Interview with author Dora Przybylek

Award-winning author Dora Przybylek was born in Trujillo, Peru. Both her mother’s father and her mother’s maternal grandfather were Chinese immigrants. She lives in New York where she works for the United Nations as she feels it is the perfect environment for her multicultural background.

Przybylek has a degree in Translation and Interpretation in English, French and Spanish from the Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón (UNIFE), Lima, Peru. Since early childhood, Przybylek showed joy in writing tales and fables, keeping them always to herself, in manuscripts that would get forgotten and lost throughout her many moves from one continent to another. She enjoys writing poetry, children’s books and fiction, through which she attempts to show the roots of her culture. She often writes as Carmela Escobar. She is the author of the novel, Luna llena. Cabalgando sin riendas (Full Moon, Galloping Without Reins), as well as many stories and poetry and the recipient of many awards, including the prestigious International Latino Book Award for Best Novel.  

Thanks for this interview, Dora. Tell us, when did you decide you wanted to become an author?

I have always wanted to write. I believe I started writing my first story, with illustrations on every other page, when I was about ten. Many years later, when I was expecting my second child, I decided to start writing seriously and came up with a compilation of children's stories that I thought would make a good children's book. After submitting my manuscript to a publishing house in England (don't ask me why I didn't try to do that in Latin America, Spain or even the United States), I was told that because the stories seemed to be good for young children, I should consider publishing in English as well. The amount of money I was supposed to come up with was something I didn’t have so I put my dream of becoming a published author on hold but before I decided to forget about writing for a while, I came up with the title for a novel. If I were ever going to write one, it would be called "Luna llena"(Full Moon) because the moon was always there, almost as another protagonist of the story. That was thirteen years ago.

Last year I made up my mind to take another shot at writing and to motivate myself I thought of entering a contest. I entered nothing less than the Biblioteca Breve Award Contest of Seix Barral, in Barcelona. When my mom heard what I was telling her she didn't laugh only because I was her daughter and she didn't want to hurt my feelings. Needless to say, I didn't win Seix Barral but I had pushed myself and had achieved to have a manuscript for my first novel. I then did some research and found a publisher that works out of Buenos Aires. I continued entering contests and was stunned when I was called to the podium at the International Latino Book Awards last May to receive two first prizes and an honorary mention. I couldn't believe it. The big ones were there and I was among them!

That's quite an achievement, Dora. Congatulations! I understand you have a full-time job besides writing.

Yes, I work full-time as a Language Reference Assistant at the United Nations.

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

I must say that I wasn’t a great reader. I think I was an average reader. I would read just the material that was required. But I did enjoy every story I read, especially dramas and romantic stories. I was always a big dreamer.

Tell us a bit aboutLuna llena, and what inspired you to write such a story.

Luna llena. Cabalgando sin riendas is the story of a woman just like anyone of us but who, just like anyone of us, lives an extraordinary live full of events and circumstances that visit all kinds of emotions from the beginning to the end. And I must mention that every aspect of the story is fictional.

How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?

Like I said, all I had was a title and a few ideas. The way I can explain how inspiration came to me was as an indescribable experience. I sat at the computer and started typing non-stop as if I were transcribing a text that was in front of me. Every turn the story took felt right. The length of the story, for example, could have been longer, but I felt that adding more facts to what had already been said would not be necessary. I hope the reader would agree with me on this.

Did your book require a lot of research?

No, not really. Intentionally, I mentioned the name of a city that is common to a few countries in South America and to Spain (although the story happens in Latin America) and I never made reference to a year because I wanted the reader to place himself/herself in the time and place on their own.

What was your goal when writing this book?

All I wanted was to entertain. I wanted the reader to forget about her routine, her worries and focus on the routine and worries of the protagonists, just like when we go watch a movie. I didn’t try to teach anything although I would be happy if anyone tells me that he/she has learned something about himself/herself after reading Luna llena.

Who is your target audience?
I write to everyone from fifteen years old onwards.

What will the reader learn after reading your book?

Like I said, I don’t try to specifically teach anything but the characters might be able to do that as they take a live of their own. I just try to show that our world is complex and that everyone's life has a story to tell.

What type of writer are you—the one who experiences before writing, like Hemingway, or the one who mostly daydreams and fantasizes?

I would say a combination of both because I have had great ideas from what I had thought before writing and some other great passages had been born from daydreaming and fantasizing.

