Sunday, June 23, 2013

AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR, ZOE SAADIA


Today marks a milestone for my author’s blog.  The following is an interview with INDIE author, ZOE SAADIA. 

I’m scheduling interviews with several people who ‘make a difference’ in my life and the lives of others.
Zoe is my first author because she had become my mentor.  Her ‘grounded in reality’ approach and contemporary prose brings history into focus.  It’s no longer the fuzzy edged stepchild of the literary world.

Zoe and her husband, Yuvall live in Tel Aviv, Israel. She has 10 novels published and another trilogy in the WIP phase. Please take a moment and check out her work at AMAZON.

WELCOME, Mrs. Saadia. 
Thank you so much for your interest in my work, Robert. It’s been a pleasure to answer your fascinating questions.      

1. Q..I’ve read all of your published work.  You classify it as Historic Fiction.  I see more Action – Adventure. Is my perception incorrect?


A..Oh no Robert, I agree that the element of action-adventure is strong in my stories. Dry history is boring. It’s for a few scholars to enjoy. But the majority of us, regular people, do not seek to memorize a date/name or two. And I think we are right, for what is history if not an account of notable people’s lives? And usually those lives would be full of action and adventure, otherwise they would not have been recorded.

Having said that, I would like to state that all my stories are grounded in solid, thoroughly researched history. 


2. Q.. Your work seems grounded in reality and includes believable romance.  Where does your inspiration come from?

 
A.. My inspiration comes from all over, starting from these same historical events all the way to the incidents stolen from our daily lives. Different continents or times aside, people were always people, with their basic needs, urges and desires, whether in ancient Rome, Aztec Tenochtitlan or modern-day Ney York.

 

3. Q.. I noticed you last book, FALL OF THE EMPIRE, is not part of a series.  Can you explain why?


A.. Well, in this case I have to admit to being commercial as much as trying to reach more readers. Each book in my series is a story in itself, with many that could be read independently from the previous books. Still series is a series, and would better be read in a proper order. But when I wrote my 4th book in the Rise of the Aztecs, I felt that it’s just not fair that such a good story have to wait for the people to read all the rest that came before. This is how the idea of writing an independent book that would conclude my “Mesoamerican Saga” came to life. I wanted to be able to push this book all by itself, so people could enjoy this read, then come back to the some mentioned characters and learn their earlier history if they felt curious about them.


4. Q.. tell our audience about this MUSE?


A.. Oh the Muse! She is an elusive creature that should be treated with care. You lure her very carefully, and you have to be patient about that, because even when she appears, you can’t just grab her and make her work. You have to tempt her to come to you willingly, to perch beside and share some of her magic. This is the only way J

 
5. Q.. You write in a specific genre – pre-contact as you call it.  Any plans to broaden your spectrum?

 
A.. Well, no, not for the nearest future. Both Americas have such a rich, diverse pre-contact history – empires, confederacies, large cities, small towns, wars and politics, ancient Americas had it all, such a rich field to pick from. I covered some of the Mexico, so far, and now I’m working on my Iroquois trilogy. I think from Canada all the way to Peru, this history will keep me busy for a few years to come J  


6. Q.. Please explain the reasons you do not write ‘post contact’ historical fiction.
 

A.. Post-contact history doesn’t need me. Plenty has been written on Americas of post-contact times, from textbooks to fiction.  

 
7. Q.. English is not your birth language and yet you have 10 published novels in English.  Do you have any work published in any other language?

 
A.. No. All my works are in exist in English only, and I plan to keep it this way (unless those books get translated). I love this language, it has a magic. Both of my native languages (curiously, I have two) are heavier, not as delightfully light and fresh and flexible as English. Also to write about American continent seems more sensible in English and for the English-speaking world.

 
8. Q.. Your treatment of the historical happenings in an in-vogue writing style is refreshing. Was this a natural occurrence or is it a technique ‘learned or borrowed’ from another?

 
A.. I think it happened naturally. I started to write in ‘classical’ historical-fiction heavy style, and then from book to book it got gradually lighter.

Dealing with a relatively unknown history, I’m trying to reach much wider audience than just the lovers of historical fiction. I think it’s important that many people would learn about pre-contact Americas and how human and ‘normal’ these people were. Writing in light, daily-life style helps, I think J 

 
9. Q..I understand your husband is very involved with your work.  Does he critique you honestly?

 

A.. Oh yes, too honestly! Sometimes I’m afraid to let him read my works. He is a brutally honest person in his daily life too, so to have his approval on each story feels like victory every time anew. Of course it never comes without me correcting many things before I have the eagerly awaited ‘ok, nice story’.

He is amazingly supportive in more than a simple beta-reading. He designed my site and he maintains it most attentively, and he always comes up with new ideas to make my web-presence stronger.

I’m very lucky to have a partner like him!   

Q.. Who are some of your favorite authors and specifically their work?

A.. My favorite classics are James Clavell and Colleen McCullough, with their wonderful historical fiction that I reread to the point of killing their paperbacks.  

My favorite Indies include Robert Hatting, Terry Taylor and Austin Briggs (as you can see, very mixed genres, as opposed to the solid historical fiction in classics J)

Q.. *^@&!*&!!! Did you just say Robert Hatting??  Wow!
THANK YOU, ZOE SAADIA!
 

Zoe’s website is a work of art thanks to her husband, Yuvall Saadia. http://blog.zoesaadia.com/

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