Ask the Author: Iva Dimitrova
Answered Questions (6)
Iva Dimitrova
Sounds interesting! Thanks for the recommendation!
Iva Dimitrova
Hello, of course, I checked out your profile as well as your website. I really liked the quote you shared.
‘‘I think we risk becoming the best informed society that has ever died of ignorance’’. Ruben Blades
‘‘I think we risk becoming the best informed society that has ever died of ignorance’’. Ruben Blades
Iva Dimitrova
Thank you for this thought-provoking question. I’ve often wondered why some people are always seeking answers while others are not. Is it a matter of curiosity or choice for both groups? I can’t say for sure. In the end, everyone decides for themselves how to go through life, right? To me, it’s even more confusing when you never stop asking yourself questions—especially ones you can’t reach a definite answer for. I’ve chosen to keep my curiosity alive, even if at times it becomes a burden. Because I believe that what happens in our minds and souls reflects in our world. And I want to believe that I live in a world that has the potential to move toward a better future, and that depends on us—a world where the constructive force is far more powerful than the destructive one. And how could that happen if we don’t ask questions? After all, they’ve been the foundation of every discovery, in any field. What do you think? I’m curious how you would answer your own question. :)
Iva Dimitrova
I will quote my answer to one of the questions from my recent interview for TheIndieView.com:
Where did you get the idea from?
Ideas are everywhere around us, as long as you're observant. Have you heard that before? Well, I’ve come to believe it’s true. I began writing this book with one idea—the theme of redemption and unpredictable repercussions of even the smallest choices.
The idea struck me years ago when, as a journalist, I was conducting interviews with underage youth serving sentences for various offenses—ranging from theft to murder. That’s when the idea for ‘I didn’t mean to’ started to take shape. One of the boys I interviewed coined the phrase, but it could be seen as an unintentional summary of all the interviews. They didn’t mean to do what they did, they would say. It happened almost in an instant, as an uncontrollable consequence of unforeseen circumstances. But what has happened is a fact.
In Bulgarian, ‘I didn’t mean to’ is often used by children when they want to excuse their actions. The young people I interviewed were between 14 and 17 years old. You could say they were still children, which is why they would say ‘I didn’t mean to.’ Children, but old enough to commit horrifying crimes.
At the time, that struck me deeply. I started the book. As I mentioned, I went through a long process where I developed sub-themes of the main theme or added others related to it. I think the ideas for them stemmed from one another as I wrote. For me, the driving questions have always been: To what extent do we have control over events? Do we cause them entirely ourselves, or do some happen on their own, beyond our control? How far can the influence of a single choice extend? I’m referring to the sensitive dependence—often known as the butterfly effect. Why does someone do what they do? What motivates them? How are they wired? What shaped them into who they are? To what extent have their environment, experiences, and others influenced them, and to what extent are their decisions entirely their own, reasoned out in their own way? The answers to these and other similar questions led to new ideas, sub-themes, the development of new aspects of the characters in the book, and a deepening of their psychology.
Where did you get the idea from?
Ideas are everywhere around us, as long as you're observant. Have you heard that before? Well, I’ve come to believe it’s true. I began writing this book with one idea—the theme of redemption and unpredictable repercussions of even the smallest choices.
The idea struck me years ago when, as a journalist, I was conducting interviews with underage youth serving sentences for various offenses—ranging from theft to murder. That’s when the idea for ‘I didn’t mean to’ started to take shape. One of the boys I interviewed coined the phrase, but it could be seen as an unintentional summary of all the interviews. They didn’t mean to do what they did, they would say. It happened almost in an instant, as an uncontrollable consequence of unforeseen circumstances. But what has happened is a fact.
In Bulgarian, ‘I didn’t mean to’ is often used by children when they want to excuse their actions. The young people I interviewed were between 14 and 17 years old. You could say they were still children, which is why they would say ‘I didn’t mean to.’ Children, but old enough to commit horrifying crimes.
At the time, that struck me deeply. I started the book. As I mentioned, I went through a long process where I developed sub-themes of the main theme or added others related to it. I think the ideas for them stemmed from one another as I wrote. For me, the driving questions have always been: To what extent do we have control over events? Do we cause them entirely ourselves, or do some happen on their own, beyond our control? How far can the influence of a single choice extend? I’m referring to the sensitive dependence—often known as the butterfly effect. Why does someone do what they do? What motivates them? How are they wired? What shaped them into who they are? To what extent have their environment, experiences, and others influenced them, and to what extent are their decisions entirely their own, reasoned out in their own way? The answers to these and other similar questions led to new ideas, sub-themes, the development of new aspects of the characters in the book, and a deepening of their psychology.
Iva Dimitrova
You can hide your weaknesses or even overcome them by attributing them to others. You can also draw attention to topics and issues you consider important, perhaps even part of the essence of life. You create characters, a plot—a whole world that, though born in your imagination, feels very real, which is an incredible experience.
Iva Dimitrova
I love reading various genres, as you can see from the few books I've managed to add to the platform so far. I believe each of them has its own charm and can enrich me both as a reader and as an author.
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