Interview with Uvi Poznansky
Last year you published three books, in a variety of genres. Tell us about them.
Yes, last year was a special year for me, and a prolific one too: first came my novel, Apart From Love, which is a mixed genre: Romantic Suspense and Family Saga. It earned 45 rave reviews from readers on Amazon. Then came my poetry book, Home, which is in tribute to my father. It has 10 rave reviews. And in the last days of 2012 I published my Biblical Fiction book, which already has 11 rave reviews. It is a new-age twist on an old, biblical yarn: A Favorite Son.
Why are you moving from one literary genre to another?
This is a question I often ask myself. My books cannot easily be classified in the narrow confines of a particular genre, because life as we know it–and my art, which mirrors it– constantly change from one genre to the next. One moment is is humorous; the next, it is erotic; then, it might be a tragedy.
I thrive on writing both poetry and prose. They look different on the page: the white space surrounding the letters, in my mind, is like the surface of an ocean. In poetry, it covers nearly all the page, allowing only the words of the poem to erupt over the surface, because a poem in essence is a burst of emotion. But reading a poem, you cannot see under the white surface–there is so much hidden underneath! In prose, on the other hand, the writer ‘mines’ through all these undercurrents and the landscape sunk beneath the surface, so there are many connections being created and being understood by the reader.
My writing has often been called ‘lyrical’ by many of my reviewers on Goodreads and Amazon, perhaps because I treat each word with great care, and give thought to every sentence, every phrase, every comma. Similar to the rhythm and rhymes in poetry, I listen to the rhythms of our speech, so the characters in my prose will talk in the flow that reflects their feelings. So all in all, I think I use parallel techniques for both my poetry and prose.
I bring everything I have experienced, everything I have learned into my work. Also, my art and my writing are two sides of the same coin, which you can easily realize when you see the cover images of my books, and read them.
What is in the works for you this year?
In addition to writing my next novel? I am so excited to tell you: In response to popular demand, my novel, Apart From Love, is now in production–soon to become an audiobook! It will be told in two voices, Ben’s and Anita’s, as the interplay between the two of them is the essence of the story. Having listened to many auditions for the roles, I have chosen two amazing narrators!
This, to me, is the amazing this: my characters have been talking in my head for an entire year. Then they came to life in the minds of thousands of readers. And now, they will have an actual voice! This is a bit similar to being pregnant, imagining your baby, and then being surprised at the sound of his first cry!
And the other great news: A Favorite Son is also in production, and it will come out even sooner. My narrator for Jacob’s role has a warm, versatile voice: in reading this book, he will start out as an old man, tortured by his memories of a crime he committed; then, as he delves into the past, his voice will become young and vibrant. I can’t wait to hear the story in full!
Do you think the market for audiobook editions is different than the market for print editions or ebook editions?
Listening to a story predates reading: people would sit around the fire and listen to the bard’s telling a story, before they learned to read. I believe that the various editions of my work will end up complementing each other. We live in a fast-pace world, and listening to my story during a long commute would make the time fly by quickly. Then, when you come home, you may open the ebook, which–through whispersync technology–will open on the same page, and curl in bed with it.
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