Since I was a teenager, I loved writing; I wanted to communicate my emotions with the outside world in print. This inner urging was expressed in various forms, i.e. by writing short stories, essays, articles and an occasional poem.
What led you to create a story line that was partially inspired by your life?
Again, writing this novel was the culmination of those inner urgings to share with the outside world, fictionalized life experiences of lonliness, abandonment, terror, dashed dreams and eventual redemption.
What percentage of this story is taken directly from your experiences growing up on a Greek Island?How many of the characters were created from memories of friends and relatives you grew up around?
I would say half of the story portrays my early and teen years, growing up in a remote Aegean island. Most of the characters appearing in the book during those adventurous and painful years, were inextricably intertwined with my childhood and teenage memories.
This is your first full novel? How did your previous writing experience help as you worked on a longer manuscript for the first time?
Indeed, this is my first novel. My writings over the years, however, honed my skills for storytelling and also served as a prelude to my ultimate goal to pen a full length novel. It was the natural evolution to a life-long series of writings.
How did you approach writing this book – scheduled writing time, writing when the inspiration hit or? Research? Marketing?
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I never approached writing on a time schedule basis. My urge to write appears unannounced. I knew I had a story to tell. I wrote my first manuscript, on and off, over a period of several years – perhaps as many as 10. It was based strictly on my memories and imagination. Then I redrafted, edited, refined and structured into groups and chapters the entire story, with the assistance of professional writers.
As an author – what do you enjoy most about writing process? What feels like a chore?
I enjoy the experience of reviewing and providing meaning and structure to an original manuscript; i.e. the evolving process of editing, redrafting and re-editing, until I come up with a final version that satisfies my self-imposed standards. Writing the original manuscript may, sometimes, feel like a chore.
What would you most like readers to know about you?
That I am just another face in the crowd, with no pretentions. One who tries to give, rather than take; in essence, doing my best to pay the rent for the room of life given to me from Above.
Any advice for young authors wanting to write books in this genre?
Giving advice is trite and cheap, particularly when unsolicited. If a young boy or girl asked me, however, I’d just tell them to be themselves and to trust their feelings.
What comes next? Do you have any new book ideas in development?
I have no specific plans for the immediate future. I’d just leave my instincts and inner urgings drive my future actions. Nevertheless, considering my restless emotions and exploring mind, I might find myself writing another story again.
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