Featured Interview With Toula Mavridou-Messer
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I currently live in London, after spending many years living in LA. Way back when, I woke up one morning wondering what it would be like to live and work in the US and within 10 days I had a visa, a job and an apartment. Everything literally fell into place without me really doing anything to make it happen. In fact, I was working as a Celebrity Booker at the time and had booked the wonderful Miriam Margolyes for a documentary only a week earlier. Without her knowing my plans, she called me and asked whether I knew anyone in LA who might want to rent her apartment there! Very soon after, Miriam became my ‘landlady!’ The Universe was lining everything up for me and did a spectacular job!
Fast forward a number of years to 2014, when my husband (James) and I had started writing and publishing our own books, we got a call to let us know that Mum’s husband had died and literally packed up our lives instantly and headed home to be with her, as she has dementia/Alzheimer’s.
Life has been harder than we could have ever realised and it has taken us until now to get back on track with writing and publishing more new books, fitting it all in around our other responsibilities – with Mum’s safety and wellbeing at the very heart of our lives.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I grew up in foster care and had a foster brother who was 4 years older than me. English wasn’t his first language, so as our foster mother taught him his ABCs and how to read and write, I picked it all up too; being able to read and write at the age of 2.
I read everything then and still do now – books, backs of cereal boxes, blogs, newspapers – literally anything and everything!
I requested a typewriter for Christmas for my 3rd birthday and started writing my first novel there and then! No idea what the story would have been, but I know for certain it was excellent!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
As a child I was mesmerised by all of the classic children’s books – such as What Katy Did, Little Women, Lorna Doone, Black Beauty with a great many Enid Blyton books thrown in for good measure.
As I got older, I started to read James Herbert and Stephen King books, along with anything else I could get my hands on.
Mum had a collection of Harold Robbins books mixed in amongst some Bronte, Austen and Tolkein, all of which I sneaked off her bookshelf!
These days I continue to read anything that grabs my attention with authors such as John Updike, Tom Robbbins, Bill Bryson, Donna Tartt and Margaret Forster amongst my favourites.
I often re-read books, too – most of which stand the test of time – like Jitterbug Pefume by Tom Robbins – it’s crazy and absolutely wonderful – and Lady’s Maid by Margaret Forster, which I will never get tired of.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
After being unable to focus on writing and publishing books for a significant time, I am delighted to say that we have three new books, all set to be published in the run up to Christmas 2020.
1. Our latest book is, “Vocal Warm Ups & Exercises.’
The book is a feast of fun and super cool illustrated vocal warm ups and voice exercises with an array of awesome alliterations for actors/drama students/voice artists etc.
James is an award-winning graphic designer and illustrator. He is also an actor and took part in the 2011 Sundance Grand Jury prize-winning film, ‘Like Crazy.’ James trained at various places including RADA in London and also in Hollywood…and even auditioned for Spielberg!
James designed and illustrated this book so that it’s more than just a vocal warm ups book, it is also an amazing addition to your book collection.
I wrote the alliterative stories; such as “Annie and Adam’s Adventure at Arthur’s Animal Aid Association,” “Betty Bets Billy ‘Bout Blowing Bigger Bubbles Better,” and “Colin Couldn’t Comprehend Chafing Cream.” As you can see, each word of every story starts with the same letter – no and, ifs or buts.
We were inspired to combine our talents to create something alternative to the ‘dry’ textbook style books that are currently available for the most creative amongst us: actors – especially after havingthe idea planted in our heads by actors and acting teachers!
We wanted the book to be affordable, pocket-sized (it’s 6″ x 6″), hip and extremely entertaining – a book that you want to carry around with you all the time so that you can read or recite the alliterative stories to impress anyone within hearing distance – and it is all of the above and so much more!
2. We are just about to format our first self-improvement book – Attitude of Gratitude. It’s a 30-day workbook and is simply wonderful. It’s filled with real-life quotes from hundreds of people about gratitude and is totally uplifting. ‘Gratitude’ will be the next book we publish – around the end of October, 2020.
3. In the meantime, James is completing the illustrations for our very first children’s chapter book, “Itsa-Mouse’s Holiday Home – It’s good enough to eat!” It’s such a beautiful book to look at and you will fall in love with the characters instantly!
We are also updating and redesigning the covers for Mortal End and Pocketful of Poesies.
Mortal End is my first novel – one that had TV presenter Jonathan Ross and Halloween afficianado exclaiming that, “The spookiest treat for Halloween’s right here. 178 pages of dark, twisted & mysterious goings on.”
It’s the back story to Hansel & Gretel and explains why the wicked witch was so evil.
Pocketful of Poesies is a teen humour version of the alliterations that make up part of our brand new ‘Vocal Warm Ups’ book. As mentioned above, we were contacted by drama teachers and voice coaches who told us that they were using the Poesies alliterations as warm up exercises in class…so we decided to create a new book specifically for that purpose and audience.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Toula Mavridou-Messer’s Website