Last week, we caught up with our only Cypriot contributor thus far. Nora Nadjarian shared the lovely serial “Zoo” with us in October. We’d been tracking her all morning, in and out of the market stalls, but she moves fast. We finally caught her when she stopped to people watch over a light lunch.
[ONE] What was the first book/poem/phrase that rocked your world?
Book: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I read it when I was about 15. I think it was the first classic I ever read and fully enjoyed. All that passion!
Poem: “You took away all the oceans and all the room” by Osip Mandelstam. I first read this poem on the London Underground when I was a student, and simply loved it. The four short lines had an enormous effect on me, and I’ve thought of the poem many, many times since I first read it.
[TWO] Dr. Who picks you up in the Tardis. Where/when do you go?
We go off into the unknown. He knows where we’re heading, but I ask him not to tell me. Even the past can be a surprise.
[THREE] What was your first published piece and where was it published?
I think it was a poem I wrote when I was about 17. It was published in a journal of international poetry. I’m sorry to say I can’t remember the title of the poem, or the name of the journal. All I remember is that it had a pink cover, and that I was so proud of it!
[FOUR] Do you think the internet hurts or helps literature?
I used to think that good literature was only published in print. I’ve had to revise my opinion recently, having discovered many excellent sites for writers, quality journals and blogs online. I think the Internet definitely helps, you just need to know where to look.
[FIVE] What about authors?
The Internet is a blessing for an author like me, who lives on an island in the Mediterranean, and is able to publish things in the UK, the USA or Canada by submitting to journals or e-zines online. I’ve been spending more constructive time on the Internet recently, and even made a number of contacts and friends. Feedback or just a nice comment from another author about your published work can be very uplifting! I’ve also started blogging (of sorts) very recently. Check out my baby blog: www.bettyboopinspired.blogspot.com
[SIX] When the well is dry, how do you fill it?
Start reading. Books are lying around me all the time. I go through phases of reading a lot and not writing much, or writing a lot and not reading much. But generally I find that reading will get my creativity going again.
[SEVEN] Favorite writing tool?
Could be anything. I’m not fussy.
(Or am I? A voice at the back of my mind says: Yes, you are, VERY.)
[EIGHT] Your biggest fans just burst into the room. How many are there and how do you react?
So many I can’t even count them!! I tell them to calm down, I WILL tell them the secrets of my success as a writer 
[NINE] Why did you submit to a Twitter-zine?
I’ve always tended to write ultra-short stuff. I think it’s what I do best, and alas, makes it difficult for me to fulfill my ambition of writing a novel… Twitter-zines are excellent means of reaching people who may not be avid readers, but who will appreciate a small masterpiece. It’s a form of publishing of the minimalist best. When the words are gone, the images will stay.
[TEN] In the expansive Literary Galaxy, I am:
The Poet and Short Story Writer Who Wanted To Write a Novel So She Could Give Up Her Day Job. One Day.
Or
The Dreamer
Cheers, Nora! And cheers to all of you that popped by to share the moment.
