be it concerning health dilemmas, flight safety aspects, environmental impact, etc.
I have already started working on book two as a follow up to this series.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual…not really, but I do make it a point to scribble something down as soon as I wake up. I scribble whatever is in my head and make a quote, poem or verse out of it.
Sometimes I close my eyes and try viewing a scene live in front of me and then start making notes of what I see my characters doing and saying, as if I was the observer.
Another unusual story is that I hardly wrote before. But ever since my grandmother passed away, who was an avid reader, a pure genius in the written word and loved collecting quotes, I had this sudden instinct to write enormous lengths of text, quotes and poems. I am amazed at how much I can go on writing, sometimes with a very little effort!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have a very wide range of authors that I love reading and it is an actively changing list. I love Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, James Patterson and many more. My list is exhaustive! I am also constantly looking out for new authors that might peak my interest. And so the quest continues…
What are you working on now?
It is important for me as a writer to push my boundaries. I have tried various writing styles and different genre types. Something that is probably not so common and that I love writing, is narrative poetry with an edge. I have already written two books as part of a series of narrative poetry in a thriller/horror genre (The Creep), and the current book that I am working on now is somewhat similar, but with more of a supernatural/romance twist. The book is titled Hadiss!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try to be active on social media, which helps promote my book sufficiently. I am active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and I also use my personal blog: ‘chriselda.blog’ as a means of getting my material out there.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never forget why you are writing! There are different reasons why we write; it could be to vent, to tell a story, to relate, to inform, to guide… whatever it be, it must give you joy and satisfaction. Keep writing and keep making time for it.
Every morning as soon as I am up, I make it a point to write something…a quote, a poem, a continuation to one of my stories! Anything to keep it flowing. Make it a daily process, no matter what!
If you have a dry spell, take a break and read A LOT… it always gets me back on, real quick. And lastly just have fun with it and be creative!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t stop writing and if you have stuff, get it out there!”
What are you reading now?
For the moment I am thoroughly focusing on writing my next WIP. I have so many thoughts flowing through my head that it distracts me from actually reading anything.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to keep growing and evolving as a writer and a poet. I also want to dedicate more time to getting some more children’s books out, as a follow-up to my first children’s book: ‘Melina’s Rainbow’. When I had the book in hand, I loved the way it looked and felt. Moreover the reaction of my little daughter to it, totally inspired me to do some more!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1) Anything by Stephen King
2) The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
3) The Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
Author Websites and Profiles
Chriselda Barretto Website
Chriselda Barretto Amazon Profile
Chriselda Barretto’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account