Iva Dimitrova's Blog - Posts Tagged "i-did-t-mean-to"

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ellis Shuman for jeyranmain.com. It’s truly an unusual experience to exchange impressions with another author about your homeland—the setting for his stories in "Rakia" (this is a traditional Bulgarian alcoholic drink—my note) and the plot of my novel "I didn't mean to, but...".

Ellis lived in Bulgaria for two years—a time that turned out to be sufficient for him to get to know our traditions, culture, folklore, and nature. From our conversation, you will learn what impressed him about my homeland so much that he chose it a second time as a backdrop for his stories, referring to his previous book, "The Burgas Affair." I asked him what his writing process looks like, how he creates characters and plots, how and why he started writing, and why he chose to be a self-published author. Additionally, Ellis shared more about himself, which is also interesting. So I recommend getting to know him, his book, and gathering more impressions about my homeland, Bulgaria.

If I were to insert something about my book, it would be that I believe aspects of the Bulgarian national psychology shine through in the characters and storylines, as well as in the themes explored. Of course, my characters are by no means a representative sample of society in Bulgaria. They may represent a part of it, although I believe that anyone reading my novel, regardless of where they are from, will find common ground with people they have met or have only a fleeting impression of, because I also address universal human questions and themes in my book.

I would also add that even if you haven’t visited Bulgaria, reading "I didn't mean to, but" can give you an idea of the processes accompanying the transition from a communist regime to democracy, marked by corruption and the emergence of criminal organizations, which is the feedback I received. I didn’t intend that. I believe these processes significantly influenced future generations or at least certain segments of society, shaping their behavior and thinking patterns. How exactly, I leave for each person to determine for themselves.

link to the interview: https://jeyranmain.com/2024/10/20/int...