Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Indonesia in 1980.
I was educated at the local state school until graduation in 1998 and continued to study in Hospitality University. I was then employed by a financial company in Jakarta, where I began to receive many awards related with customer satisfaction. Having been working the same routine for years, I started to write a novel to kill the time. Finally, my first novel “Etzhara” was published by the biggest traditional publisher in Indonesia and made me one of the best young writers under thirty at Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2009. Feeling confident with the writing skill I have, I published the second novel in the same year by another traditional publisher in Jakarta. I then began to receive many invitations to attend book signings, talk shows, radio interviews, and other literature activities. This second novel made me an overnight success.
Feeling secured in terms of financial and social life, I felt something was missing. The turning over point of his life had occurred when someone handed me a novel by Paulo Coelho “The Alchemist” and a motivational book by Rhonda Byrne “The Secret”. Those books really changed my perspective about life, and that was when I decided to let go of the glamorous life of Jakarta and hit the road. I was 30 at the time. That year, I self-published a collection of poetry in the United Kingdom. This poetry collection was made during the most troublesome moments of my last 10 years of life, when dark clouds enveloped me. Anger, anxiety, emptiness, guilt and lost love coalesced into a single, unbearable emotion.
With all the savings I got from the previous job and book royalties, I traveled to Bali and worked for a timeshare company. Three months was all I needed to understand that it was not what I wanted. I then changed course to a publishing company as an Editor in Chief. As much as I loved dealing with words, my passion to see the world kept haunting me. Finally, I decided to travel to Australia and Thailand for 8 months. It was between 2011 and 2012 when I tried to fit in with a new life; working from farm to farm, hitchhiking from place to place, and volunteering from school to school. I went all around Australia and returned to Bali with tons of stories to tell.
During my journey in Australia, I had written two other novels and got rejected from several publishers in Indonesia because the content was not sellable. Therefore, I translated to English and self-published them with a USA publisher. This huge change made me an international author. However, this achievement did not stop me from pursuing my literature obsessively. I am now working freelance as a ghostwriter, copywriter and scriptwriter.
I am based in no place, as I am still in search for a place called “home”.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Unseen Face. The book was inspired by someone’s testimony who experienced such tragedy.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write at night because it’s quieter and easier to get inspiration.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Paulo Coelho “The Alchemist” and a motivational book by Rhonda Byrne “The Secret”
What are you working on now?
I just finished reedit my last novel The Unseen Face, and now I’m focusing to find way to take my book into a movie screen.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Social media, do doubt, has a big role in promoting my books. And I think it’s quite an effective way to communicate with the readers worldwide.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just be yourself. Don’t try to be someone you are not. I mean use your own writing style, and don’t be afraid to speak up your mind.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is short, so take the most of it!
What are you reading now?
Travel magazines
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to be a well known, international writer. And my ultimate goal as a writer is to see my works play in a movie screen.
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?
I would definitely bring my journal to keep track everything. And then, a dictionary of multiple languages, and a bible (not that I am a religious person but there’s quite a lot to read in there).
Author Websites and Profiles
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