Embedded Files
Welcome back to our seventh issue! As returning visitors will know, each week I interview three authors. Well, mostly authors. I've also interviewed a publicist, cover artist, and this week a translator. We're doing something a little different this week. I think it will be interesting. We're interviewing an author who wrote a book in Spanish, and also his son who translated it years later into English. This will be the first time I have interviewed two people involved in the creation of a single book!
While I have only read the free preview for their book, I would like to recommend that in the strongest of terms, but cannot speak to the rest of the text.
We also have a great interview with author Ami Blackwelder, which is not to be missed!
I hope that you will all stay and read all three interviews. Whichever author led you to my site, you may find something new while you're here!
I also want to invite you all to come back and visit us again this Wednesday September 22nd when we will be debuting a new feature:
The Wisdom and Foolishness of Noah Mullette-Gillman as Hastily Doodled by Dana Black.
Now, on with the show!
Noahan Author Interview – Ed Caggiani
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Ed, you are the translator of your father’s work: Tracks and Horizons. Please tell us about Tracks and Horizons.
ED CAGGIANI: Tracks and Horizons is the true story of my father’s trip around the world on a motorcycle in the 1960’s. He originally wrote it in Spanish under the title Huellas y Horizontes (http://www.amazon.com/Huellas-Horizontes-Pa%C3%ADses-Motocicleta-Spanish/dp/1448649986/) and I worked with him to translate it into English. It’s an amazing tale of survival and triumph over adversity. During his two-year adventure, he suffered extreme heat, cold, and hunger. He survived being shot at during a Bolivian revolution, as well as a severe accident in Panama that nearly ended his journey. His travels took him to 26 different countries throughout South America, Central America, North America, and Europe.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Tell me about your father.
ED CAGGIANI: What can I say about my father? He’s an amazing man who knew how to look for opportunities in his life no matter how dire the circumstances. He’s now retired and living in Florida after succeeding in the corporate world of aviation, medical products, and turbine engines… an incredible journey from a humble man born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He’s a true Renaissance Man.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Please tell us about your own background.
ED CAGGIANI: My background isn’t quite as colorful! I was born in the U.S. in 1970, four years after the end of my father’s motorcycle trip. I have my father’s creative streak and enjoy playing guitar and dabbling in graphic design. I work as a User Experience Designer in Silicon Valley.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: I have fond memories of my father telling me stories when I was little. I imagine your father must have told you some wonderful stories?
ED CAGGIANI: I explain this in the book’s Foreword. Growing up, I heard all about my father’s trip in bits and pieces throughout my life. It wasn’t until he wrote the original Huellas y Horizontes in 2009 that I was able to put all the pieces together and get a complete mental image of the tremendous scope of his adventure. It was then that I realized that the trip had shaped him into the man he is today.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: The storytelling in Tracks and Horizon is intoxicating. Yes, your father was the author, but it takes some talent to express these ideas in English the way that you have. Have you done much writing of your own?
ED CAGGIANI: I have dabbled in the past, but never anything of this scope. Going through this process has certainly awakened my desire to do more writing. I love to read fantasy books and I have a story already in mind. We’ll see how it goes!
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: What have you done and what are you doing to promote the book?
ED CAGGIANI: I’m pretty new to this, but I’m pretty comfortable with technology and the Internet, so I’ve already created a Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/TracksAndHorizons), opened a Twitter account for my father (http://www.twitter.com/carloscaggiani), and joined Kindleboards.com. We’re working with CreateSpace on putting out the print version of the book as well, which will start a whole new round of promotions. We have more plans for getting the word out to motorcycle enthusiasts as well.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Are there plans to translate the rest of his work into English?
ED CAGGIANI: My father has a few other Spanish books he’s written, and one of them is a fiction piece that I think would translate quite well. It’s called Ingenieria de una Estafa (http://www.amazon.com/Ingeniería-Estafa-Spanish-Carlos-Caggiani/dp/1448677017)
But it’s all about time. It took me nearly two years to translate Tracks and Horizons and it’s non-fiction. I have a feeling translating fiction may take a little longer. We’ll just have to see!
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: What advice would you have for translators setting out to do similar work to what you have done?
