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Mario Taddei 

Interview With Author Mario Taddei

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Leonardo da Vinci studio since 1999, many years. And yet, every time I pick up one of its five thousand codes, I always find something new to study and discover. I have written numerous books on Leonardo, with famous publishers who then distributed my books all over the world. The most famous book is about Leonardo’s machines that I made in 2004, I find this book in all bookstores in the world and it makes me very angry. It will seem strange, because usually scholars never deny what they write, but what I wrote in that book I find now obsolete and outdated, the research I did and Leonardo’s machines that I rebuilt in 3D like the automobile, The bridges, the bombards, the flying machine, the helicopter, the boat with poles, the armed wagon etc .. I find them, copied in all the museums of the world. I recognize my studies and my machines because I have always added something and modified Leonardo’s drawings and at times I have discovered things that no scholar had done before. However, all these machines are not exactly Leonardo’s, in fact I later discovered that all these subjects are actually already existing machines that Leonardo copied, studied and tried to improve. I then moved on to study Leonardo da Vinci directly from his writings, thanks to the teachings of Carlo Pedretti, and here I found the great surprise. Leonardo’s real machines and real projects are hidden in thousands of virtually unknown pages. In fact, they are sketchy, unfinished and difficult to interpret drawings. For this reason they have been “abandoned”. In the last hundred years it has been more convenient for museums and for many curators to copy Leonardo’s usual machines without ever delving into the historical truth. My task, my mission and my passion is to rediscover these projects, study them, understand them and also create models from life, as well as on the computer. In recent years I have therefore studied and discovered new Leonardo machines, exhibited all over the world and my work is only at the beginning.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The last book I published is entitled “How to become Leonardo da Vinci”. A strong and ambitious title, I know. Title that also attracts criticism and suspicion. But that hides a real and difficult truth. The inspiration and birth of this book comes from the animated discussions I have often had during some conferences, presentations and meetings with ignorant, snooty and narrow-minded people. I have even had to argue with directors, scholars, former friends and former associates with a mentality that I do not consider worthy of a scholar, a popularizer or a person who deals with culture. They not only thought that it is impossible to become like Leonardo but they denied hope to their own children and students! Unfortunately these people are more busy thinking about money and power rather than the beauty of art and science that must be available to every human being.
But let’s take a step back: I’ve been studying Leonardo da Vinci for over 30 years. I have made exhibitions all over the world, built hundreds of machines and created multimedia software, books and research to introduce the greatest genius and artist of all time to the general public.
In the lessons and in contact with the public, however, I have always happened to meet people convinced that there is only one of Leonardo, and many others, disheartened, wondered how it was possible that such a “great” and unattainable person existed . Not to mention the people with whom I have often quarreled, convinced that Leonardo can only be born and it is not possible to become like him. How much more wrong and dangerous! Wrong because Leonardo’s history and true knowledge will surprise us, only ignorance creates unreachable myths, dangerous because with an attitude of this type we kill in the birth, in our children and in our students, the desire to become the new Leonardo! I have finally published this book which has a revolutionary and powerful message: everyone can become Leonardo, certainly not easy, but it is possible.
In more than a hundred small chapters, written in a simple and understandable way, I searched and found the basic principles that led Leonardo to be what we know.
It will be surprising to find, for example, that there are ugly drawings, that Leonardo had copied some things, made mistakes and his other machines do not work. In short, there are explanations, techniques, principles and real secrets that can help us along the path of knowledge and art.

