Pump Up Your Book Chats With Suthep Srikureja

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Suthep Srikureja lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife and three children. The Traveler is his first book and was written while listening to the music of the waves. He is an entrepreneur and a writer and can often be found immersed in various bodies of water.

You can check out more about The Traveler at http://www.nettavisions.com

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Thank you for this interview, Suthep. Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later? Do you remember your first published piece?

A: I did write when I was a child in school. I must have been quite ok I guess because my school sent me for this essay competition. I remember walking into the room and as soon as they told us to start, I blanked out. I walked out of the room an hour later carrying my empty sheet of paper with me. I must have been about 13 then. The next time I wrote, I was 40. The Traveler is my first published piece.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

A: I’m a new author, so trying to grow my audience is difficult, trying to convince book stores and retailers to carry the book is difficult. Basically the business side. However, I love getting comments and questions from readers and it feels great when they tell me that they ‘got’ the book.

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life? Do you have support?

A: I am married with three children. I generally write at night but in case inspiration strikes at odd and inconvenient times, my family is always very supportive and they will let me have that time. I’m really lucky.

Can you tell us about your latest book and why you wrote it?

A: Looking back, there are these images and moments that , when put together might illustrate why I wrote The Traveler. My children were small then and around that time I saw a documentary about oil and how they drill it out of the ground and it seemed painful…like some weird mechanical creature sucking the blood from the earth. And then sitting in the notorious Bangkok traffic, it seemed ridiculous to me that after getting that oil out, it was used to power the automobile that was spewing poison into the atmosphere. I am no fanatic environmentalist but I did wonder then as I do now, about where we as humans are headed. All these thoughts and then my ipod shuffled David Bowie’s ‘Starman’, followed by Jack Johnson’s ‘Constellations’. Later that weekend my family and I went to the beach and everything was so beautiful. And it was then that The Traveler decided to reveal himself.

The Traveler is a story of the stars. It is about hope and peace and beauty and love. It is a children’s fable and it seeks to inspire awe in our everyday existence and optimism about the future.

Can you share an excerpt?

A: “…The Traveler rose and with him rose the Sand

With a scoop of his hand he caught the Air

With the Water from the Ocean and the Fire from the Sun

He put it all into One…”

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

A: My wife bought a special chair for me and she set up this place in a nice and bright corner of our bedroom next to all our books. It’s a wonderful space.

What is one thing about your book that makes it different from other books on the market?

A: It is a children’s book but is also a book that can be read and enjoyed by adults.

Tables are turned…what is one thing you’d like to say to your audience who might buy your book one day?

A: I hope I have been able to successfully transmit the joy and wonder I felt while writing the book to you and your young ones.

Thank you for this interview, Suthep. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

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