ED CAGGIANI: The most important thing is to NOT try to do a word for word translation. Read an entire paragraph or more, get the idea behind it, then write it in English. What you want is for the SPIRIT of the words to come through. We sampled a couple of translation services before I committed to doing it myself, and though the translations were certainly readable, we felt they lost the feel of the original. Since I know how my father thinks, I thought I would be able to be true to his voice. I hope that comes through in this edition.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: If you could leave your body and travel astrally, would you? Where would you go?
ED CAGGIANI: Does that include time travel? Because if so, I would certainly travel back to the ‘60’s and witness some of the key moments of my father’s journey. Oh, and of course, I’d go to Woodstock!
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: If you could ask your father one question, what would you ask him?
ED CAGGIANI: Since we worked on this book together, I feel like we’ve gotten even closer, so I can ask him anything already! We’ve always been close and we speak very candidly to each other. But if I had only one question to ask, maybe it would be “Do you regret any decision you’ve ever made in your life?” I think I know the answer to that question…and those who read the book will feel the same way.
ED’S QUESTION FOR NOAH: As a writer, when you proofread your books, do you read them differently when you are looking for grammatical/spelling errors versus phrasing and storytelling? And how many times do you re-read your own books?
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: I have only chosen to publish two of my works so far: The White Hairs and The Song of Ballad and Crescendo. That said, anyone who makes any assumptions about how much I have written at this point would be very wrong.
I wrote The White Hairs maybe five years ago, and The Song of Ballad and Crescendo is at least two years old itself. Both have been read and re-read many many times.
I have written several novels that I don’t plan to ever publish, and at least one that is too important to me to consider sharing unless and until I have earned an audience already. It is extremely important that my work be as good as I am capable of making it before I share it with the world.
When I edit, I carefully re-read the stories. I do this exactly the same way when I am looking for spelling and grammatical mistakes as I do when I am considering the dialogue and plot. I read closely. I read it again and again. I put the work aside for a while and then come back with fresh eyes and dive in again.
No, I don’t think my work suffers in any way from this very careful attention. It is still organic. It is still natural and spontaneous. But I take editing very seriously.
Noahan Author Interview – Ami Blackwelder
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Thank you for your time. Please tell us about The Hunted of 2060.
Ami Blackwelder: America 2060. Three Lovers. Two Species. One Way to Survive.
Summary: Set in Alaska in 2060, when April enters her sophomore year at University, she thought Robert might be the love of her life, but as she discovers, she is hiding something inside her, something the rest of the world believes to have died out. She struggles with who she was and who she is becoming as she learns of a family she never knew existed and of enemies she will have to outrun, outfight or outwit to survive. As April embraces her new identity, will she have to leave the life she loves behind?
With underlining themes of how prejudice breaks human connections and animal/wildlife conservation, this novel which has received rave reviews will leave the reader flipping through the pages of April’s story.
Appendixes 1-12 are character pages.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Tell us about April.
Ami Blackwelder: Adopted, she never felt like she belonged anywhere. Confused with her own identity, as a Sophomore at Alaska University in 2060, she begins to change at nineteen, changes so severe she knows there is something wrong with her.
Desperate for answers; however, she doesn't turn to anyone, but Robert, because she senses the changes won't be understood by humans. When she is kidnapped on campus and taken away to a forest, she discovers who she really is and who her family really is.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Can you tell us a little about your background?
Ami Blackwelder: I grew up in Clearwater Florida and went to Countryside High and UCf, but then traveled overseas in ASia for eight years. I've always loved writing, poetry, short stories, and at thirty I began writing novels. I enjoy sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy and historical. Always with a mix of romance.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: If you could transform into an animal, which one would you most like to be able to change into? Why?
Ami Blackwelder: I would love to transform into a horse if on land, for elegant speed. An eagle in the sky for amazing views, and a dolphin in the ocean for exploration, because they are so intelligent.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Are there a lot of animals in your life? Were there when you were growing up?
Ami Blackwelder: Define animals? Gross, annoying men? (LOL) Then sometimes. Wildlife? There are a few forests and parks and I did get to see some interesting wildlife. There is a rescue center where I live now and they have white tigers, and all kinds of cats.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: What are one or two of the most important things a writer should keep in mind if they want to write a story that people will care about?
Ami Blackwelder: The reader has to love the characters. If the characters jump out and stay with you, then whatever they go through, whether active or mundane, will become interesting.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: What are you doing to promote your work and what have you done?
Ami Blackwelder: I am active online on Facebook, blogger, and review other authors as well as join virtual blog tours. I have circulated myself all over the internet. Just google my name. (LOL).
