About Maria Elena Sandovici:
Maria Elena Sandovici was born in Bucharest, a city she loves, and can never stay away from too long. In the pursuit of international adventures, she left Romania to attend college, then graduate school, in the United States. Her first novel, DOGS WITH BAGELS is loosely inspired by her own detours as a young foreign woman navigating the emotional potholes and financial pitfalls of Manhattan. Her second novel, STRAY DOGS AND LONELY BEACHES addresses the need to flee from one’s problems and seek new adventures in a remote corner of paradise. But can one really get away?
She is also the author of the blog Have Watercolors Will Travel, an artist, a dog owner, and a person, much like her characters, still looking for a place in the world to call home. Having fled the pricey real estate and cruel winters of New York, she lives in Houston, Texas, wears sandals in February, and travels frequently to Romania, Spain, and many other places, which all prompt the unavoidable question: Should I maybe stay here for good? For updates on her adventures, and daily watercolors, you can check her blog.
What inspires you to write?
My propensity to daydream. I’ve always concocted stories in my mind. I think reading also plays a role. I love fiction and cannot go to bed without reading a few chapters of a good book. But much as I love the work of other authors, nobody else can write the stories I imagine.
Tell us about your writing process.
Oy. If I were as disciplined as I’d like to be, I’d say I sit myself down and force myself to write 1000 words a day. But I am not disciplined. Neither am I a liar. The truth is I write in chaotic spurts of inspiration. Some days thousands of words flow out of me easily. Other days I don’t write at all.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I wish. Maybe I will start? My dog will probably think I’m crazy. Then again, she probably thinks I’m crazy anyway.
What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t quit. It gets better. You get better. It took me 13 drafts to get Dogs with Bagels to where I was no longer embarrassed to show it to the world.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I like my stories. I want to share them. It makes me happy when people tell me they’ve read and enjoyed my books. I’ve been circulating stuff I’ve written amongst friends since high school. It’s nice to be able to reach a wider audience as an adult. By the way, my stories are better too, now, and my writing style has evolved.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The future is bright. I have faith in humanity. We are readers. We are passionate about reading. I think humans will continue consuming paper books, ebooks, audio-books, and then some with voracity. Publishing will have to adapt by making different types of books available. But good old-fashioned paper books will always reign supreme. This has been conformed by my experience as an author, and it makes me very happy.
What do you use?: Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: I write contemporary women’s fiction. Basically, I write the type of stuff I like to read. No surprise there.
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Maria Elena Sandovici Home Page Link
Link To Maria Elena Sandovici Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
