When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always loved reading and writing books. I’ve been writing since elementary school- all kinds of stories, poems, articles, you name it. Some pieces got published, others I just kept to myself.
When I was in high school, I wrote and illustrated several children’s books together with my cousin Anna. Unfortunately, we never thought of publishing them, but we had such a fun time together.
I later continued writing, but exclusively non-fiction (various reports and articles in finance and economics). Then one day I decided to try writing fiction again—and this time I knew I wanted to publish my novel. It took some work, finding a publisher was not easy, but now I’m almost there, my debut novel is finally coming out in a few weeks.
I’m very grateful to the Wild Rose Press for all the support they provided to me.
Did you have any influencing writers growing up?
Definitely. My favorite writers growing up were Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, Guy de Maupassant. I still re-read my favorite books, like La Dame de Monsoreau, Bel-Ami and Pride and Prejudice. I never get tired of them.
When I first read Dumas’ books, I had to read them in Russian translation as I did not speak French at that time. Later, when I learned French, I read them once again in French. This was an incredible experience. Reading books in the original is a whole different ball game.
Are any of your characters based on people in real life?
Many of my characters are inspired by the people I either met or saw in some movie/read about in a book, but generally speaking, each image comprises of multiple people with lots of imagination thrown in.
For example, I can borrow one trait from one person, another trait from another person and then add a lot of things myself. I keep developing my characters for as long as I am writing a book, so their personality changes a lot from the time I wrote the first page till the last.
A few times, I had to go back and forth several times, changing the character’s personality, till I finally figured out who they were. Not everyone is an outright protagonist or antagonist.
Where do you draw your book inspirations from?
It comes from the people I meet, the books I read, the places I visit. I keep getting ideas all the time. Somebody says something, or shows up wearing some interesting outfit, and I might get an idea to add to my book right away.
Do you have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?
I usually have a broad plot in mind, but the characters definitely lead the way when it comes to developing the plot. As I get to know them more, I often go back and change some things in the book.
When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?
No, I do not usually have a photo (except in rare cases), but I do have a clear image of the character in my mind. I know what everyone in my book looks like, that’s for sure. I don’t think I can even develop a character till I know what they look like, how they dress, how they act.
Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?
Reading my favorite book is definitely a great way to relax for me.
Another way is playing sports or spending time with my family.
I also like studying foreign languages on a language app. It’s really easy these days to practice languages. My native languages are Russian and Ukrainian, I speak English fluently and I’m also pretty good at French and Spanish. Occasionally, I’ll also do a few lessons in Polish and German. What amazes me is that the more languages you learn, the easier it gets, as more new words sound familiar to you. You think: “Oh, I know this word already!”
Who are your favorite current authors to read?
Oh, there are so many… Its seems that after I started writing my own novel, my whole outlook on writers and literature has changed dramatically. Reading now has a whole new meaning.
I greatly enjoy books by Kevin Kwan. I first watched the movie and then read his trilogy about Crazy Rich Asians. I was fascinated. Essentially, from reading his books I got the idea of writing my own trilogy with Ukrainian characters in it… I thought: since Kwan was able to do such a great job reflecting life in Singapore in his books, why couldn’t I do the same for Ukraine? Hopefully, a lot of people would read my books and learn about Ukraine, the way they learned about Singapore from Kwan.
I also enjoy reading books by Sarah Dessen and Jennifer Weiner. These books are light and fun, perfect for taking to the beach or reading on a leisurely weekend, but they also raise important issues, like #MeToo movement, or drinking and drug abuse, or shooting at schools... I think it’s very important to write about such issues to increase awareness. Once I finish my trilogy, I’d like to pick some serious issue like that and write something similar.
Finally, I read a lot of kids’ books, thanks to my 8-year-old daughter. We read together every night. Our all-time favorite authors are Victoria Kann (Pinkalicious) and Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid). I’m always curious how these authors managed to come up with such masterpieces. No wonder they got turned into cartoons/movies and sold millions of copies. Totally love their books.
What are your favorite books by others?
My absolute favorites of all times are La Dame de Monsoreau (by Alexandre Dumas), Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen), Crazy Rich Asians (by Kevin Kwan), and Burlachka (by a Ukrainian writer Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky).
Looking at these titles now, I see that this is such an international group of authors, born in totally different centuries and places. However, all these books feature strong female protagonists whose stories have impressed me in a profound way. Some stories are heartbreaking, others have a happy ending. That’s the way life is, I guess.
Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?
Definitely. I can easily fall in love with places while reading the books. For example, I’ve always adored reading books set in France, many years before I could actually visit this country.
Do you write in single or multiple POV?
Multiple POV. I usually have a couple of characters in the book whose POV I reflect throughout the book.
What do you find to be your best research tool?
I do a lot of online research, but at the same time, visiting places is the best way for me to learn about them. Luckily, I had visited most of the places I write about in Secrets We Keep, so it was quite easy to write about them.
Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?
No, just my own name
What genre do you write and why is this your preference?
I write fiction. I guess this is my favorite genre to read, so I write in this genre as well.
Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait...what led to you being you?
Sports play an important role in my life and, unsurprisingly, my books talk a lot about sports. I love tennis, golf, running, swimming… My favorite sport is tennis. I’ve played tennis since I was a child and it has had a tremendous imprint on my life. I’m a big tennis fan, closely following all of the tennis events. Unfortunately, many tennis players of my generation are now retired (e.g., Roger Federer, Serena Williams), but I am glad to see new stars being born, like Carlos Alcaraz.
I also keep a close eye on Ukrainian tennis players, as my home country has traditionally been strong in tennis. My former tennis coach’s daughter (Marta Kostyuk) is now at the top of the game and I love watching her. Importantly, my little daughter Elizabeth is showing a lot of promise in tennis. She just turned 8 and she’s already been playing (and winning) in some junior tournaments against kids much older than her. I love watching Elizabeth play and I hope someday she’ll play in some big tournaments.
I also enjoy travel. I’ve traveled a lot for my job all over the world. I worked in Africa, Middle East, and now my job has taken me to Central Asia. This summer, our family relocated from Washington DC to Tashkent, Uzbekistan for a few years. It’s quite an adventure and we are now trying to explore the new country.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
It’s hard to give advice since I am a brand new writer myself. However, I can give advice to those who, like me, have been wondering whether they should write and publish their first book. I’d definitely say, go for it! It’s an exciting experience, not comparable to anything.
Looking back at it, this was a long journey, but it feels really good to be finally close to publication.
How do you deal and process negative book reviews?
It’s hard to process criticism, but I try to tell myself that literature is so subjective. Some people will like your book, others won’t. I guess it’s the matter of preference and doesn’t reflect on your quality of writing.
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
Finding the time to write is quite challenging. Especially it gets frustrating when I have some great idea which I want to put on paper, but I don’t have enough time because of other responsibilities.
What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?
A big monitor in front of me and some peace and quiet, that’s all.
What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?
It’s good to have something tasty to eat while writing, like some sweets or fruits.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why?
It’s hard to choose, as I have so many favorite authors, and I have so many questions to each one of them. How did they start writing? What challenges did they face in the beginning of their career?
If I could only pick one, I’d probably choose Kevin Kwan. I’d like to ask him a million questions about his books, his characters, and his life in Singapore. I’d be curious to know how much his life changed after writing his books.
What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink?
Given that I have a full-time job, I usually write during free time, like lunch breaks, evenings, weekends and holidays.
I try to think of the chapter I will be writing in advance (like during the morning commute or when I’m just walking somewhere), and then when I actually start writing, I already know what I’m going to say.
This helps me to be more efficient. If I just sit down to write without thinking about it first, I risk wasting some of the precious time, which I don’t have.
Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of music is your favorite?
Not usually
Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
We recently got a new pet- a guinea pig called Poppy. So far, he has not participated in my writing, but hey, may be he will appear in one of the books at some point.
What is your kryptonite as a writer? What totally puts you off your game?
When I’m nervous or anxious about someone or something, it’s usually hard to concentrate and to write something meaningful. I also don’t write well when I know I have to rush somewhere very soon and I have little time.
Have you ever killed off a character that your readers loved?
So far, I have tried to keep the killing to the minimum. If I can avoid it, I will, at least for the trilogy which I am writing now. I like it when there is a happy ending and even if somebody runs into trouble, in the end they get saved. I guess I’ll only kill characters if it’s absolutely necessary for the plot.
How do you celebrate after typing THE END?
It’s actually pretty hard for me to stop writing, even after I’ve typed “the end”. I keep going back to the book even after it’s seemingly finished. There is always something small to change, to add or to delete. I guess I can only celebrate when I see the final galley of the book.
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Terrific interview. Loved learning more about Valeriya
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