Interview With Author Johnny Firic
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written two novels I didn’t attempt to publish as I felt my debut must be something more daring and unconventional. I’ve also written about two dozen stories, some of them not that bad.
I was born in Split, Croatia, a real-life Split personality. I’ve studied and worked in the US and across Europe before settling in Berlin. I switched day jobs from IT engineering to Internet Marketing in 2010. My, let’s call it success, in marketing was the deciding factor behind my self publishing adventure.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Oldest Word is an unconventional, polyphonic novel spanning ten millennia. I’ve worked on it for fifteen years. I’ve always been fascinated by ancient history and prehistory, but more broadly I wanted to pay a tribute to all that I love. By not putting a human arc at the center I wanted to encourage readers to look beyond the confines of their body, their culture, their species, their era.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I would say that spending such an enormous period on one short book is pretty unusual. While it had to be just right and while I did have my day job all along and while I am a bachelor with no dependents, I suppose it does raise mental health concerns. Not writing in one’s native language is likewise unusual, but it’s been over two decades since I read a book in Croatian, and for well over a decade I’ve been less fluent in that language than in English.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
That every book I’ve ever read has influenced me in some way is only a slight overstatement. I do try to pick up stuff to avoid, too, but the writers whose approval I hope for the most upon joining them in the literary Valhalla are Carver, Chekhov and Borges. My favorites among contemporary authors are Julian Barnes, Michael Chabon and Donna Tartt. I greatly admire poetry and have some experience in poetic translation: here I have to mention Shakespeare’s sonnets and Basho’s haiku. Lastly, the imaginary worlds I explored in childhood continue to inspire me, from ancient myths to science fiction.
What are you working on now?
I’m torn between world-building an open-ended alternate history series set in North Africa and writing the series opener. I need to see how The Oldest Word will pan out before I can make that a major project. During the dark night of the soul, when it seemed I would never finish that more unconventional book to my satisfaction, I put in a lot of thought into it and have many concepts to flesh out.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I can’t say I have a lot of experience here. With a single book to my name, an author website or mailing list seem somewhat overambitious, not to say arrogant, the IT/marketing career notwithstanding. So far I’ve been paying for promotions with decent results.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have something in your life on which you can fall back if writing doesn’t work out, as the success, or otherwise, of writing doesn’t depend on the amount of work you put in. Read as widely as you can, and revise everything.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In writing, throw away everything that’s not essential – every idea, every sentence, every word that can be left out, should be left out. Show, don’t tell. Start the action as late as possible and leave as much as you can unsaid.
In life, fear nothing, regret nothing and see yourself mirrored in the universe wherever you look.
What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino and hope to write a review later today – what a superb book. I’m halfway through Dubliners by James Joyce, surprisingly smooth and approachable. Next up, Moonglow by Chabon, The Goldfinch by Tartt, The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck, order as yet undecided.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I need to make a decision regarding the series set in North Africa but plans I have to start a foster family are in the way. Achieving a good work/life balance is the necessary preliminary step, but I haven’t yet been living in Berlin for two full years.
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?
It doesn’t make sense to bring books I’ve never read. I might choose The Book of Animals by Borges, the Bard’s sonnets and Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. Chekhov’s collected stories could make a fourth.
Author Websites and Profiles
Johnny Firic Author Profile on Smashwords
Johnny Firic’s Social Media Links