Today we have author Rolando Garcia here to talk about his book, The Sun Zebra.
So Rolando, please tell us about The Sun Zebra.
I
describe my first book, The Sun Zebra, as a “children’s
book for grownups”. It’s a collection of family-friendly stories
about the "adventures in living" of an unusual little girl
named Nell, her mother, Rhonda, and Nell's father who is the narrator
of the stories. The stories deal with how the world of adults and its
hard realities intersects with the magical carefree world of
children. The purpose of these stories is to help us discover or
rediscover what it is to see the world through the eyes of a child.
Who
or what inspires your writing?
Many
things can inspire my writing like a picture, a landscape, something
I read, an experience, a face, etc. I like to think that I have
several muses who are constantly seeking my attention individually or
in groups. That is why I describe myself as the peculiar eclectic
writer.
When
did you know you would be a writer?
I
have known that I wanted to be a writer since my college years. I
always had a need to express myself through writing, but I never got
around to pursuing it seriously until a couple of years ago when I
started posting my work on the document-sharing site Scribd.com.
Within a two year period my documents gathered more than 100,000
reads and hundreds of comments. It was this enthusiastic reaction
that convinced me to publish my e-book.
How
long did it take you to write your first novel?
I
haven’t written a novel yet, and all beginning writers should
probably avoid writing one until they have written several hundred
short stories. This is because, as Ray Bradbury says, if you write a
novel and it is bad you have just wasted a huge amount of your time.
But if you write several short stories it is less likely that all of
them will be bad, and you will have something to show for your work.
What
is the hardest part of writing for you?
The
hardest part of writing is figuring out what happens next. I start my
stories with a broad outline of what the story is about and its punch
line; the bare bones if you will. But it is difficult to insert the
flesh; to work out the details.
Do
you have any writing rituals?
My
writing ritual is that I think about the story as much as possible. I
try to “feel” my way around it before writing it. Beginning a
story for me is like walking on the frozen surface of a lake. I need
to make sure the ice is thick enough to hold my weight before I start
walking (writing).
Have
you written anything else?
I
have written dozens of stories that are very different from the ones
in my current book The Sun Zebra. I am currently trying to find
a way to corral several of them together under a common theme for
publication.
Any
advice to aspiring writers?
My
advice to aspiring writers is that they should realize that each of
them is unique. What works for one writer won’t work for the next.
Each writer must find his or her own way.
Who
are your favorite Authors?
Among
the English-speaking writers I like Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Isaac
Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Dan Simmons, Edgar Alan Poe, and
H.P. Lovecraft. Among the Spanish-speaking ones I like Horacio
Quiroga, Jorge Luis Borges, and Gabriel Garcia Marques.
What
are your favorite books, or which book has impacted you the most?
Among
my favorite books are The Lord of the Rings, The Harry Potter Series,
The Hyperion Cantos, The Foundation Series, and One Hundred Years of
Solitude.
What
are you currently reading?
Nowadays
I mostly read self-published e-books. Among the ones I’ve read are
First Kiss by Barbara Alfaro, Shades of Love by Sunny Lockwood,
Finding Clarity by Laura Novak, Iona Portal by Robert David McNeil,
Hippie Boy by Ingrid Ricks, and Manhasset Stories by Suzanne McLain
Rosenwasser.
How
do readers find out more about you?
A Note From the Author;
Many
of my readers are surprised to find out that my first language is not
English. I was born in a Caribbean island and spent my youth living
in several Latin American countries before I came to the United
States. I also have no formal training in English literature beyond
the classes I took in American and British schools. But I did perfect
my writing with the publication of several articles in technical
journals while pursuing a career in a scientific discipline. In my
mind now I have the synthesis of both English and Spanish literary
traditions as well as the merging of the humanistic and scientific
cultures. I hope that a lot of good stories come out of that, and
that my readers will like them. So far my first book of short stories
has been very well received and I have had many enthusiastic reviews.
I am optimistic this trend will continue.
Thank you Rolando for visiting us today! Happy writing!
Excellent interview, Freda. I enjoyed the conversational style of this one. The book sounds intriguing, and the cover is fabulous.
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