Novelist Cinzia De Santis joins me today and we’re
chatting about her romantic historical sci-fi fantasy, The Guide of Time. Book I: The Journey.
Bio:
Cinzia De Santis was born in Italy, but moved to
Venezuela shortly after. She studied Marine Biology and, after a successful and varied career, Cinzia decided
to devote her time on her passions: books and travelling. Cinzia used to be an
actor, performing both as an amateur and a professional and it was at that time
that she started writing short stories. Cinzia moved to England in 2003 and
lives in London with her husband and daughter. The Guide of Time is her second
novel in English.
Welcome, Cinzia. Please tell us about your current
release.
Alexander
von Rossen is the last in a line of the Guides of Time, an extraordinary force
that has taken mankind to a higher state of knowledge. Over the centuries, by
inspiring scientists to make great breakthroughs, the Guides have helped humans
to transform their view of life and death. But the Guides have powerful enemies
who want to keep mankind enslaved, in a permanent struggle between good and
evil. Alexander faces an unexpected complication. Ariane Claret is a young
woman with an extraordinary talent for music. She bursts into his life at a
crucial moment and produces in him feelings he had never known before. Without
realising it, she holds the secret to the victory or destruction of Alexander,
the Guides and, ultimately, mankind. Book
I: The Journey can be bought in Amazon
What inspired you to write this book?
The seeds of The
Guide of Time were sown many years ago when I was studying science
at university. At that time, I came to realise that great discoveries were
always a combination of hard work, serendipity and inspiration. Of the three,
inspiration was the one that intrigued me the most. Scientists often describe
it as the appearance of an idea out of nowhere, a ray of light that comes to
them with dramatic suddenness and often a sense of certainty. But, where do
these ideas come from? What if mankind has been guided by unseen hands? And
what if other forces, equally powerful, promote fanaticism and hatred? The
answer to these questions is the essence of the trilogy of The Guide of Time.
Excerpt from The Guide of Time:
The elderly editor, beard
now largely grey, was staring at the document in his hands. For the first time
in his publishing career, he was lost for words. In the chair opposite him, a
woman was smiling at him, almost as though she was enjoying his discomfort. He
raised his eyes and frowned at her. Her name was Ariane Claret.
—Is all this true? I mean,
did it really happen?
—Yes, it’s true —she said
calmly.
What exciting story are you working on next?
I am finishing Book
II of the series. I plan to release it in February 2017
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think of myself as a
story-teller. In that sense, I started writing in my early twenties.
Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day
like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to
write?
I write full-time now. My
brain is at its most creative in the late afternoon/ evening, so I often spend
the morning and early afternoon to do routine stuff: writing emails, marketing,
replying to readers
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Well, I am a geek at
heart, so I love writing “geeky” books. The downside is that sometimes I get
lost researching things that fascinate me and I lose focus.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Astronaut, geologist,
archaeologist, anthropologist: very geeky!
Anything additional you want to share with the
readers?
Ever since I was a little
girl, books have been my best friends, my companions during tough times. I used
to have a hectic life, with a stressful job, pulled in all directions as a
mother, a wife and an employee. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer - I
already had colon cancer - I knew my body was telling me something. It was time
for me to calm down and devote myself to things that fulfilled me spiritually
and emotionally.
Links:
Thanks for being here today, Cinzia!
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