Offline I have circulated bookmarks at book fairs, and dropped of my books at four independent stores in the area. I have dropped my books off at universities, schools, and libraries and have book events scheduled with them. I pass out bookmarks at the mall and movies and am considering opening a kiosk.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: You have written quite a few books. Can you briefly tell us about a couple others?
Ami Blackwelder: Well, The Gate of Lake Forest was my first and is a Twilight meets Lord of the Rings. The sequel is Prisoners of Pride and the last book of that series, An Inquisition of Innocence, is scheduled for release soon, perhaps early 2011.
The Day the Flowers Died is a romance set in 1930 Munich. Heavy on passion, light on history. The novel is both moving and poignant.
I have three spiritual books. The Ancient Genesis (Creation and Evolution), Christianity and Sensibility (history and science meets Christianity), The Other Five Senses (four major religions and our senses.)
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: If you could leave your body and travel astrally, would you? Where would you go?
Ami Blackwelder: Definitely and I would go to the moon...
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: If you could ask any one character in your novel a question, what would it be?
Ami Blackwelder: I would ask April, how come you can't just love the good guy.
Ami Blackwelder’s Question for Noah: Which super hero would you be if you could be anyone and why?
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: I think when I was a kid I would have answered; “Superman with a Green Lantern ring!” But as the years have gone by, I think I’ve grown to understand superheroes and what appeals to me a little better.
One of my favorite Superheroes was always Green Lantern. He has a ring that the Guardian of the Universe gave him. It allows him to create anything that he can imagine, to fly, to travel through out of space, to do all kinds of things.
In the early 1990s the people in charge of Green Lantern decided that Hal Jordan, the character who had been Green Lantern for the previous thirty years, would be more interesting if they suddenly changed him into a mass murderer and created a new younger character to play the role.
Hal Jordan had been originally picked for the job because he was “Honest, and born without fear.” He had been judged as actually the MOST deserving person for the job on the planet. He had earned it because of the kind of person he was. The new Green Lantern was a man named Kyle Rayner. He got his ring because he happened to stumble out of the back of a bar at the right time, and the last Guardian of the Universe pronounced; “You’ll do.”
I gave Kyle his chance, but again and again they stressed that he didn’t get the ring because he was in any way deserving. He was just at the right place at the right time. He was the “everyman” while Hal had been supposedly un-relatable because we could never be the kind of man he was – not because he had the ring! – but because of his personal qualities!
Kyle went on to make mistake after mistake. Literally billions of people died because of his mistakes. A hero named Salaak died because Kyle was too busy flirting to go and save him… And we were told again and again that we could relate to this self-centered character that didn’t demand anything of us, who showed no real remorse for his failures. Reading Green Lantern in the 1990s and early 2000s didn’t inspire me to be a better person. It made me hope to win the lottery.
I envied Hal his honesty and bravery. I only envied Kyle because of what he owned.
Eventually, they woke up and brought Hal back. They revealed that he had been possessed by an alien when he killed all of those people, and most of them turned out to not really be dead after all.
My point is that the possessions of my super-heroes that I would really like to have are their qualities as heroes. I would like to be as brave and smart, dashing and clever. I would like to be as good, and as bold, and adventurous. The powers? The toys? Batman’s attitude and confidence mean more that the Bat-mobile or the utility belt.
Noahan Author Interview – Carlos Caggiani
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Carlos, please tell us about Tracks and Horizons.
CARLOS CAGGIANI: As explained in the prologue, words written by writer Frank McCourt requiring his students to write about themselves led me to write about that part of my life. The experience of that trip laid down deep tracks for me, but if I hadn't put it in writing those tracks would be erased by the winds of time.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Please tell us about your background.
CARLOS CAGGIANI: I grew up in a modest home in Montevideo, Uruguay, and my trade (mechanical technology) gave me a push to get my first patent.
In my journey around the world on a motorcycle, I stopped and worked in the United States, where I was told that if I ever returned not only would I have a place to work, but they would pay my way through school as well.
When I finished my trip in 1966, I decided to immigrate to the United States taking advantage of the opportunity that I was offered. I worked and studied, and at the time there was little automation and no computers. I dedicated myself to design and build automated machinery for the company where I worked.
In 1980, I changed jobs and at the new company I started as a project engineer. I worked in research and development in the field of medical, aviation and industrial turbines, and I now own several patents in those fields.
