Featured Interview With Noel Silvia
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m what happens to the kid who grows up asking “why?” to everything. They turn into an adult (sorta) who writes stories that are more fascinating (convoluted) than the answers to those questions.
I’ve lived so many lives, I don’t know which one to focus on. As a child, I lived in many different places as I was a military brat, but I call California my home-home. As I am currently active duty in the Navy, I call Georgia my home where I live with my two dogs.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved storytelling before I even knew how to read or write. My parents used to read to me at bedtime, and that really fostered my love for books. In a weird way, the “Pick-a-Path” and “Choose Your Own Adventure” books really piqued my interest at a young age for the notion of non-linear storytelling, and how a writer can truly make the reader an active participant in the story.
I’ve been writing on and off since I was in college, but only got serious-serious about it last year when I decided to actually write a book through to completion.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Everything I’ve ever read has had an influence on me, but to name a few authors/books:
“World War Z” by Max Brooks proved that you can tell a story through seemingly unrelated short stories.
“The Neverending Story” by Michael Ende inspires me to want to capture the wonder of imagination.
Anything by Christopher Moore or Tim Dorsey reminds me to find the humor in the seemingly “normal” and run with it.
I love to read books that make me have a strong emotional reaction, whether that’s sadness (“The Kite Runner”) or wonder (“The Neverending Story”) or a hearty laugh (“Triggerfish Twist”).
Books with narratives that “zig” when you think they should “zag” also catch my interest.
Music is the biggest inspiration to me. It’s incredible how much story and world building songwriters can do in three to five minutes. THAT is effective storytelling.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is actually my first novel, “Where Light Enters: A Novel of Hope”. It is hard to describe, as it is not a traditional narrative. The elevator pitch would be “The Kite Runner” (narrative themes) meets “Cloud Atlas” (structurally) and loosely fits in the “character-focused historical fiction” genre, if that is such a thing.
The story starts with a mystery when a fisherman discovers a body on the beach. The book then takes place over the course of 40 years in a foreign but familiar country as we learn about the characters and events that led to this moment.
The book is broken up into 12 sections, each section focusing on a specific character. Over the course of these sections, you see how their lives intertwine and impact each other.
It is definitely NOT a book for everyone as it requires a somewhat active reader who isn’t bothered by non-linear storytelling in the interest of mysteries and reveals and contains some heavy themes.
The world right now can be a rather bleak place, and reading about bad things happening to good people is not always the most appealing sell, but those who have made it to the end have found the optimism and message of hope in the book’s themes.
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