Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love reading, writing, art, cooking, history, literature, ancient civilizations and many things metaphysical. I have written a novel called Mallias the Greek Gangster. Now, I am working on a series of installments of a novel called The Potion Maker. Book One from the series is already in print.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Potion Maker. Book One A Stargram.
What inspired it? I am not sure. Many factors came into play regarding the inspiration for this book. I love magical realism in literature. For those with a vivid imagination, there is a very fine line where magical realism begins and leaves realism behind! I wanted to merge magical elements, creating a new reality in the series that leave fuzzy borders.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes! I write most of my work in my head. Seriously! I can’t sit at a desk or table and write. And I can’t write on paper. I wait for signs of ‘overload’ and then I transfer my work onto my laptop. Usually, I do this while in bed, or on a comfortable armchair with my feet up, noshing on something or with a cup of coffee and a cigarette.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Philip Pullman, J K Rowling, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Vikram Seth, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Borges, E F Benson
What are you working on now?
I am working on the installments of The Potion Maker. It is amazing to feel the freedom that comes with the creative process.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
A combination of methods seems to work best. I have a website, I use twitter and like to visit sites around the web.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The most important advice to new authors is to write, write and write some more. Editing and rewriting a hundred times what you think is a final draft is great. Creating something requires labor. An author goes beyond writing, they are creating an art form. There will be blocks, there will be doubt, there will be frustration. Do not let this stop you. Once the work is out, then new authors need to be patient. Very patient. Popularity can be purchased. But that is a bubble. It pops. You want the book to be appreciated and recognized by readers for what it truly offers. It takes time for a book to finally take its proper place on bookshelves or readers all over the world.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice that I have heard is to write about what hurts. Many times there is a catharsis going on behind the scenes of every book being written.
What are you reading now?
When I am writing, I never have time to sit down and ‘read’. That doesn’t mean that I am not reading. I find myself reading bits and pieces of classical pieces, keeping my inspiration up. After all, classical literature, landmark pieces of writing, are our teachers.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am still working on The Potion Maker. I am not sure what is next. Both this project and the novel I recently published, Mallias the Greek Gangster, are voices of women. I think that I am gravitating in that direction, exploring a diversity of the female archetype/stereotype. I enjoy creating fusion. Fusing unlikely elements and styles of narration. I want to take it a step further in my next project. That is for sure.
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?
The Bible, and three or four blank page notebooks. Being stranded will provoke me to write on paper this time. And the Bible is an incredible book. It hides worlds of meaning within its words. Bringing any other books along would defeat their purpose. I think books complement our state of mind. I really couldn’t choose any 3 and bring them with me because I feel that books, from classical to trashy, are part of a collective consciousness of creativity that we can either ‘enter’ or glean from when ‘in’ society. They keep us safe and sound in the active world, and they lose their ‘magic’ on a stranded isle…
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