Becoming Leonardo is possible and what we have to do is not to clip the wings of our children, potential geniuses, who only need encouragement, guidance and help.In this book I try to give my contribution up to the point of art and technology digital contemporary usable as a tool for modern Da VInci.
If only one of the children (aged 6 to 99) who will read this book will understand how to become Leonardo, and will not be afraid to try, I will have contributed to a better future for all of us.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I write books on Leonardo I always let myself be guided by his creative spirit. I have long ago decided to write simply and directly, as if I had to explain things to a guy. For many years I have been following and reading academic research, with heavy, formal and unnecessarily complicated language. I understand, understand and accept the formal academic rules that are now mandatory for the world of professors. But this has distanced them from their primary purpose, scientific and artistic dissemination. Academic books are now full of citations and self-citations between professors without adding any useful information to the topic treated. Serious books on Leonardo therefore become more and more useless and distant from young readers who should be the first to be inspired and guided by science and art. When I write then I also let myself be carried away by continuous discovery: that is a process by which, by treating a topic and analyzing a drawing or a work, infinite new ways of development and study are opened. I know where I’m starting from, but I never plan to arrive. The journey, in art and science, is more beautiful and fascinating than the arrival.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a child I read science and science fiction books. When I started painting then I became passionate about art. I bought art books and therefore also by Leonardo da Vinci. I then realized that reading Leonardo’s books referred to thousands of manuscripts, but I could neither buy nor find them in the library. I then discovered that there were luxurious and very expensive editions of Leonardo’s codices. It was a real injustice for a boy not to be able to access Leonardo’s manuscripts just because the publishers had decided to speculate on such important works. I decided that something had to be done, so year after year I designed and built the virtual Atlantic code of 2004. I proposed to Microsoft and jointly to publish it, but it was not easy to reach the right people. In the end, in collaboration with the Ambrosiana and the magazine Focus, I managed to publish my most impressive work: The virtual Atlantic code, giving everyone the opportunity to virtually leaf through Leonardo’s codes!

What are you working on now?
I continue to study Leonardo’s manuscripts, there are still too many to study. Each of these tells of studies and creations that can inspire artists and scientists even today. I create works of digital art, NFT and work as an architect of the Metaverse (www.neoart3.net) and I am always inspired by nature and the science that Leonardo da Vinci studied. I am creating a series of books, the multimedia Vincentian readings, where I will collect all my studies. At the same time I also work in my laboratory where I build both Leonardo’s Renaissance machines and prototypes and art objects with 3D printers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For years I have relied on publishers who published my works. I have found bitterly that authors are always mistreated. Apart from the cases of the most famous authors who are courted by publishing houses, but only to make more money certainly not out of sincere admiration for their work, for the rest the publishing houses always seem to want to exploit the authors in a brazen and disrespectful way. I have been publishing books since 2003 and often when I go abroad I find new editions of my books without ever having heard of them from the publisher, let alone receive the compensation. I have continued for many years but things have not improved, even in the last few years I have written successful books on Leonardo without the publisher even making a regular contract. Technology and the internet have now come to the rescue of every author who can even publish with Amazon and use social networks to promote his works. Finally an incredible and powerful freedom. Of course it is not easy since there are hundreds of sites and social networks but slowly it is possible to take advantage of the technology to become known all over the world.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The new authors must never give up, it is difficult but as Leonardo teaches only perseverance and obstinacy can lead us to the goal. We must inform ourselves, never believe the first editor or the first specialist who seems to be able to help us. However, as I always write in my books on Leonardo, he too had problems and struggled to sell his art, only after a long time did he become famous.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up!

What are you reading now?
I read more and more ancient books on art and science. I have found that all books in the end always tell about things already said and things already written. Going back to the sources it is possible to discover a lot and it is also surprising to discover the errors of scholars who have limited themselves to copying other texts before them!

What’s next for you as a writer?
There is always something new to explore and discover. We must always be curious and open to new points of view.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Ordinary people always think about bringing famous, romantic books or books that they have already read anyway! It’s useless. Let’s face it: you need history, art, technology and science … so you can start a fantastic new journey to create a new civilization on this desert island.

Author Websites and Profiles

Mario Taddei Website

Mario Taddei Amazon Profile

Mario Taddei’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

Pinterest Account

Jackson Selby 

Interview With Author Jackson Selby

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I am Jackson Selby, an almost 14-year-old teenager and an avid enjoyer of cats. Currently, I have written three books and one published short story (see the Saga of Mr. Squirrel on www.purrfect-books.com), with more books in different genres (including fantasy science fiction and two books of cartoon illustrations) in progress. I also have a poem set to be published in Penpoint Literary And Art Magazine’s next issue.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest project was the Saga of Mr. Squirrel, which serves as a free prequel of sorts to my current project, Suitcase the Cat. I was going for a walk on a late Saturday afternoon and I saw a Squirrel stealing a nut from a tree and running. Later, I told my co-author of the series about what I saw and from there the idea of a madcap walnut heist was born.

