Barry Terenna, author: I worked for many years in the business
world. I finally was able to take the
opportunity to retire and therefore was able to do anything that I wished with
my days. My son, Brian Terenna, asked me
to review the upcoming release of his paranormal fantasy book, “The Revolting
Road to Liberty.” I became interested in
the whole writing scene and decided to write my own novel.
2.
PD: How long
does it take you to write a book?
BT: My first novel
took about a year to write. I write when
the mood strikes me and balance my day with other activities. I am currently
starting to outline my second novel.
3.
PD: Where do you
get the information or ideas for your books?
BT: Many of the scenes in “Take the Silk Road
Home” come from actual events in the lives of myself, my brother and other
family members and friends. The book is
filled with facts about food, places, cultures, popular products and historical
events that were all researched in detail, mostly from many sources on the
Internet.
4.
PD: What do you like to do when you're not
writing?
BT: I like to spend
time with family and friends, travel, practice yoga, garden, and volunteer for
various activities. I have recently been
devoting a considerable amount of time to the promotion of my novel.
5.
PD: What was one
of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?
BT: The world of publishing has been turned on
its ear by the capabilities for self-publishing. An entire industry has developed in the last
few years that uses computer technology to support the creation, publication
and marketing of new books. Whereas it may have taken years and many rejections
to get a book published ten years ago, today it is possible to self-publish and
to have some degree of commercial success.
It is not easy and nowhere near guaranteed but it is possible.
6.
PD: What do you
think makes a good story?
BT: Great characters,
interesting plot lines, things that educate and entertain and a message that
helps to make people’s lives a little bit better.
7.
PD: Do
you have a specific writing style?
BT: I like to educate
my readers so I think this is reflected in my writing style. A good writer will develop interest and
tension in the characters and the plot.
I think a book should be intriguing but not too difficult for people to
follow and understand.
8.
PD: How did you
come up with the title?
BT: The original
running title was “Brothers in the East,” however, I wanted a title that was a
bit more intriguing. “Take the Silk Road
Home” gets across the idea of the Chinese connection and has a family oriented
feel to it.
9.
PD: Is there a
message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
BT: Good
question. There are several themes that
pervade in the book. The importance of
family is a central theme, however, other themes are interwoven in this message
including heritage, culture, the importance of discipline to achieve success
and learning from history.
10.
PD: If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
BT: Recently I’ve read many of the Clive Cussler
ocean adventure books. I learned several
writing techniques from them. Clive starts most of these novels with one or two
historical events that form a foundation to the current events that occur in
the book. They are skillfully woven into
the story line.
11.
PD: What book
are you reading now?
BT: “Big Stone Gap”
by Adriana Trigiani. Adriana is an
Italian-American author like myself. Her
novel, “The Shoemaker’s Wife” is reminiscent of my own novel. The funny thing
is that I wrote my book without ever having heard of her or her novels. I guess you could say that I bring the male
perspective to the stories surrounding an immigrant family.
12.
PD: Is there
anything that you find particularly challenging in your writing?
BT: Development of
complex plots. This usually takes a
considerable amount of planning and outlining in advance. I have a tendency to want to write in free
flowing form but I recognize the importance of outlining.
13.
PD: Do you have to travel much concerning your
book(s)?
BT: There is a lot of information about Italy,
China and Vietnam in the book, however, I had already traveled to the Italy and
China in connection with my previous career so I had plenty of first hand
knowledge of those countries. Nothing
beats actual travel to different locations, but in today’s world much can also
be learned on-line.
14.
PD: Who designed
the book cover?
BT: I designed the cover and back to the
book. The cover is an artist’s rendition
of several silk moths and a silk worm, from the genus Bombyx Mori, the moth of
the Mulberry bush. The one large moth shown on the cover is particularly
striking.
15.
PD: Do you have anything specific that you want
to say to your readers?
BT: Yes. My hope is that my readers will enjoy
the book and maybe relate some of the scenes to their own lives. I wrote the book to entertain my
readers. They are the most important
aspect of my writing.
