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A Conversation With Ray Melnik Author of To Your Own Self Be True
http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher/articles/580/1/A-Conversation-With-Ray-Melnik-Author-of-To-Your-Own-Self-Be-True/Page1.html
Norm Goldman


Reviewer & Author Interviewer, Norm Goldman. Norm is the Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com.

He has been reviewing books for the past twenty years after retiring from the legal profession.

To read more about Norm Follow Here






 
By Norm Goldman
Published on April 20, 2009
 



Author: Ray Melnik
ISBN: 978-1-4401-2856-1
Publisher: iUniverse


Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com interviews Ray Melnik author of The Room and To Be Your Own Self Be True.





 

Author: Ray Melnik
ISBN: 978-1-4401-2856-1
Publisher: iUniverse

Click Here To Purchase To Your Own Self Be True

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased once again to welcome Ray Melnik author of The Room and his latest novel, To Be Your Own Self Be True.

Good day Ray and thanks once again for participating in our interview.

Norm:

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? How has it changed your life?

Ray:

Thank you, Norm. I started writing fiction in high school, winning awards for a fictional short story called, “Distinction.” When I attended a local college the next year, I took courses in literature and writing, but one course in particular really stood out. A course on existential literature explored the works of writers such as Sartre and Camus, and before then I had no idea that there were others who held similar views to mine. When I left school, I continued to write, but mostly technical articles. A career in music and then technology paid the bills, but when I did finally decide to write fiction again in 2006, I purposely set out to write existential stories.

It wasn’t writing that changed my life so much as it was a change in my life that affected my writing. My wife and I split up at the time and I used The Room to create Harry, who was working through those same issues. I gave him a reason to trust and love someone again.

Norm:

To Be Your Own Self Be True is your second novel, how did the process of writing this novel differ from your first one, The Room? As a follow up, what was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Ray:

The Room is more linear and features a simple man with profound thoughts, who is pulled into an extraordinary event. To Your Own Self Be True features a formally educated woman in the field of science, set in the year 2021 so it inherently brought more complexity. There are more side stories as well. For my second novel I needed to use more fictional science, but trying not to lose focus on Kaela’s life, hopes and dreams.

What surprised me most was how after The Room was published, I missed the characters. They had become almost friends.

Norm:

In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much is too much?

Ray:

I have a deep love for real science, but I take extraordinary liberties in these novels. It’s more important, though, that the stories center on the lives of my characters. I prefer to consider these two novels as being written on a canvass of fictional science rather than science fiction. My second love is for reason and I use the character’s thoughts to make many existential points. These I consider to be the most controversial parts and I suspect they may go too far for some. But, to your own self be true, I must say.

Norm:

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Ray:

I wouldn’t. You can always agonize over little things here and there so I choose to accept it as is. But now I’ll have to see if readers take from the story, what was intended.

Norm:

How did you go about creating your protagonist, Kaela?

Ray:

Kaela was a good choice for me. She was shaped by the views of her father, but is still struggling to find meaning in her life. She is educated, but even more so, she’s aware of her place in the cosmos. Then I mixed in a few quirks and obsessions. It is her young age that provides the best vehicle to tell the story of how we all struggle to find our “it” in life; that which truly makes us happy.

Norm:

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Ray:

Something challenging is getting across an existential message and have the reader understand why my characters believe what they do. Kaela was raised without any belief in the supernatural, but most people were not. If I were writing existential essays it would be one thing, but I’m looking to send a small message in a novel that I hope is enjoyable, and where readers relate to the characters. This second novel was also challenging because I needed to portray the new technologies in incidental ways, without taking away from what the characters were going through emotionally.

Norm:

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

Ray:

I do hear from readers; some from email and others who I speak with personally. I’m looking forward to the comments about this new novel, but I can tell you about ones I received after publishing The Room. I’ve had people tell me that they have different views, but it made them think. I had someone tell me that they wished The Room ended with Harry remaining re-united with his wife and another, who as she approached the end, imagined Lacie with an engagement ring on her finger in the final scene. I had a few people tell me it affected them and a few who related to the abuse inflicted on the boys.

I will never forget, when in High School, my short story was published in the school literary magazine and was given as an English assignment in several classes. The teacher invited me to sit in anonymously on the classes as they discussed what they believed the author was trying to say. I saw first hand how much a reader’s personal views alter their perception of what they read.

Norm:

What do you think makes a good story?

Ray:

To me, a good story has characters you can relate to; where you feel bad when they do and you want them to succeed. There needs to be unexpected twists and if the reader feels the emotion, maybe even cries for the characters, it’s a plus. A good story makes you think about it, even after it’s finished.

Norm:

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Ray:

I admit I’m a bit of a geek. I have an insatiable interest in science and technology. I work primarily in technology as a network architect, but I have a long commute and I travel often, so it provides me with large chunks of time to write. The positive side to the 12 and 13 hour flights to Tokyo and Hong Kong is that my Blackberry doesn’t work.

Norm:

What will you be doing for promotion of your latest novel and how much of it is your doing?

Ray:

I created a website called “Emergent Novels” where readers can read the synopsis, excerpts and reviews, download podcasts, see the cover art and watch a multimedia introduction for both. It is www.emergentnovels.com. I have a very satisfying life and have no interest in jumping into the hamster wheel of the publishing industry so I use iUniverse to publish and for worldwide distribution. I hire or barter for editing and proofing. I do my own graphics, web design and multimedia. Finally I coordinate review submissions, press releases and interviews, then reach out to writers groups and use social networks such as MySpace and FaceBook. I always say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead."

Norm:

What is next for Ray Melnik?

Ray:

I will promote for about six months and write short stories as I did after The Room. Then I plan on writing the next novel.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Ray:

I would just say that no matter what someone believes in, it is best we act as if only we can make a difference in each other’s lives. We can’t control what life throws at us, but we decide what we do about them. As Kaela says in To Your Own Self Be True, “Life is neither malicious nor kind. It simply doesn’t care.”

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with your latest novel, To Your Own Self Be True.

Ray:

Thank you for allowing me to talk about my stories.

To read Norm's Review of To Your Own Self Be True CLICK HERE

Click Here To Purchase To Your Own Self Be True