Interview Nya Ando Author

Bio: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QZP3M14 Tell me a bit about yourself....

Magic World:

Author Nya Ando

Life inspires me, with all its ups and downs, struggles, and light. Human nature

Inspires me, too. The way one lives, loves, thinks, expresses himself is pure magic

and deserves to be appreciated in a book.

I was born in a small town in the mountains. I'm the second of three kids. I never had

a dream; yet, becoming a doctor was my ambition. I now live in Athens, Greece. I've

always been a FANATICAL reader. I remember myself hiding a flashlight and a book

under my pillow to continue reading after Grandma turned the light off and

expected me to fall asleep. I always loved books - all of them in any genre. There is

no such thing as an under-appreciated book; they all deserve time and appreciation.

I write for 10 hours a day but always find time to read. Now, writing is a way of life

for me. I'm never tired enough to stop writing. Writing not just energizes me, it

thrills me. I remember myself being excited with all the papers I needed to write in

all the years of high school (and being mocked by my classmates for that).

I'm a graduated fashion designer and one step from my bachelor's degree in Law

Studies. Creative writing has been my hobby since I was a kid. Last four years it has

become a way of life. Why don't we all do what we actually love?

I live in Europe in the 21st century but, thanks to the financial crisis, being a writer is

considered more of a hobby than a real job or a job, but for someone already

" financially stable. That's why women worldwide need to support each other more.

Jane Austin and Bronte sisters were the beginning in more challenging times. Why

not more of us today?

Being more " human-oriented" my life's always been a turmoil of changes and

turning points. Reading and writing were my constants; therefore, I tunneled my

energy to that. And here I am. My mom's living example to never give up my man's

never-ending trust in my skills, and dear friends who supported me are the reason

today I am something.

I always knew that writing is something I really wish to do, but gave it a chance four

years ago. I'm happy I did it. Now writing is my way of life, my field of action, and I

like it. Writing's been kind of " only for me " for years. Even my friends ignored that part of me. The first person ever seeing my work was a kind of " Wow! You need to

publish it!" I've been writing for years, and some months ago the " why not

publishing " just came up out of the blue. The writer's work belongs to all humanity -

it just doesn't make sense not to be seen.

I was touched when I saw my work published. But I faced difficulty with managing

time. I always needed more time to write, and I never had enough. Finding more

time to write was quite challenging. Another difficulty was having enough time for

social media promoting and ad campaigns. I was raised to never give up, so being

discouraged is not actually my thing. So, I started to manage. Slowly and steadily,

here I am!

I don't know if it's better now, but it's different. Once upon a time, it was just me and

the writing. Now, I need time for social media, promoting, reviews, and interviews.

But it's part of the deal of being a published indie author, so I enjoy it.

My advice is quite simple. Writers, choose wisely your path, let it lead you, and

follow it with passion. There will be times you feel discouraged, sleep-deprived, and

tired. Nevertheless, it'll be worth it. Never give up. You are not just a writer - you're a

" creator of magical world's people out there are yet to discover."

PUBLISHED WORK:

 " Piece of my Heart" Vol.1 - Guilty is the only one so far.

 "Piece of my Heart", Vol.2 - Detained

 "Piece of my Heart", Vol.3 - Justified

AUTHOR AT:

 Nya Ando on Facebook

 ANDOMINDS is my group on Facebook

 nya_ando on Instagram

 www.andomind.com is my web page (currently under construction)

Tell me more….

I live in Athens, Greece.

I'm a graduated fashion designer and will have a BA in Law Studies in short order.

I'm a mountain rescue volunteer and volleyball referee. 

What genre/s do you write in?

Romance, contemporary fiction, erotica

How long have you been writing?

Creative writing has always been my hobby. Professionally writing for four years. After two

years as a ghostwriter and proofreader, I decided to give my own ideas a shot. And here I am - 29 titles so far, 8 of them being trilogies. Published the first one six months ago. 

Do you have any published books or articles?

" Piece of my Heart," Vol.1 - Guilty 

Tell me a bit about these and what publishing route you took.

It's a trilogy, Vol.2 - Detained will be released soon; the story completes in Vol.3 - Justified,

probably released next month.

Did you use an editor? If so who?

No editor. Did all the work on my own.

Did you use a book formatter and cover designer?

Did the format on my own; as for the cover designer - having the know-how friend of mine

helped me.

Did you self-publish or get traditionally published?

I decided to give traditional publishing a try in 2017 and lost two years waiting for their answers.

Dropped out of the idea and just kept writing. 

Let me tell you that I never told anyone I've been writing. In 2020 I thought to give publishing

another try but going for self-publishing this time. I needed a cover, though. So, I asked a friend of mine for some advice on that matter - suit relevant cover, etc. He said he needed to take a look at my writing and call me back... and two days later, when I called him, he was like, " Oh, I was reading the book. Couldn't put it down. This book needs to be on Amazon! Gimme a day more to finish it, and we'll talk..." The rest is history. 

How did this go for you?

Being an indie author is a quite challenging yet unique experience. A one-woman show kind of like - doing everything about writing, editing, formatting, cover- designing, and promoting, but it worth it!  

How do you market your work and promote your brand?

 Nya Ando on Facebook

ANDOMINDS is my group on Facebook

nya_ando on Instagram

www.andomind.com is my web page (currently under construction) 

What social media and writing platforms would you recommend? 

Unfortunately, technology and social media are not my thing, so I use only the mentioned above. I don't use any writing platform. Don't even know any. Being an old-school writer, good old Word is for me.

Do you use an agent?

No.

Do you use paid advertising? If so what?

Not yet. Hopefully, I won't need it.

Do you have a blog or website?

www.andomind.com is my web page (currently under construction)

What inspires you most to write?

As I had said before, my two great inspirations are life and human nature. Life's ups and downs, struggles, and light are pure magic. As for human nature - the way one lives, loves, thinks, expresses himself deserves to be appreciated in a book.

What do you do to help with writer's block?

Hopefully, I'll never know what that is.

How do you plan your writing and start?

No planning - just sit down and write for eight to ten hours a day. 

Is writing your full-time job? If not, what else do you do?

Writing used to be most of a hobby and side-job later. During the Covid19 pandemic, it became a full-time job. 

What are you working on at the moment?

Finishing my next-to-be-published trilogy and doing the final editing of soon-to-be-released

" Piece of my Heart", Vol.2-Detained

What is your target audience?

Whoever loves books, romance in particular.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Six months of writing in my free time, lesser lately.

When did you first discover you enjoyed writing?

Over twenty years ago. I was thrilled with every paper I needed to be done for school. My

classmates used to mock me for that.

What is your writing schedule look like?

Colorful and messy.

What does your family think about your writing?

They knew me as a bookworm. Being a published indie author was a kind of surprise for all of them. You see, I didn't actually tell them what I've been up to. Just appeared one day out of the blue, with my book to show. There were lots of wows, hugs and happy tears...   

What do you do when you are not writing?

Lately, mainly reading, cooking etc. 

Where do you get information and ideas for your writing?

Life and human nature inspire me. Sometimes it's just a word, a specific behavior, a

gesture, and... boom! The whole story is right there in my head. The rest is frantic writing,

keeping notes and finding more time to write it down. 

What do you think makes a good story?

The reader and his agony about what will happen on the next page- that's what makes the story good.

Thank you Nya for the chance to get to know you and interview you.

If you would like to be interviewed by "The NZDream" blog please email elisebrooke771@gmail.com