Featured Interview With Loukia Borrell
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Loukia Borrell and I am a native of Toledo, Ohio. I was raised in Virginia Beach and have a bachelor’s degree from Elon University. For about 20 years, I worked as a journalist for magazines and newspapers in Virginia and Florida. In 2009, I started writing my first novel, “Raping Aphrodite,” and self-published it in 2011. I will self-publish its prequel, “Delicate Secrets,” this fall. I am married and have three children.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always been an avid reader and have kept a journal since I was 13. English was my strongest class in high school and that interest continued in college, where I worked for the student newspaper, eventually becoming its editor my senior year. I am 51 now, so I guess I have been writing steadily, either for a living or personally, for nearly 40 years.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My own life experiences, things that have happened to other people and my imagination all inspire my writing. I enjoy reading a variety of authors, with fiction being my favorite genre.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first novel, “Raping Aphrodite,” is historical fiction set against the 1974 invasion and division of Cyprus. My lead female character, Tash Colgate, owns an art gallery and through her husband’s connections, has an opportunity to do an exhibition with antiquities from Cyprus. As she begins to research the island, her life begins to take a dramatic turn and her husband realizes she has a secret connection to Cyprus that, if revealed, will threaten their marriage. It took me about two years to write and edit the novel. I tried to find a literary agent, and sent out queries to about 90 agencies. After all that, I finally decided to self-publish because I had something to say and didn’t want them to tell me I couldn’t. The backdrop of Cyprus is close to me: My parents were from Cyprus and my maternal grandparents went missing when Turkey invaded the island in 1974. All of my other relatives living there at the time became refugees and are still living in exile in their own country 40 years later.
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