Welcome to the Literature Lounge. Today, I have a guest who released her first novel at age 17. She earned her MA in Writing for Performance and Publication in 2016. I introduce from Lebanon, author Yara Gharios.
LL: When did your journey as a writer begin?
YG: As a child, I had a very active imagination. I loved imagining myself going on grand adventures and would share the stories with others. I was 8 when I wrote my first short story, and I still have the handmade "book" I stapled together of it. I wrote solely in French at the time as I didn't know much English yet, and I especially liked poetry. I also had a habit of writing multiple stories simultaneously, but most of them went unfinished. My first completed long piece of prose was a trilogy which took me 2 years to write from the age of 12-14. I was very proud of it at the time, but I doubt it will ever see the light of day.
LL: Have you always aspired to be a writer?
YG: As far as I can remember, I wanted to tell stories even before I could write. When I was 6, I liked to gather all the younger kids in my neighborhood and would tell them about enchanted forests and talking animals. Acting out the events was as fun for me as making up the story itself. At the time, I thought my love for children meant that I was destined to be a teacher, but as I started writing down the stories as I thought of them, I found my true passion. However, this profession is already hard enough to break into, and my chances were even slimmer because I never wrote anything in my native language and I didn't think I could have an audience because of that. So I romanticized the idea of being discovered as a writer even as I planned to be a teacher.
LL: I understand that you published your first novel at age 17. How did that feel? What were your thoughts?
YG: It was the twist of fate that I dreamt of without actually expecting it to happen. I don't remember exactly how the book fell into the hands of someone who liked to read and wanted to help me get published; maybe a friend of a friend told her or something along those lines. I was 15, so it felt pretty surreal to me that the scenario I was romanticizing for so long was actually happening. A year later, she found a small publishing that was impressed with my writing style, and we had a lot of back-and forth editing for several months.
I was so nervous the entire time; I wanted people to like my book, but I was still unsure if I would really get an audience in my country. I was just about to graduate high school when we were finally done, so I actually had my book launch a week after my graduation. It was an eventful month, to say the least, because I was also hospitalized during that time.
LL: Who are some of your biggest influences?
YG: My biggest writing influence is probably JK Rowling. I was reading the Harry Potter series when I decided to try writing something that was longer than a few pages. I was fascinated by how one person could create an entire world that was built around magic and fantasy, yet still make readers able to connect with it and see reflections of their own lives. I also really love Harper Lee, and my favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. Outside of writers, my dad is probably the biggest influence in my life. He's taught me so much without really directly teaching me anything.
LL: Tell us more about your book, EXposed.
YG: EXposed is the conclusion of my trilogy, Masked SheWolf. My main protagonist, Dylan, is finally achieving her dream of studying music, even though she still has to pretend to be a boy. She has to balance that with her long-distance relationship with her boyfriend. It was a challenge to finish the book because it took me almost 4 years to publish, but I'm really happy with the final result, and I hope readers will be, too.
LL: Are there any upcoming projects?
YG: I'm currently developing my next project, which is based on a TV pilot I wrote for one of my classes when I was an MA student. Without giving too much away, it has elements of dystopia and mystery, a bit of spy stories in a way, and a strong female lead. In terms of format, I'm having fun experimenting. I love prose, but I really want to try something I haven't done before, so I might actually stick with the script format.
LL: What advice would give aspiring authors?
YG: The advice I get the most is to always be writing, no matter how bad it might seem like to you. This is how you progress and evolve as a writer. I would add my personal advice to that, which is to make sure you engage with people who are interested in books, writing, or stories, and would be happy to take an interest in yours. During the four years it took me to finish EXposed, I almost gave up, but I was fortunate enough to have friends who were really invested in the story. They kept me going, and I honestly don't think I would have got here without them.
LL: Finally, tell the readers why EXposed is a must-read.
YG: Even though there's still the fantasy element of werewolves that anyone who has read my series will be familiar with, the book tells a very real story that I feel a lot of people can relate to. Dylan has to balance between pursuing her dream and her relationships with her friends, family, and boyfriend. There's also lots of really interesting new characters introduced that each come with their individual backstories, which was a real treat for me. My favorite was Lucy, and I often found her chapters the most fun to write.
Epilogue
Wow, I can relate to the active imagination and creating on-the-fly stories to tell. These were things I did as a child as well. Although writing is a difficult business to get into, I think if you have the aspiration, talent and discipline-- discipline is vital; you won't always be motivated to do it-- it can turn into a very promising career.
I would like to thank Yara for stopping by the Literature Lounge. For more on Yara, check out her blog by visiting the link below. Till then, thank you all for stopping by the Literature Lounge, a spot where you can get some R & R: Read and Relaxation.
Blog: Yara Gharios
