8 July 2016 - ALMA JANE SIRBU - Guest Author

ALMA JANE SIRBU

- Guest Author -
G'day folks,

Today, I interview a very interesting author from Romania. I always have lots of time for those who can speak and write in more than one language. Alma Jane is one of them.

Welcome, Alma Jane ...


1.   TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.

I’M BORN IN A BIG CITY OF ROMANIA, NAMED CONSTANTA, NEAR THE BLACK SEA. MY CHILHOOD WAS A VERY HAPPY PERIOD IN MY LIFE AND I BEGUN TO WRITE SHORT STORIE AT 17 EN YEARS. I DON’T PUBLISHED BECAUSE WE LIVED IN A COMUNIST CONTRY BEFORE 1989.

I FINISHED LITERATURE UNIVERSITY IN BUCHAREST, IN 1984 AND AFTER I COME BACK IN CONSTANTA. I WAS MARIED WITH A SAILOR MAN, WHO DIED IN 1991 IN MEDITEREANA SEA. I HAVE A BEATIFULL DOUGTHER 34 YEAR OLD, ACTRICE. AFTER MY MARIEGE, I WORKED AND I DON’T WRITE ENYTHING LONG TIME…UNTIL 2006.

2.   WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?

I BECAME I WRITER WHEN I FINISHED MY FIRST NOVEL IN 2011, NAMED “KATRINA, PACAT DIN IUBIRE” AND TRANSLATED IN 2012 IN ENGLISH “KATRINA, SIN OF LOVE”.

3.    WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?

MY IMAGINATION IS INFINITE AND MY LIFE WAS FULL OF STRANGE SITUATIONS. WHEN I’M PREPARING MY NEXT NOVEL OR SHORT STORY, I’M THINKING TO ALL MY LIFE FROM NOW AND LOOKING FOR THE MOST BEATIFULL OR STRANGE SITUATIONS. NEXT, I  BEGIN TO WRITE WITH ANY PREPARATION. I LIKE TO SAY THAT GOD WRITE IN MY PLACE.

4.   WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?

MY FIRST PLEASURE IS TO WRITE…THAT JOURNEY IN FRONT OF MY WHITE PAGES, WHO BECAME A NEW STORY, DAY TO DAY, MAKES ME A LITLE GOD. I’M HAPPY TO WRITE ALL THAT TIME.



5.   WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?

THE HARDEST?...MANY THINGS, BECAUSE IN MY COUNTRY I’SNT EASY TO BECOME A WRITER. EDITURES DON’T WANT TO PUBLISH ROMANIAN AUTHORS, THEY TRANSLATE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES AND IF THEY WANT…THEY PUBLISH SOME WRITERS FROM OUR COUNTRY.

6.   WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?

I WORKED IN A GRAND INSURANCE COMPANY, FROM MY COUNTRY.

7.   WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?

I DON’T KNOW IN THIS TIME…WILL SEE…

8.   WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?

NOW, I’M WORKING AT MY 3 RD NOVEL INSPIRED FROM MY LIFE, AN INTROSPECTION IN MY MOST SECRET MEMOIRES AND FILINGS.

9.   WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

THE LIFE IN GENERAL, MY LIFE IN SPECIAL, BUT MY WRITING IS NOT ABOUT ME…I’M WRITING BEAUTIFULL STORIES ABOUT OTHERS WITH MY FILINGS.

10.              WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?

I’M WRITING FICTION, WOMENS FICTION.

11.              DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?

TIPS?...I CONSIDER ANY “TIPS” LIKE AN INTRUSION IN OTHER MINDS.
IF I CAN GIVE ONE…WRITE WITH YOUR SOUL, NOT WITH YOUR MIND.



12.              DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?

NO, I’M SUFFER DO NOT HAVE TIME TO WRITE ALL I HAVE IN MY MIND.

13.              DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?

NO, IN GENERAL, BUT I’M WRITING IN THE NIGHTS…NOT EVERY NIGHTS.

14.              DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?

I WISH I DO, BUT NO. I’M WRITING IN ALL OF THE PLACE FROM MY HOME, OR, IF I AM IN OTHER PLACE, I’M WRITING THERE.

15.              WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?

THE WRITING AND WHEN READERS COME TO SAY ME “THANKS FOR THE JOURNEY, I READED YOUR NOVEL IN 8 HOURS”.

16.              WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?

I READ IN ALL MY LIFE, MORE THAN 10.000 BOOKS FROM ALL OF THE WORLD. THET QUESTION IS TOO HARD FOR ME...I DON’T HAVE AN ANSWER.

17.              WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?

OH, MANY…BUT THE GREATEST IS: THANS FOR YOUR WRITING, I READED YOUR NOVEL THREE TIMES OR MORE…

18.              WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?

MY READERS DON’T MAKE ME SHINE…I DON’T HAVE COMMENTS LIKE THAT.

19.              WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?

YES, MOST OF…

20.              OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?

LIFE, I’M LOVING LIFE! I LOVE TO TRAVEL, I LOVE TO READ, I LOVE MY FAMILY.

