Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My writing adventure began with poems, for which I got a few awards in regional contests in my native Poland. But poetry only held my attention for a few years, and around seventeen I decided to write a novel. I caught the bug and soon after I wrote another one and started outlining more ideas.
So far I’ve written four whole novels, and a couple of others are at about 50% completion. I never tried to publish anything, though, until my “Diamond, Glass, and Ice” series. I’m a perpetual outliner – I keep writing outlines for novels that I don’t finish. The thing is I have loads of ideas and it would be a shame to let them go so I write down everything, just in case one day I want to turn those outlines into full-length novels.
Funnily enough, I never outline the novels that I do plan to finish. I always have a general idea of the story, of the theme and premise, and how it’s supposed to end, but I never figure out the story chapter by chapter in advance, that would ruin the fun for me.
My first two novels were in Polish but I’ve been writing in English for over fifteen years now (both poetry and prose) and I don’t think I have another Polish book in me. These two languages – and cultures – are very different from each other, and writing in either is a totally unique experience.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Diamond, Glass, and Ice, Book One.” Back in 1991, when I was barely a teenager myself, I was looking through teen magazines and I wondered, how cool would it be to live the splendid life of a celebrity? Or would it actually be a life full of drama? (I’ve always been a bit of a pessimist.) That’s how the idea for a book about an ordinary teenage girl growing up among celebrities came to life.
At the time, it was supposed to be a fairy tale kind of story. For decades, I would be writing, on and off, a fictional memoir about Eveline’s heartaches, dilemmas, choices, and sins. But then #MeToo happened, and as I zigzagged through 2018, bouncing from one high-profile celebrity scandal to another – some of this horrible stuff dating back to the ’90s – it started to dawn on me that my book’s protagonist is no longer a fictional character, and this is no longer the story of one woman. Rather, Eveline is a composite of countless real life women whose experiences mirror hers throughout the series. Today more than ever before I feel that this book had to be written.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a terrible procrastinator and a ritual person. I can’t write unless I know I have peace and quiet to do so, and enough time to start writing and keep going. In the past, I couldn’t write before playing a few games of Solitaire, and now I check out memes. I waste a lot of time this way, but I always need to get in the mood first. Once I start, I usually write for hours, sometimes up to thirteen a day, during which I will barely stop to eat or drink. I won’t even consider sitting down to writing for fifteen minutes. I don’t know how other authors do it, I wish I could use my time wisely like that, but I noticed a long time ago that I write much better stuff when I’m actually inspired rather than when I force the creative juices to flow.
I usually get inspired by an actor’s face in a movie. I see the face and suddenly I “know” everything about the person this face represents, and then a story presents itself to me of which they could be the “star.” I start seeing scenes in my head like a movie, and then I just write all of this down, mostly dialogue at first, as I can work my way up from there even if I don’t manage to preserve everything. I never create out of nothing, out of darkness, I write when the scenes start rolling before my eyes, and then it’s hard to turn the faucet off, so to speak.
Another weird thing about my writing (and I know it doesn’t only happen to me) is that my characters always know where they want to take their story. I might come up with the perfect solution to a problem and I’ll wrap up a chapter and think “thank God, I am so done, I can go to sleep now,” but before I open my eyes the next morning, my mind will put my characters in scenes in which they make different choices and they undo everything I’ve just written them into. And regardless of how crazy such a scene looks, once I see it with my mind’s eye, I can’t unsee it and I have to work it into the story somehow. I got used to it over time, though, and I welcome it because the story always turns out better than I thought it would be after the characters take matters in their own hands.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a sucker for a good adventure and a complicated love story, and I love to read about fantastical worlds in which ordinary humans do extraordinary things. There are way too many books I could list as those that influenced me as a writer and taught me a way of looking at the world. Some of them are: “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, the “Witcher” series by Andrzej Sapkowski (I read it in Polish 20 years ago), “Winnetou” by Karl May (an amazing series about a young surveyor’s adventures in the American Old West), and surrealistic stories by a prolific English writer Joan Aiken, whose imagination seems to have no limits. As I grew older, I’d read mostly American writers, such as John Updike (my favorite author) and Toni Morrison.
