Interview - Aleksandr Jarid, Author - Sunflower, Fateful Hope, 23 Minutes
I have a varied background, strangely using both the
hemispheres of the brain for various careers in the past. Writing really took
centre stage when I was trying to find the right medium and outlet to express
and process not only current thoughts but also aspects of growing up. I found
that we often now do not stop to understand how we have become to be where we
are. In todays society we are always on the go and looking to tomorrow or next
week or next year. But the important and fundamental components to do that
successfully is to understand how we have got to today. That is how I fell into
writing when I saw that life is a collection of important events and stories
and if we don’t understand and take note of those events and stories, we never
really appreciate life. So I started just writing thoughts of events that have
occurred in my past and that then morphed into story telling and writing.
2) You have expressed that weaving words and creating stories gives you an outlet to visualise and pour your emotions by taking inspiration from your personal journey. What pulled you towards thrillers? Any personal experience that gave you pointers to craft suspense and thrilling storylines?
I think the beauty of thrillers is how it taps into the unknown
of the brain and how we think and what our conscious mind draws on to make
conclusions. Thriller and suspense is all about giving the person a bit of a
clue so that their own journey takes over and the imagination uses learned
past, be that hopes or fears, to make a an interpretation. No other genre of
storytelling does that. Within thriller and suspense, it’s possible to weave
any aspect of the imagination, be that romance, horror, happiness. I just found
that it’s so much fun to play in that world. When we also look back on our
life, we tend to have a few personal traumas that always stick out and I
suppose it’s those that through the writing gives it’s own way of processing. I
also love storylines that keep me on my toes and always has be second guessing.
I wanted to emulate that for my readers and thrillers do that fantastically.
3) You have mentioned that you are passionate about History and how it has shaped the cultures around the world. Any particular civilisation or historical event which sparked your interest to deep dive into this subject?
Wow. This is a difficult one to tackle. I mean, history is just so fascinating to me because in essence it explains the context of now. No matter what one persons own beliefs are, they are all formed from a basis of the past. I have a fascination on how we as a species have evolved to become what we are represented by today. What many of us forget, is the great achievements individuals and society have had in the past. I think the more I learn and research about history and the more I understand that we know nothing at all yet, it makes it all very exciting but also terrifying! I have always felt the pillars of any civilisation have literature, poetry, art, mathematics and science all rolled into one. Although we like to differentiate the disciplines, they have so neatly woven within each other. Reading my stories, there is a big pull towards art and understanding what the artist was going through at the time they created the work, what was happening in the world at that era, who or what the protagonists and antagonists were leading up to the event. Growing up, I always questioned to myself, what made me who I was. The race, the religion, the skin colour, and so on. This planted a seed within me to really want to understand more of how we develop into our own skin from all the influences around us and that leads back to events in history. Everything is connected. You may not understand that the fact of you going to the shop today to buy that toothpaste that you needed, that simple event that you took for granted, thousands of years of history and civilisation change occurred to create that.
4)
4) What does a
normal day look like in the life of Author Aleksandr Jarid?
I have had a number of different hats on so to speak, in
the past, with various aspects of work and career. But since focusing on
writing, I can explain what a typical day looks like. One thing, that maybe
strange to grasp the idea around, is that I do not recognise days of the week.
I do not like to have boundaries when it comes to day planning. Hence, there is
no ‘weekend’ for me as each day is a new day without a beginning or end.
Typically my day always starts with getting up early, having some oats while
making sure I do some reading, about an hour or so, or factual based reading.
Currently I am learning about Quantum mechanics and Dark matter and Black
Holes. (Research for my next book I am writing). I always exercise in the
morning. That would normally mean a couple of hours in the gym with a bit or
rowing. Then my day continues with a combination of writing, reading and
researching. I never work at home. I like to keep my home energy as a place to
switch off and relax. So my ‘office’ is the world outside. I will tend to sit
at a coffee shop or place to eat for a couple of hours at a time and be writing
or reading, depending on the stage of the project. Then, move around town to
another place to sit. I find that keeps my mind and senses always firing and
being exposed to new stimulus with the change of environment. I think the lucky
aspect of what I do, is I get to travel at my will for research reasons. For example,
a couple of the books are location based in Florence, Italy, so I get to spend
time out there taking in the place as inspiration. My work is very much about
making the reader feel they are in the story. So I have to be sure I can recreate
that experience and emotion. My day then normally wraps up around 6pm when I
will switch off by perhaps going for a run or catching up with friends who are
around town. It is very rare that I will ‘work’ in the evening. On some
occasions, I may need to write something down that is running around in my
head, but normally I like to have evenings to run, relax, catch up with
friends.