Agatha Christie got her best ideas while eating green apples in the bathtub. Steven Spielberg says he gets his best ideas while driving on the highway. When do you get your best ideas and why do you think this is?

I think I get my best ideas while riding the train to work and while I am in the shower. I think I also get really good ideas right before falling asleep. I believe I experience this muse descent at those specific times because it is the time that I am more aware of myself, I am in tune with my inner world, without daily life interruptions (although there are plenty of interruptions in a crowded train going to Manhattan)

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her when she refuses to inspire you?

I never underestimate or take my muse for granted. I don't wait for her but rather answer to her when she needs to tell me something. I know there is no way to force creativity, those two words don't go together.

From the moment you conceived the idea for the story, to the published book, how long did it take?

It took me thirteen years, if we consider the very first raw ideas I got at the beginning. If we think of the time that I started typing on my PC, until the book was out, it took me four months.

Describe your working environment.

I have a computer in my basement that I have to share with my husband so I really have to make sure I answer to my muse as soon as she knocks. Otherwise I have to handwrite my ideas on whatever I find around. About being calm and quiet, that works great for getting inspiration but once I start typing, nothing around me really bothers me. The children and the dog (our miniature Chihuahua Kodi) could be all over me and that would be just fine. I am in my bubble.

What type of scenes give you the most trouble to write?

The ones that get a bit sensual, erotic. I end up re-writing them a few times because I tend to feel they are too explicit when they really are not (according to my mom. And if my mom approves, I guess it's not explicit at all).

Do you write non-stop until you have a first draft, or do you edit as you move along?
I tend to write non-stop and I edit at the very end.

They say authors have immensely fragile egos… How would you handle negative criticism or a negative review?

I believe that just like any other artist, as an author, I am very vulnerable when it comes to criticize something to what I have put all my energy, heart, passion, you name it. At the same time, there is no way to learn and grow without accepting and listening to criticism. It also depends of who is criticizing you so I think I am all right with that.

As a writer, what scares you the most?

I don’t want to sound arrogant, unless I have not taken the question right, but I am not scared of anything. Writing is pure creativity and the process is a fun ride, both for the writer and the reader. But thinking this on a different perspective, perhaps I am scared that the reader will not get the idea that I am trying to portray. Yes, that is a scary thought.

When writing, what themes do you feel passionate about?

I love to write romantic stories, especially if they take place in the past. I also enjoy writing children’s stories and realize how I am part of how a little child sees the world.

Are you a disciplined writer?

Not always. For Luna llena I was pretty disciplined though. I wrote every single day.

How do you divide your time between taking care of a home and children, and writing? Do you plan your writing sessions in advance?

It’s not easy to take time to write when you have to work full-time, coming home after 7 pm and attending the children’s games, recitals, etc. However, writing is something that serves me as therapy after a tiring day.

When it comes to writing, are you an early bird, or a night owl?

I must say that I have experienced both and have come out with very different results. I find that interesting and I think that it adds to the story I told. The characters behave a bit different depending on how I feel in the morning or in the evening.

Do you have an agent? How was your experience in searching for one?

I don’t have an agent. I have been looking for one. They tend to tell me that they don’t work with Spanish literature. What I always answer is that I am considering translating my novel into English but I think they get stuck on the first part of our conversation. I'm still looking.

Do you have another book on the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?

Yes, a short story and a poem of mine will be part of an anthology of Latin American authors that will be out at the end of the July. About future projects, I would like to first get my novel Luna llena translated to English and publish it. I might also try to publish a children’s book I have ready for a few months now. And lastly, I have started writing a historic novel that I hope will be a fun ride to take.

As an author, what is your greatest reward?

I am delighted to hear someone telling me that they like my story, that they couldn’t put the book down, that they couldn’t wait to know what was happening next.

Anything else you’d like to say about yourself or your work?

I would like to write on a full-time basis. I hope my dreams come true soon. I am a big dreamer.

I want to thank you, Mayra, so very much for giving me the opportunity to be interviewed by you. I appreciate it very much.

Thank you for the great interview, Dora, and good luck with your work!

More info:

http://www.librosenred.com/libros/lunallenacabalgandosinriendas.html

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Luna-Llena-Cabalgando-Sin-Riendas/Carmela-Escobar/e/9781597544078/?itm=1

--Mayra Calvani writes for children and adults. Visit her websites at MayraCalvani.com and MayrasSecretBookcase.com.