Sunday, August 18, 2013

Author Interview – Eleni Papanou

at 4:00 AM

What book should everybody read at least once?

Atlas Shrugged. It’s brings out a strong reaction in people and leads to interesting debates. No matter what your opinion of Rand, her books force readers to think.

Is there any books you really don’t enjoy?

Books with vampires. There are far too many of them today—now watch me go and write a story with vampires in it after saying this! I have nothing against vampires. I loved the Interview with the Vampire series and enjoyed watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss Whedon is awesome with characterization and dialogue.

What do you hope your obituary will say about you?

Here lies Eleni Papanou, wife, mother, friend and crazy enough to be a writer!

Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live?

I grew up in Wayne, New Jersey, and I wrote a blog about the hardships I endured as a child with bullying, and how I saw it as a contributing factor to my creativity. I’d also done many things in my life before I started writing novels. Some friends and family thought I was confused as I switched jobs often and never could seem to stick to anything long enough to find personal satisfaction. I see that part of my life as a period of experimentation and reflection. I had to go through it to find myself. And now that I did, I have a lot of experience to draw from!

How did you develop your writing?

A friend of mine asked me to help him with his screenplay. During the process, I realized I had a knack for telling stories. Of course, back then I knew nothing about structure. After a harsh comment was made about my writing, I immersed myself in learning how to plot and structure. I also took some screenwriting courses. I still use the techniques in my writing, and I recommend all writers learn the craft. There’s no better way to learn how to structure. As a side note, I saved the critical comment, and it wasn’t as harsh as I’d thought it was when I first read it. At that time I lacked confidence, which was why I had such a strong reaction to it. If I knew who wrote the letter, I would thank him or her for getting me off my butt!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I never know when inspiration is going to hit. Sometimes it happens after a major event. I was inspired to write a screenplay when my eldest daughter was born, and I’ll be turning that into a book soon. I wrote my next release, Beneath Omega’s Sunrise, after reading an article in the UK Daily Mail about a boy who’s allergic to the sun. The story has nothing to do with a sun allergy. Inspiration is a strange animal!

What is hardest about getting published, writing or marketing?

Marketing. I don’t like it, but I know it has to be done.  The positive aspect is that I met some exceptional people along the way. I’m reading as much as I can about marketing and hope to find a way to make myself enjoy the process.

What marketing works for you?

To be honest, I haven’t figured it out yet. As I write visionary fiction, I find the best way to present my work is by getting involved with other writers of the same genre and building something together with them. I’m one of the founding members of the Visionary Fiction Alliance.

EleniPapanou

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Paranormal Mystery

Rating – PG13

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Eleni Papanou on Facebook & Twitter & LinkedIn

Blog http://elenipapanou.com/

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