Interview With Author Eva Dietrich

  

1. What inspired you to write this book? My love for the written word, its very origins and the importance of imagination  

1.      What exactly is it about and who is it written for? It's a middle-grade fantasy novel, although it's been well received by many adult readers, so I think in a broader sense it's for lovers of fantasy, books and libraries.  

Here's the teaser for the book:  

If you were about to embark on an epic adventure where would you go?
Do you possess similar magical powers as our warlock hero does? Read this middle-grade fantasy adventure brimming with mythological creatures, wizards, magicians and stories of ancient Middle East civilizations, to find out.

Follow a 12-year old mage with powers to invent new words and create new worlds, on a high-stakes quest to save his father and beloved grandma. They are captured by a dark, word-feeding creature in the magical realm of Mesopo, a mystical land where stories are born. In this story of magic realism, time is at the essence since Mesopo’s word count is slowly diminishing as its citizens are dying. The hourglass is nearly empty. Will our hero's converted power be sufficient to save his land and his family, or will they be lost forever? Meet the fantastical world of Mesopo packed with heart-pounding peril, mysterious atmosphere, intriguing scribes, princes, magicians, storm-birds and creepy River People... and be sure to discover your own magical powers. 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? I hope the book will help them  discover their own powers, namely their own power of imagination and their love of reading and writing. 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? Mesopo is short for Mesopotamia, the place where the written word originated in cuneiform and clay tablets. The book is loosely based on Mesopotamian mythology. As for the cover design, I saw some of Ingrid Kallick's earlier illustrations which I absolutely loved and asked her if she would be willing to do the cover design and illustrations. 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Write. Write. Write. Write every day, even if it's just 15 minutes or half an hour, but write. 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Books and reading are paramount to our personal development and mental wellbeing, so even if sales of children's books were down last year, children's books will always be a fundamental building block in the development of a child's mind and soul. It's like the stock market, it has its ups and downs, but it's the long-term investment that counts. 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? I love magical realism, even as a child I loved authors like Michael Ende, and Gabriel García Marquez is one of my all-time favorite authors.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? It has been described as original and even metaphysical, yet well-grounded in the whimsical adventures of a boy who loves words.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? The biggest challenge is always to keep writing, to consciously make space for your own writing and to put your to-do list aside for a while. 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? It's a book that will hopefully encourage the reader to discover their own powers, the impact of their own words and the freedom their own imagination can convey to them. 

About The Author: Eva Dietrich is the author of The Great Rainbow Hug (Le gros câlin arc-en-ciel, from Samir Editeur, 2011), recognized by La Revue Des Livres Pour Enfants in 2011 as their annual selection. Eva holds Masters’ Degrees in Children’s Literature from the University of Surrey, London and Creative Writing from the Metropolitan University of Manchester, UK, and is the founder and director of Aladdin Books. She is equal parts Spanish and German, and currently resides in Madrid with her three kids, her dog, three cats, and lots of hens. Doe more information, please see: www.evadietrich.org 

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Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.