Can you tell us what your book is
about?
It’s a memoir about
my life as a teenager. I lost my home when I was fifteen and I got into crime.
The story is written in a diary format but it reads like a thriller novel.
Why
did you write your book?
I’d planned to write
it for nearly 25 years, since shortly after the events in my book took place. I
was startled at how much they resembled the plot of a fiction novel. It was
really strange, it seemed like life was imitating art.
It took me decades to
begin writing it because I needed a lot of distance for perspective.
What
kind of message is your book trying to tell your readers?
My book is for entertainment purposes
only.
Is
it hard to publish a nonfiction book?
I self-published and
yes, it was hard. There are a great many details to publishing a book many of
them are unknown to anyone not in the industry. Standardizing my book to the
Chicago Manuel of Style might have been the hardest. It took weeks, was
grueling and mind numbing, and normally the job of an editor at a publishing
house that knows the rules of the CMS by heart.
Which
author(s) do you admire?
I
love Erica Jong for her frankness and brilliant prose. I also love the simple
style of Jane Austin and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Gogol always makes me laugh out
loud and he has great stories.
Finally, I absolutely
adore Dostoevsky. His portraits of people are so familiar and sublime I feel I
know every character from his books personally.
If
we were to meet for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
I’d likely invite you to my house
since I live far from civilization. Cooking is also one of my hobbies and I’m
quite good.
What
do you like to do for fun?
I’m a big outdoors
person. I like hiking, skiing, kayaking, just being in nature and on the water
really relaxes me.
What
do you like the most about being an author?
I love having a legitimate excuse for
being a serious bookworm! I also like working in quiet and getting lost in a
thesaurus or dictionary for hours. After my work was published my favorite part
was getting emails from readers who were moved by my work. I consider that a
bonus, some writers never get a chance to connect with their readers. I save
those notes in my inbox and read them over and over again.
What kind of advice would you give
other non-fiction authors?
Although I wrote a
non-fiction memoir, I employed all the elements of fiction so my advice best
applies to a novelist or memoirist.
My advice is to be a
writer first. You have to be in love with words, with language, and with the
craft of writing. Study all the time. While you’re reading notice what the
writer is doing. While watching television pay attention to the dialogue, in
scripted shows it is all created by writers. Practice writing every chance you
get, even with email.
You can read the first 8 chapters of Closet Full of Coke here
Can you tell us what your book is about?
It’s a memoir about my life as a teenager. I lost my home when I was fifteen and I got into crime. The story is written in a diary format but it reads like a thriller novel.
Why did you write
your book?
I’d planned to write it for nearly 25 years, since shortly after the events in my book took place. I was startled at how much they resembled the plot of a fiction novel. It was really strange, it seemed like life was imitating art.
It took me decades to begin writing it because I needed a lot of distance for perspective.
What kind of
message is your book trying to tell your readers?
My book is for entertainment purposes only.
Is it hard to
publish a nonfiction book?
I self-published and yes, it was hard. There are a great many details to publishing a book many of them are unknown to anyone not in the industry. Standardizing my book to the Chicago Manuel of Style might have been the hardest. It took weeks, was grueling and mind numbing, and normally the job of an editor at a publishing house that knows the rules of the CMS by heart.
Which author(s) do
you admire?
I love Erica Jong for her frankness and brilliant prose. I also love the simple style of Jane Austin and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Gogol always makes me laugh out loud and he has great stories.Finally, I absolutely adore Dostoevsky. His portraits of people are so familiar and sublime I feel I know every character from his books personally.
If we were to meet
for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
I’d likely invite you to my house since I live far from civilization. Cooking is also one of my hobbies and I’m quite good.
What do you like to
do for fun?
I’m a big outdoors person. I like hiking, skiing, kayaking, just being in nature and on the water really relaxes me.
What do you like
the most about being an author?
I love having a legitimate excuse for being a serious bookworm! I also like working in quiet and getting lost in a thesaurus or dictionary for hours. After my work was published my favorite part was getting emails from readers who were moved by my work. I consider that a bonus, some writers never get a chance to connect with their readers. I save those notes in my inbox and read them over and over again.
What kind of advice would you give other
non-fiction authors?
Although I wrote a non-fiction memoir, I employed all the elements of fiction so my advice best applies to a novelist or memoirist.
My advice is to be a writer first. You have to be in love with words, with language, and with the craft of writing. Study all the time. While you’re reading notice what the writer is doing. While watching television pay attention to the dialogue, in scripted shows it is all created by writers. Practice writing every chance you get, even with email.- See more at: http://asthepageturns.blogspot.com/2014/02/interview-with-indra-sena-author-of.html#sthash.hvJovBLY.dpuf
Can you tell us what your book is about?
It’s a memoir about my life as a teenager. I lost my home when I was fifteen and I got into crime. The story is written in a diary format but it reads like a thriller novel.
Why did you write
your book?
I’d planned to write it for nearly 25 years, since shortly after the events in my book took place. I was startled at how much they resembled the plot of a fiction novel. It was really strange, it seemed like life was imitating art.
It took me decades to begin writing it because I needed a lot of distance for perspective.
What kind of
message is your book trying to tell your readers?
My book is for entertainment purposes only.
Is it hard to
publish a nonfiction book?
I self-published and yes, it was hard. There are a great many details to publishing a book many of them are unknown to anyone not in the industry. Standardizing my book to the Chicago Manuel of Style might have been the hardest. It took weeks, was grueling and mind numbing, and normally the job of an editor at a publishing house that knows the rules of the CMS by heart.
Which author(s) do
you admire?
I love Erica Jong for her frankness and brilliant prose. I also love the simple style of Jane Austin and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Gogol always makes me laugh out loud and he has great stories.Finally, I absolutely adore Dostoevsky. His portraits of people are so familiar and sublime I feel I know every character from his books personally.
If we were to meet
for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
I’d likely invite you to my house since I live far from civilization. Cooking is also one of my hobbies and I’m quite good.
What do you like to
do for fun?
I’m a big outdoors person. I like hiking, skiing, kayaking, just being in nature and on the water really relaxes me.
What do you like
the most about being an author?
I love having a legitimate excuse for being a serious bookworm! I also like working in quiet and getting lost in a thesaurus or dictionary for hours. After my work was published my favorite part was getting emails from readers who were moved by my work. I consider that a bonus, some writers never get a chance to connect with their readers. I save those notes in my inbox and read them over and over again.
What kind of advice would you give other
non-fiction authors?
Although I wrote a non-fiction memoir, I employed all the elements of fiction so my advice best applies to a novelist or memoirist.
My advice is to be a writer first. You have to be in love with words, with language, and with the craft of writing. Study all the time. While you’re reading notice what the writer is doing. While watching television pay attention to the dialogue, in scripted shows it is all created by writers. Practice writing every chance you get, even with email.- See more at: http://asthepageturns.blogspot.com/2014/02/interview-with-indra-sena-author-of.html#sthash.hvJovBLY.dpuf
Comments