The Adventures of Suitcase The Cat has been a work in progress for almost six years. My co-author and I are working through the final edits with plans to publish the first book of the series this summer (2022). Then, we’ll work on editing the second book of that series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I cannot write without music. I barely pay any attention to the words themselves, but the background noise really helps me get into the flow of things. In addition, I write with very irregular grammar on my first draft so as to not get bogged down in working out which words to use. That would cause me to lose the writing flow I am in. I go back and edit grammar after I finish the chapter I’m working on at the time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I first got my start reading book series when I was given the Percy Jackson books in first grade. Those books lit the furnace of my reading desires and I have been hooked on reading ever since. Eventually, I began to write my own stories.

What are you working on now?
My current project is a book called ‘Suitcase the Cat’. It’s the story of a cat that whenever he is stressed, he turns into a suitcase and how he overcomes that problem and also finds his true family.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My co-author handles all of the administrative duties, while I get to do the fun stuff. We do have two websites which have lots of information about all our books. Check out www.atibooks.com which includes free story stretchers for each book and also go to our really fun, engaging website www.purrfect-books.com with games, puzzles and entertaining videos about two cats who are also authors of one of the books. The backstory on how that occurred is part of the website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If I had any advice for up-and-coming authors, it would be this: Be open to change. Your story will naturally change and evolve, and you can’t always force an ending just because you like it. Do what feels natural for the story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t focus on the end goal at the expense of the story. As you write, write each chapter as its own thing, not as a stepping stone to reach the end. The end goal of your story is where the story concludes, but the actual book is the journey to get to that point. You can’t rush through the everyday details to get to the end of the book.

What are you reading now?
Currently, I am re-reading the Morrigan Crow series which is a quite fantastic series of books that I really enjoy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a fairly fleshed-out sequel to Suitcase the Cat that I intend to move on to once the initial book is released that will cover the second half of his adventures. And I’m in the midst of creating a collection of short stories that are all related to a fantasy sci-fi world I’ve created.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d probably bring a good fantasy book – as that is my preferred genre – to keep me entertained during my stay. I’d also take an atlas, so I can figure out where I am and a local phonebook so that I could call someone in the area for help.

Author Websites and Profiles

Jackson Selby Website

Jackson Selby Amazon Profile

 

P C SARKAR 

Interview With Author P C SARKAR

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello.. I am a research scientist by profession, working for the Govt. of India, since last several years. My hobby is to explore heritage structures, particularly ruins, which are not well documented. My focus of work is Lucknow, the city of my birth. I have written 2 books on the lost heritage of Lucknow, and my third book is in final stage of publication.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book (under publication) is ABODE OF FAIRIES – LUCKNOW’S PARIKHANA. My fascination and deep rooted attachment for the lost heritage of Lucknow city (India) inspired me to write this book. This will be by third book on the subject.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well.. I write on 2 files simultaneously – one would be the main chapter and the second would be the bibliography. Hence the bibliography gets ready without any extra effort or headache. This is the reason my books have extensive bibliographic content

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Very difficult to list, since I have read hundreds of thousands of books of varied genre, since my school days.

What are you working on now?
I am a scientist, to working in scientific projects, of course. As regards my hobby on writing about heritage, I am already working on the script of my fourth book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do not do promotion, to be honest. I have a dedicated fan following and they eagerly await my books. Also my publisher, who is a traditional publisher, has a pretty good reach all over the world. So things get along..

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Before making any effort, do realize that a lot many books reach discount sales within a very short time, or dumped / shipped by weight since they have no buyers. So select a genre / topic / which would prevent your book from getting dumped likewise.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take breaks from writing to prevent writer’s block

What are you reading now?
An anthology of horror stories.. I am a great fan of the genre

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I said, I am already working on the script of my 4th book on Lucknow’s heritage.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My Phantom comics bound volumes

Author Websites and Profiles

P C SARKAR Amazon Profile

P C SARKAR’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

Victoria Terrinoni 

Interview With Author Victoria Terrinoni

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a long-time freelance writer. I have written one book, and I am working on the second one now, coming this fall. I moved 18 times with my husband, a retired Air Force Chaplain, including twice to Fairbanks, AK and once to Hawaii. We have shared experiences, and I feel blessed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called Where You Go, I Will Go: Lessons From a Military Spouse. I wrote the book after reading social media and hearing how lonely and lost many new military spouses are. This book is for military spouses or those who are curious about the military lifestyle.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I write directly on my laptop, not long hand as some writers do. I think that comes from my days as a newspaper reporter under deadline.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In non-fiction, I like Gretchen Rubin and her books on habits and happiness. I am also a fan of a fellow military spouse Kristen Strong, who writes about change, which is something military spouses know all too well. And I love A. J. Jacobs because he is hilarious.
In fiction, I am a fan of Janet Evanovich and W.E.B. Griffin and the way they both make the reader fall in love with their characters. I often feel like I’ve lost my best friend when I come to the end of one of their books.