I try to read books by authors known as great wordsmiths, who aren’t afraid to write about emotions, and about human nature, and the ugly stuff of life.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working hard on getting a printed version of book one of “Diamond, Glass, and Ice” out there, which should happen around summer 2020, and then off to editing book two, which will be released for Christmas. The rest of the series should follow in six-month instalments, I have drafted most of the story and I’m very excited about it.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve only just started promoting my first self-published book so I’m completely new to this. There are so many ways of promotion and not all of them work for all authors in the same way. Because my series is about women’s issues, I hope to attract the attention of women’s – in particular feminist – magazines.
I think that for low-priced or free books book promotion sites are a great option because there are plenty of reputable sites that get the books before the eyes of readers at a reasonable price, which gives an unknown author the opportunity to get noticed and possibly start building a fanbase.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Jon Bon Jovi once said something along the lines of: “Never give up. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?” It’s so easy to doubt ourselves and lose our way in a world where being a dreamer is often equaled to being a lunatic. If you’re frustrated about your friends and family not being supportive, don’t worry, you’re not the only one! Many writers, musicians, artists, experience the same. Just keep doing your thing, keep showing up, and have faith in yourself.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I forget who it was that said it but it was something about not worrying how to make everybody like your book. It’s impossible. Some people will hate your book, others will simply not care but they might still express an opinion about it that you won’t like hearing. Don’t beat yourself up about how your book failed those people, don’t try to fix it to suit everybody. Just imagine the kind of reader who would love your book, and what they would love it for, and write for those people and always do your best to make those readers happy because they will be there for you, they will worship you and spread the word about your book. You’ll always have them to fall back on when things get tough.
What are you reading now?
My TBR pile is getting bigger every week and I’m usually reading a few books at the same time. I also tend to abandon books before finishing them. These past few years I haven’t been good at reading fiction, everything I started, no matter how big a best seller, just didn’t seem to impress me. But I’m really enjoying “Circe” by Madeline Miller (I gotta say I love her simple yet passionate writing style) and “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. Naomi Novik’s “Spinning Silver” is a nice tale rooted in folklore (I love folklore, myths, legends, and the like), and “Gods of Jade and Shadow” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia seems like it’s going to be interesting as well (and the cover is out of this world). Then there’s also “The Judge of Egypt” trilogy, an adventure story by Christian Jacq, and “Angel” by Elisabeth Taylor (the author, not the late actress). That last one is close to my heart because it’s about a fifteen-year-old girl dreaming of getting out of her small hometown and becoming a famous writer. The story takes place a hundred years ago but the character reminds me very much of myself. I’m curious to find out how her dramatic story ends.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Apart from the “Diamond” series I’d like to finish at least a few of the books I’ve written outlines for so far. I’m constantly outlining, I have about seventy ideas to choose from. I want to try different genres but I can promise my readers that I’ll stick to writing love stories that are an exploration of the human condition, as that is my forte and my main interest.
In the meantime, when I have a free moment or I feel inspired, I’m gathering research and writing down notes for a time travel romance that I hope will turn out to be something special.
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?
How can a bookworm answer this question? Many great books made an impression on me throughout my life. I guess it would be smart to take with me books that I haven’t read yet, also, thick books that would last a while, and books that can be read multiple times.
If it were to happen now, today, my choices would be:
1. “House of Leaves” by Mark Danielewski, a book I’ve been wanting to read for years. It’s about a blind man writing a report of a documentary about a house that’s bigger on the inside than on the outside. (Don’t ask. But it starts well and it’s one trick of a book, apparently, so it must be a fun read.)
2. The “Gormenghast” trilogy by Mervyn Peake. I’ve just discovered it exists, and I love castle stories.
3. The already mentioned “Winnetou” by Karl May. (The Polish translation is brilliant.) There’s just nothing like it out there.
4. “Brazil” by John Updike. My favorite book ever. I’ve read it three times and each time I found new things to love it for. The perfect complicated love story, just my cup of tea.
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