Today, Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Behcet Kaya, author of Voice of Conscience.

Good day Behcet and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

Behcet, please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background.

Behcet:

Having grown up in Turkey, attended university in England, and now proudly calling myself an American citizen, I feel most fortunate to have been exposed to an extensive world view and I am privileged to enjoy the best of both worlds.  

I enjoy traveling home to my village to the house where I was born, to my roots, and I enjoy living in Southern California, hikinthe mountains which brings me closer to my inner peace. My work is a side bar, a necessity of life, although I enjoy my machine building as another creative outlet. I am a voracious reader, Shakespeare is my favorite, but I am working my way through the classics, Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Dumas, Hugo, Yasar Kemal, etc.

Norm:

Why did you feel compelled to write Voice of Conscience? How did it come about?

Behcet:

I felt compelled to write a story of a troubled man and how he faces his inner demons. Voice of Conscience actually started out as a screen- play, but I realized how limiting that form of writing was. There was so much more I wanted to describe and express, but of course found out it was not as easy as I thought.

Norm:

Please explain to our readers how you created your protagonist, Ramzi Ozcomert Jr.?

Behcet:

I wanted to create a character who was honest, intelligent and successful, but experienced a life changing event. My endeavor was to show how this tragic event shaped the life of Ramzi, how he ultimately handled the situation and his quest for redemption.

Norm:

What obstacles did you have in trying to tell your story?

Behcet:

When I started Voice of Conscience, I knew the essence of the story - the beginning, the middle and the ending. But all the details came slowly, so I kept reading the classics and then the story (as they say) wrote itself.

Norm:

Can you explain some of your research techniques, and how you found sources for your book?

Behcet:

My mother is an incredible story teller and was an invaluable source of reference for the traditions of our village. Many of the descriptions of England I know from having lived, worked and attending university there. In addition, I did research on the internet as to certain details, such as entering and exiting a country invisibly.

Norm:

What has been your experience with self-publishing?

Behcet:

Since this is my first novel, it would be difficult for me to compare self-publishing with the normal publishing route. I can say Outskirts has been very helpful all along the way, but the lingering prejudice of the public and most large book conglomerates against self-published work bothers me.

Norm:

I noticed you are involved in acting.  What drew you to acting? Has acting in any way influenced your writing and if so, how?

Behcet:

Acting is a form of self -expression I needed to explore...acting is food for my soul. My acting experience has been the precursor to my writing career. In particular acting helped greatly in writing dialogue.

Norm:

Do you have a local writing community or fellow writers that you look to for support and advice?

Behcet:

None at this time.

Norm:

What do you want to achieve as a writer?

Behcet:

To be able to pass along the messages of the philosophers, Sir Francis Bacon, Manly P. Hall, etc.; the sages who see things beyond the everyday life. Messages that we must realize we are destroying our world, we must come together as one, understand one another and work together.

Norm:

How difficult or easy was it to write in English, which is not your mother tongue?

Behcet:

Storytelling is not difficult. I wrote from my heart and soul and put everything down on paper, first long hand and then into the computer. With the help of my dear wife, we edited all the story telling into a proper, readable form.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and what is next for Behcet Kaya?

Behcet:

I have started my next two novels. One will be a follow-up to Voice of Conscience, the story of Erin as she returns to Turkey to follow her heritage.

The other novel will be on a different track, the story of a US naval officer, who again, is faced with a life altering experience. I also have had several published short stories in the Taj Mahal Review, realtraveladventures.com and will have my story "Blizzard" published soon on Amazon.Shorts.

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

 Click here to read Norm's Review of  Voice of Conscience

Click Here To Purchase From Amazon Voice of Conscience