What are you working on now?
I am writing a book about my husband’s experiences in East Africa. It is a book of hope and how meeting some people changed my husband’s, and my, view of the African continent.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I engage with my audience on social media — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I also have own website where I blog about being a military spouse.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make sure you know your subject and your ideal reader before writing. It will help you keep focus on what you want to say to them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Puke it up and clean it up later. I don’t even remember who told me that, but it was back in my newspaper and magazine days. Basically, get the first draft out. Editing will turn it into the product you want it to be.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a lot of books on writing and also military spouse related. Right now I am reading National Guard 101 by Mary Corbett. It is a guide for Guard and Reserve spouses to understand their place in the military cog.
But I just finished A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman. What a fantastic book. When I finished it, I sat quietly for a few minutes ruminating.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promoting my first book and writing my second one. It is a non-stop job.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Emma by Jane Austen, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and Beyond the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo.

Author Websites and Profiles

Victoria Terrinoni Website

Victoria Terrinoni Amazon Profile

Victoria Terrinoni’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

 

Dorenda Doyle 

Interview With Author Dorenda Doyle

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
How I Learned to Like My Mom: Forgive Those You Love … Before It’s Too Late is my FIRST EVER book! I am a retired educator (30 years), mother of 3 plus their spouses, grandmother of 7, and love to travel. My free time (WHAT FREE TIME?!) is spent taking care of grands, doing animal rescues (I have 3 rescues of my own–2 dogs & 1 cat … ok, maybe 4 rescues, cause I have a husband too!), reading, and biking. My bucket list goal is to visit all 63 National Parks, and biking a Century (100 miles in one day; my best is 77 so far).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
How I Learned to Like My Mom: Forgive Those You Love … Before It’s Too Late
It is a memoir about my mother, whom I loved, but decidedly did not like … that is, until I was forced to see her for who she really was. This happened upon her death and in the months following, while I was doing research on her life in order to deliver her eulogy (which I was loath to doI). I learned that she wasn’t JUST a beautiful, talented alcoholic who had drug her four kids through seven marriages, barely supporting us because she had only an eighth-grade education. Through family photos and stories, I uncovered the tale of a resilient woman who refused to give up on her dreams, her kids, or her life. Slowly, but surely, my admiration and respect grew for my mother with each additional piece of her history—some sad, some humorous, some uplifting, and some horrible. I began to welcome those traits in my own personality which I had previously abhorred because they were “hers.” The research continued for 6 more years until I knew that the only way I could have closure as well as finally show her the respect she deserved was to write this book. It is my story as well, how I learned to like the mom I loved, how I came to realize that forgiveness is one of our greatest gifts, and how I no longer judge her or myself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I drink hot chai tea when I start to lag. I fight the cat to keep her off the keyboard. I get my exercise by getting up and down from the computer to act as butler to my dogs (letting them in and out of the house).
Nope, pretty normal …

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite genre is NOT memoirs, but rather fantasy, romance (historical, comedy), and escapism fiction. Love Jayne Ann Krentz and Kathleen Woodiwiss. My newest favorite author is Jen Telger! Why did I write a memoir then? Because THIS was the book I HAD to write, the one that was heavy on my heart. My next books will be children’s books.

What are you working on now?
Marketing my brand new book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
No clue yet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write EVERY DAY!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get the book written. Don’t worry about making it perfect on the first round (or you’ll never finish), just get it written! AND, hire a GREAT EDITOR!

What are you reading now?
The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have started outlining my children’s series, Adventures with Grandma. I have 7 books planned (featuring an avatar of each of my grands).

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
NOT Robinson Crusoe!
Kathleen Woodiwiss, The Wolf & The Dove
Jayne Ann Krentz, (may I have her whole Arcane Society series?)
Anything from Leigh Bardugo or Andrea Kane

Author Websites and Profiles

Dorenda Doyle Website

Dorenda Doyle Amazon Profile