Ask the Author: Nicholas C. Rossis
Answered Questions (8)
Nicholas C. Rossis
For me, it has been the wonderfully supportive Indie community. I never expected any help, but received so much! I have made some great new friends and have connected with some excellent writers and some wonderfully supportive readers.
So, sharing the stories in my head with all these beautiful people is to me the best thing about being a writer!
So, sharing the stories in my head with all these beautiful people is to me the best thing about being a writer!
Nicholas C. Rossis
In my case, my childhood friend Dimitris Fousekis is as much the creator of my children’s book, Runaway Smile, as I am. In fact, the book started out as a silly poem that I was playing with in my head (you can read the final version of it at the end of the book). One day, back in 2012, I was having him over for lunch. He’s a professional illustrator and liked the poem so much, that he suggested we turn it into a children’s book. This was before I decided to become an author, and Pearseus had not even been conceived, so I was intrigued by the idea.
The book was written by me, but I used several ideas that had come up during our conversations. We then read through it together, improving it and coming up with gags and ideas for illustrations.
The book was written by me, but I used several ideas that had come up during our conversations. We then read through it together, improving it and coming up with gags and ideas for illustrations.
Nicholas C. Rossis
Many of the stories in my head come to me either just prior to falling asleep, or in the wee hours after waking up. So, sleep and dreams are my greatest inspiration!
Nicholas C. Rossis
The fifth (and last) book of my epic fantasy Pearseus series, to be called Pearseus: Endgame.
My second collection of short stories, to be called Infinite Waters. This should be published in late May/early June.
My second children's book, called Musiville. This is in the final stages in the Greek version (to be traditionally published in Greece). After that, I'll translate it into English, format it and self-publish it.
My second collection of short stories, to be called Infinite Waters. This should be published in late May/early June.
My second children's book, called Musiville. This is in the final stages in the Greek version (to be traditionally published in Greece). After that, I'll translate it into English, format it and self-publish it.
Nicholas C. Rossis
Don't do it, unless you're passionate! It's not an easy profession, in the sense that it can take years to build your audience and make a name for yourself. So, for a long time, you may have to work late nights, write whenever you have time and spend a lot of time "normal" people spend socializing working on manuscripts that no one might even see.
If, however, this is fun to you - as it is to me - then, by all means go for it. Never before has publishing been so easy, with the advent of self-publishing. Just make absolutely certain that your manuscript has been professionally edited and proofread before submitting to Amazon, Smashwords etc!
If, however, this is fun to you - as it is to me - then, by all means go for it. Never before has publishing been so easy, with the advent of self-publishing. Just make absolutely certain that your manuscript has been professionally edited and proofread before submitting to Amazon, Smashwords etc!
Nicholas C. Rossis
Lol - to be honest, I don't. I have many writing projects going on simultaneously, so when I get stuck in one of them, I just switch to another. I believe that there's no such thing as writer's block; just stories that are not ready to be told yet.
Nicholas C. Rossis
Not at all; thanks for asking. I noticed in your review how fond you were of this story, so it's a pleasure discussing it with you :)
There are two main elements in 'I come in Peace.'
The first is, obviously, the alien, in the form of a floating orb. This is based on a bit of my family lore. My grandfather passed away in his fifties, and my grandmother had a hard time coping with the loss. One day she was preparing dinner, when an iridescent orb floated through the open window and into the room. It hovered next to her for a long time before disappearing, and she felt it was a message from her husband.
This story has fascinated me since first hearing it as a young boy, so it's found its way into both 'I come in Peace' and my epic fantasy series, Pearseus.
The real protagonist of the story, however, is loneliness. I grew up an only child in a remote part of Athens, with no neighbors for miles. As a result, I was a pretty lonely boy. Growing up, my favorite place was the school library. Every weekend, I'd check out a dozen books, to be devoured by Monday. So, loneliness is an old frenemy of mine.
When I started writing the story, I asked myself, "how far would one go to never feel lonely again?" I had once heard that most stories stem from "what if" kind of questions, so one question led to another: "would they break the law? Would they risk another man's life? Would they risk their own life?"
The story flowed naturally from there :)
There are two main elements in 'I come in Peace.'
The first is, obviously, the alien, in the form of a floating orb. This is based on a bit of my family lore. My grandfather passed away in his fifties, and my grandmother had a hard time coping with the loss. One day she was preparing dinner, when an iridescent orb floated through the open window and into the room. It hovered next to her for a long time before disappearing, and she felt it was a message from her husband.
This story has fascinated me since first hearing it as a young boy, so it's found its way into both 'I come in Peace' and my epic fantasy series, Pearseus.
The real protagonist of the story, however, is loneliness. I grew up an only child in a remote part of Athens, with no neighbors for miles. As a result, I was a pretty lonely boy. Growing up, my favorite place was the school library. Every weekend, I'd check out a dozen books, to be devoured by Monday. So, loneliness is an old frenemy of mine.
When I started writing the story, I asked myself, "how far would one go to never feel lonely again?" I had once heard that most stories stem from "what if" kind of questions, so one question led to another: "would they break the law? Would they risk another man's life? Would they risk their own life?"
The story flowed naturally from there :)
Nicholas C. Rossis
Hi Elle, thank you so much for your question!
The Runaway Smile started out as a silly poem that I was playing with in my head (you can read the final version of it at the end). I mentioned it to my illustrator friend, Dimitris Fousekis, and he suggested we turn it into a children's book. This was before I decided to become an author, and Pearseus had not even been conceived, so I was intrigued by the idea.
At first, we wanted to do a traditional children's book (full-colour spread with a couple of verses on each page). However, when we approached a Greek publisher, she suggested we do it instead in the form of Frightfully Friendly Ghosties (http://www.amazon.com/Frightfully-Fri...). This would both keep the printing costs down and allow us to turn the book into a series.
I played around with my poem and ended up writing the whole book in a single Saturday morning. I remember it clearly, as Electra wanted to go for a walk in Tatoi (a nearby national park) and was annoyed that I chose instead to spend my Saturday writing :)
Sadly, it took Dimitris much longer to complete the illustrations, and the book was only published in December, after over two years in the making.
The Runaway Smile started out as a silly poem that I was playing with in my head (you can read the final version of it at the end). I mentioned it to my illustrator friend, Dimitris Fousekis, and he suggested we turn it into a children's book. This was before I decided to become an author, and Pearseus had not even been conceived, so I was intrigued by the idea.
At first, we wanted to do a traditional children's book (full-colour spread with a couple of verses on each page). However, when we approached a Greek publisher, she suggested we do it instead in the form of Frightfully Friendly Ghosties (http://www.amazon.com/Frightfully-Fri...). This would both keep the printing costs down and allow us to turn the book into a series.
I played around with my poem and ended up writing the whole book in a single Saturday morning. I remember it clearly, as Electra wanted to go for a walk in Tatoi (a nearby national park) and was annoyed that I chose instead to spend my Saturday writing :)
Sadly, it took Dimitris much longer to complete the illustrations, and the book was only published in December, after over two years in the making.
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