5 5) While reading Sunflower, I got a sense of a tragic hero seeking redemption and the enigma surrounding the Van Gogh artwork called Sunflower. Was creating the character sketch of Hugo Jenson a cathartic process for you as you have emphasised how writing and constructing characters unlocks the brain and give an expression to the fear and traumas. Also, was creating a story on Van Gogh’s art an expression of your love for history?
Well this book was special for me for a number of
reasons. I was not planning to write this at all, it just happened. I felt it
calling me to write the story. It also was one of my quickest pieces of work to
write. I think I completed it in 5 weeks or so. It was written over the months
of November and December. Dark, cold winter days and nights. In London. At that
time, I was going through a few self reflection aspects of life. A challenging
time. As yes, the process of developing the character of Hugo was indeed a way
for me to try and have an outlet and salvage a way forward. The National Galley
in London is one of my favourite places in London and often I like to go on
Friday evenings as it is open till late. They have one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
on display and I would sit for hours just letting the painting talk to me. One
of my favourite memories of my childhood is drawing Starry Night by Van Gogh
for a school project. Again, I just suppose the stars aligned over those two
months on having that painting talk to me and me needing to use writing as a conduit
to process aspects I was experiencing.
Well, I must say that I feel there is so much in the
tank from me to come. I will always think that work close to my heart and some
of the toughest to write will take me years to write as yet. But from the
current works, I must say, Sunflower has to be a special one for me. It
contains some very important emotive passion that highlights the beauty of
struggle and hope in a person. It was difficult to try to create the spectrum
of those emotions live through the story and also the character. But also, to
take the reader on that journey and to make the reader live and breath the
highs and the lows.
7) 7) Could you please give a subtle sneak-peak of what your ardent readers can expect from your upcoming release, 23 Minutes?
23 Minutes is a experiment in the narrative of writing
for me. Without giving away too much, it is not your typical way of reading or
writing a book. I came up with the idea of how to structure the book when I was
watching a good old favourite film. It was all based around an interview. Also,
at the time I was reading a factual book on ‘Free Will’ and this sparked an idea
in my head. And so the book 23 Minutes was born. It follows the story and
events of the main protagonist who is reflecting on his life and he takes
another person through this journey and with it, takes the reader. The
experimental aspect and ultimately the beauty of this narrative is how I
decided to structure it and to unravel the plot. It is so difficult to explain
anything more without giving away plot lines, but honestly, it is a captivating
read, written in a format that will pleasantly surprise the reader. Expect some
tears towards the end!
8) 8) Any genre that you have not attempted yet but would love to try publishing a book?
Oh, I wish I could write comedy and romance. Those are
two genres that I don’t think I naturally could narrate. My works to date do
contain some aspects of romance, but more on a trauma reflective dark aspect,
rather than the normal happy ending with the genre. Perhaps with time I will learn
more to write those genres, perhaps under a different pen name.
9) What would be your advice to all the budding writers?
Write for yourself. Be true to your own world, mind and
emotion. Never look to change how you write for others. Writing is a personal
experience and it exposes your inner
mind to everyone. Be proud of having the courage to do that and never
change that view point. It is a passion and craft that you should see as part
of your life and continue with it. It will grow as you grow. As much as writing is important, reading is
fundamental to the writer. Read books that reflect how you want to be as a
writer and also read anything outside your own craft. This is fundamental to
having that balance and exposure to spark of your brain neuron to always keep
ideas coming through.
10) Any message for your readers.
Thank you for taking time not only to read my work, but to read! Reading is communication to become a better us. To understand the world around us from where it came and where we want to take it. Stories are the foundation to being able to develop and improve. Be that fictional or non fiction and every time someone picks up a book to read, it helps us all move forward and share in that. So thank you to everyone that reads my work and anyone's work.
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