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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