Dragon Soul Press had the chance to interview Roxana Negut, an author featured in DSP’s Beyond the Veil, Between the Realms, Soul Cleanse, and Soul Chaser.
- Introduce yourself.
My name is Roxana Neguț. I am a Romanian writer, poet, and journalist, I live in Bucharest and my work has been published both in Romania and internationally. I have been writing for more than 25 years. I began by publishing articles in the print press, and over the years I have published four books in Romania and two books in India. I have also been a co-author in more than 40 anthologies published around the world, including in the USA, Canada, UK, Argentina, Peru, and India.
In my personal life, I am a wife and the mother of two wonderful children. As a side note, I’m happy to share that my 20-year-old daughter Carla Negut also writes short stories and poetry and has already been published. A few more things about me, I’m am an optimistic and cheerful person, and in my free time, I love reading, writing about books, exercising and watching travel vlogs with a hot cup of cofee by my side. - What prompted you to begin writing?
My journey as a writer began in childhood. I read a lot as a child, and around the age of nine, I started writing poetry and stories. One of my favorite creative exercises was rewriting the endings of famous books and imagining how their stories might have unfolded differently. - Do you have a favorite story or poem you’ve written? What’s it about?
Yes. When it comes to prose, one of my favorite books is my collection of fairy tales, Fantasticul tărâm al poveștilor fără sfârșit (The Fantastic Land of Never-Ending Stories).
In poetry, I would choose The Woman, the Old Woman, the Child, the poem that gave its title to my poetry collection published in India. The volume received the Iconic Author Award (2023). - How many projects do you have planned over the next few years? Tell us about one.
I am currently working on translating my Romanian-language books into English. At the same time, I am writing a collection of reimagined traditional fairy tales, which includes my reinterpretation of Aleodor Împărat.
I also have another fairy-tale collection in progress, a children’s literature project, and a fantasy dystopian novel. - What is your writing process like? Where do you draw inspiration from?
Usually, inspiration finds me wherever I happen to be, regardless of the moment or circumstances. I am a pantser, so I rarely know exactly where a story will take me before I begin writing.
The story unfolds in my mind as I write it, revealing itself little by little. In many ways, it surprises and captivates me just as much as I hope it will surprise and captivate my readers. - Who is your favorite author / what is your favorite book?
I have read extensively, so my list of favorite authors is almost endless.
When I think of Romanian literature, the first names that come to mind are the great writer Mircea Eliade and the poet Lucian Blaga. Among the classics, I admire Fyodor Dostoevsky and Franz Kafka. In contemporary literature, some of my favorite authors are Ursula K. Le Guin, Olga Tokarczuk, and Haruki Murakami. When it comes to short fiction, I particularly enjoy Stephen King and Jeffrey Ford.
My favorite book is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I first read it as a teenager, and I have returned to it several times over the years. - What is one goal you have for your writing future?
My greatest goal is simply, to have enough time to write all the stories that are constantly being born in my imagination. - What do you hope readers enjoy most from your work?
I hope they enjoy the magical worlds I create and, above all, the element of surprise. - Where can readers learn more about you?
Readers can find out more about me primarily through my Romanian author website: https://roxananegut.com, an English website based in India- https://roxana-negut.vercel.app/?fbclid
They can also follow me on social media:
Instagram: @roxana.negut
Facebook: Roxana Neguț
