Interview With Author Rachel Gladu

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? While sorting books to donate with my children, I commented to my daughter, Tayler, that a lot of her novels were the same story just rewritten. She found this insulting, since she loved all of her books. Tayler then challenged me to write an original story. Three days later, I told her about my idea for Secret of Silphium, and she loved the idea. Tayler pushed me until I finished the story. 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for? Secret of Silphium is a fantastical story about a nymph discovering humanity. And as she discovers the secrets of humans, she discovers some of the secrets of the plant she represents and protects. Silphium, being the symbol of love, means the story is a love story, but not just a romantic love. Secret of Silphium is not just for fantasy readers. The history that is woven into the tale makes it an interesting story for any reader.  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? Readers will get a chance to look at humanity from an outsiders view. The characters show the reality of choices and consequences.  The significance of the ancient plant, silphium, is revealed throughout the story. Readers will be surprised at the lasting impact silphium has had on societies.  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?  I struggled with finding a title until writing the last few chapters. The title seemed obvious after I wrote it down for the first time. Silphium has so many secrets, both the plant and the nymph. For the cover I chose the seed of the silphium plant. Silphium has been a very important and influential plant throughout history. Its most lasting contribution has been the seed’s shape; the symbol of love.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?  Take advice and words of wisdom with a grain of salt. Every writers journey will be unique. What worked for one writer will not for all.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  elf-publishing has let more authors have their work available to readers. This has lead to a huge increase of new books being available. It is great to have so many voices, opinions, and stories that readers can experience, but it can also be overwhelming to a writer trying to find a place for their story to be heard.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?   My children love being told stories. I have many memories of them asking for a story, but would give me a list of characters or events that needed to be in the story. These requests would come while shopping, or waiting in line at a bank, and of course at bedtime. So when I was asked by my then 18 year old daughter to come up with a story I had some experience.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?  Secret of Silphium is written in an omniscient third person style. While writing my book I tried to write without any specific influence and just write with my own style.   

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? When I was in high school, I had an English teacher who told me that I was just not worth her time to teach. She made me question myself in many ways. I had great teachers before her that helped build my confidence, but she seemed to destroy it as I finished my senior year. The hesitation to put the story I had in my head onto paper made me face this insecurity twenty years later.   

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Secret of Silphium is a great story that will sweep you along. It will make you look at humanity from a different point of view. Learning and discovering the secrets of the ancient plant will have you surprised until the last page.  

About The Author: I am a proud mother of six children. I enjoy the way they challenge me. It was one of these challenges that gave me the idea for my first novel. Reading and storytelling have been a big part of my relationship with my children. My husband has supported me throughout our marriage, giving me the opportunity to spent so much time with our children. For more info, please see: https://fultonbooks.com/books/?book=secret-of-silphium  

 

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About Brian Feinblum

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 3.9 million pageviews. With 5,000+ 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, BookCAMP, 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.