21.              DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?

YES, ALL OF THEM.




22.              DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.

NOW I’M RELOCATE AT CONTRY-SIDE. I’M LIVING IN A  HOUSE WITH A NICE GARDEN. MY PERFECT DAY IS TO WORK IN MY GARDEN, READ AND WRITE. I LIKE THE SILENS OF THE NATURE.

23.              IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?

HARD TO SAY, MAYBE ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS FROM MY CHILDHOOD, JULES VERNE...HE CAN GIVE US A SOLUTION TO ESCAPE FROM THERE…HAHAHA!!!

24.              WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?

NOT MUCH…LOVE YOU COUNTRIES, LOVE YOUR PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY LOVES YOU!!! WITHOUT LOVE, NOTHING IS WORKING IN THIS WORLD!!!

25.              WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

MY PLANS... I DON’T MAKE PLANS, WHY, I DON’T KNOW, BUT I HOPE TO FINISH MY NEW NOVEL “A LIFE”.

26.               WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY SELL BOOKS?

I DON’T THINK SO, BECAUSE THE TRAILERS ARE FOR MOVIES, NOT FOR BOOKS.

27.              DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?

YES, I AM I ALL OF MY CHARACTERS, MULTIPLIED!

28.              DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?

VERY MUCH, BUT I THINK  IF YOU ARE A GOOD WRITER, THE SELF-PUBLISHING WAY IS THE MOST HOPEFUL.

29.              DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?

NO, BECAUSE I WRITE FROM MY HART, NOT FOR THE MONEY.

30.              WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?

ALL OF MY MANUSCRIPTS ARE MY FAVORITE…NOW, IS WHAT I’M WRITING…




31.              WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?

BECAUSE I’M WRITING ABOUT LIFE, ABOUT LOVE, HATE, ADVENTUROUS THINGS, HISTORICAL THINGS, WAR, COMUNIST SOCIETY, REVOLUTION…THEY WILL WALK WITH ME INTO MY WORLD, NEVER DISCOVER BY OTHER WRITER.

32.              WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A SCREENPLAY?

YES, ALL OF THEM. WILL BE ALL OF THE BEST MOVIES ABOUT LIFE, WRITEN IN THIS PERIODE.


33.              HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?

MY COVERS ARE SIMPLY BUT SHINY…MY DAUGTHER IS ON THE FRONT OF THEM.

34.              WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?

I HOPE TO BE HEALTHY TO WRITE AND MAKE SCRIPTS FROM MY NOVELS.

35.                WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?

UNTIL NOW, I DON’T HAVE MONEY AND TIME TO SPEND ON MARKETING. MAYBE, MY LINKEDIN PROFILE, WAS THE BEST MARKETING FOR ME, INCLUDING YOU CLANCY…

36.               ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?

YES, ALL OF THEM.

37.              DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.

OH, HARD TO SAY…KIND, IMAGINATIVE, HONEST, AMBITIOUS AND FULL OF LOVE.

38.              WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?

THE EVIL FROM ALL THE WORLD.

39.              WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?

GOODBYE JANETT BY HAROLD ROBBINS…VERY GOOD BOOK!!!



40.               WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?

THIS WORD “SENTENCE” INCLUDE MANY THINGS…I WANT TO KNOW YOUR SENTENCE ABOUT MY WRITING, NOT MINE!

41.               WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?

I WANT TO HAVE A REAL FAMILY, BECAUSE MY DAUGHTER LIVES IN ITALY AND MY MOTHER IS VERY OLD AND ILL. SHE HAVE ALZHEIMER FROM OLMOST 15 YEARS AGO…MY FATHER PAST AWAY LAST YEAR AND MY HUSBAND IS DISAPPEARED MANY YEARS AGO, IN A SHIPWRECK IN MEDITERANEAN SEA.

42.               ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

I WANT YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE THIS WORLD, I’M WRITING FOR THIS WORLD AND I WANT TO BE READ FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

I WANT YOU KNOW ABOUT MY WRITING THAT:

1)IN 2013 I WIN THE 3 rd PRIZE ON THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE AND VIZUAL ART “LA FINESTRA ETEREA” FROM MILAN, ITALY WITH MY  FIRST NOVEL “ KATRINA, PACAT DIN IUBIRE”.

2)IN 2015 I WIN THE FIRST PRIZE WITH MY SECOND NOVEL “PROSTITUATA” AT THE SAME FESTIVAL, IN ITALY.

3)MY BOOKS ARE SELLING ALL OVER THE WORLD ON AMAZON, B&N, NOOK, SCRIBD.COM, AND OTHER SITE WHO IS INTERESTED ABOUT MY WORK, IN ROMANIAN AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE TOO.

P.S. SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH! IF I DON’T WRITE VERY GOOD, YOU CAN RE-WRITE, AND I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND ALL MY ANSWER. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING YOUR GUEST!!!
ALL THE BEST FROM ME.






Clancy's comment: Thank you, Alma Jane. It was a pleasure. Great interview. 

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