Questions and Answers for the Author
Q: This is your first novel. Why did you decide to write a mystery?
A: I’ve always wanted to write a book, although never could discipline myself to start working on one while I was actively engaged in my career. Once I retired, I acquired a nice volume of discretionary time and that made it easy for me to begin. After more than thirty years of business writing, I wanted to try my hand at fiction. Mysteries are my favorite form of fiction, so doing a mystery was a logical choice.
Q: Why did you incorporate a Greek mythology theme in Ancient Legacies Unleashed?
A: I’ve been interested in the civilization of the ancient Greeks since taking an ancient history class as a college freshman. Their cultural and political accomplishments were remarkable and their legacies have impacted humankind for more than two thousand years. Greek mythology is also fascinating to me. I felt readers might enjoy a story linking certain of these ancient myths and legends to our contemporary society.
Q: Is there a reason why you decided to feature college students as your central characters?
A: College was a very enjoyable experience for me and I wanted to have the story take place in an academic environment. Furthermore, that seemed to fit nicely with the Greek mythology theme.
Q: Is your book aimed at a specific audience, such as college students?
A: Not really, but hopefully, it will appeal to college students, former college students and people who plan to attend college. Beyond that, it should be of interest to others, such as people who like mysteries or ancient Greece. Due to the setting, the book may be of particular interest to readers who live in Atlanta or North Georgia.
Q: Are any of the characters based on people you have known?
A: Not specifically, but perhaps there are some attributes of the characters which have been drawn from people I’ve known.
Q: Your narrator, Ryan Anderson, came from Wisconsin and you’re from Minnesota. Are there any parallels between you and Ryan?
A: There are some. I came from a small town in Southern Minnesota and Ryan is from a small town in Southwestern Wisconsin. There are also some similarities between us in terms of the adjustment one makes when moving from a sheltered rural setting to an urban university environment.
Q: Was it difficult to move from business writing to fiction?
A: There is a definite learning curve when it comes to writing fiction, and writing a mystery specifically. I’ve never had any training in creative writing and that was a handicap. However, I learned some things in this first effort which will help me in the future.
Q: How long did it take you to write Ancient Legacies Unleashed?
A: I wrote the first draft in four months. After that, I worked on revisions intermittently, with some lengthy pauses, for another eleven months before it was completed.
Q: Are you working on another book now?
A: I’ve started a new novel. It’s about a reclusive billionaire who kidnaps some people with specialized talents for the purpose of carrying out a mysterious mission.
Contact the Author
Members of book clubs, booksellers, readers and other interested parties are invited to contact the author by clicking on the this e-mail link: abeske@ancientlegaciesunleashed.com.
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