I retired in 2002 as Vice President of Technology Implementation.
My personal curiosity led me to acquire hobbies such as music, sculpting, painting, antique car restoration, riding motorcycles, writing, and participating in poetry competitions in Spanish.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Why did you start your adventures, and why did you stop… have you stopped?
CARLOS CAGGIANI: I always liked to travel and never had enough money to do it comfortably. On a particular trip I took to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I was left hungry and that motivated me to travel the world. I figured it couldn't be any worse in other places, and at least it would give me the opportunity to experience other cultures, other people and other ways of life.
Right after I decided to cross the Sahara Desert, I had an accident in Barcelona, Spain, and the physical inability to continue handling my bike convinced me it was time to return to my country.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Many of our readers are storytellers, and I’m sure all of the rest enjoy a good story. What are one two things that a storyteller should keep in mind to do his job well?
CARLOS CAGGIANI: Tough question, but telling stories of their own lives, especially about problems and how those were resolved, always manages to catch the reader's attention. Writing from the heart without holding back is also important. Do not be afraid of criticism.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Are you still writing? What can we expect next? And, will other works of yours be translated into English?
CARLOS CAGGIANI: Yes ... I'm writing a motivational book, "The Secret of Innovation" based on my experiences as an inventor and innovator. I think anyone can be whatever they want to be if they work hard and focus on their desires. This book will explain the foundations needed for innovative thinking and will also show that each of us can develop ideas that serve to make a better world.
Let's see Ed's enthusiasm for the translation... :-)
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Tell us about Motorcycles. What do they mean to you? What is it like to go on a really long journey on one?
CARLOS CAGGIANI: Motorcycles remain a part of my life. From an early age I was involved in this method of transportation which later became a sport. I was racing in Uruguay, in the “National Mechanics 500 c.c." category and always used motorcycles to travel to Brazil and later the world.
A long trip on a motorcycle with money and a modern machine is certainly exciting, but doing it on an old motorcycle with no money is TRULY an adventure!
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Where in the world have you not been, but would still hope to see one day?
CARLOS CAGGIANI: I have known 33 countries. 26 I visited on my trip and another 7 for work and/or vacations. I'm still traveling from time to time and Asia is a part of the world I would like to get to know someday.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: Your son Ed has translated Tracks and Horizons into English. What can you tell us about this experience?
CARLOS CAGGIANI: I identify a lot with my son Ed. We are very similar with our love of the arts and mostly with our philosophy of life. Although I've been in the U.S. for over 40 years, I feel that I cannot speak or write in English and be able to express myself like I can do without much effort in my own language.
The experience of this father/son project was extraordinary and very enjoyable.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: If you could leave your body and travel astrally, would you? Where would you go?
CARLOS CAGGIANI: Another difficult question… I think I'd get to where those who have already left are. Talking with them and learning from that dimension.
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: If you could ask your son, Ed, one question, what would it be?
CARLOS CAGGIANI: Between Ed and me there are no questions. We are one.
CARLOS CAGGIANI: Noah: My question:
How do you describe happiness?
NOAH K MULLETTE-GILLMAN: If I can paraphrase my vague recollection of Frederick Nietzsche’s words: ‘Again and again, the wise men of history have taken their look at life and pronounced the same verdict: It is evil.‘
There comes a time, often for some, but rarer for others when the pain from the limitations and failures of life can seem to block out every other glimmer of creation. You will often hear these people talk about this being “how life really is,” or “reality.” It feels this way to them, to us, in these times. Nothing can console them or us. No little happiness can be noticed.
At other times we can be overwhelmed with joy so that it, in turn, blossoms up and blocks out all of the darkness, so that we cannot even remember that it is there. All of those same failures and limitations disappear from our minds. We misplace them.
Some will tell you, many will tell you, that when we forget our pain and concentrate on the happiness and beauty we are deluding ourselves. I say that neither moment is more real than the other. I say it is as simple as day and night. Neither is the truth while the other the aberration, any more than Night is the true state of the world and daylight only an illusion. They are each worth the same.
Thank you again to all of our authors, translators, and readers! I want to invite you all to come back again this Wednesday for the premier of BEYOND BRILLIANT! In the meantime, I hope you will take a moment to read some of these wonderful authors for yourself!
Best Wishes, Noah K. Mullette-Gillman!
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