Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing since I was a small boy. I gave my first “book” complete with illustrations to my father when I was seven. It was about astronauts. but it has not survived. I have been writing ever since. I have dabbled in poetry and even won the National Arts Club Award at Queens College (New York), but since then I have focused mostly on fiction. I have written eleven books that are published and available now. Short stories are what I write between books, and they are not easier but just less time consuming. When I am writing a book there is an enormous amount of time and effort actually writing the book; however, even more time consuming is the process after the first draft is done when I edit, revise, and proofread the book. I enjoy the whole process but the last part is not as enjoyable as the initial creation of the first draft.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘Unicorn: A Love Story.’ I was inspired to write the initial short story that eventually became this book by an incident many years ago when I was away on vacation. I observed an unusual relationship at the resort where I was staying. At first I thought the couple were there with their teenage daughter; however, over the days there I saw the teenager interacting romantically with both the man and woman. I never spoke to them or saw them again, but I was inspired to write a short story. Many years later I would resurrect the story, changed it substantially, and it became the book that was published in December 2023.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if they are unusual, but I am a visual learner and need a storyboard. Basically I write out the names and descriptions of the characters, the plot that occurs in each chapter, major events (including times and locations), and ideas I have for the possible obstacles and dangers that await my protagonists. As I am writing, I can look up at the board for anything that I need without having to go back in the manuscript looking for information.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ray Bradbury, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Robert Olen Butler, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and too many more to mention.
What are you working on now?
Once again I am adapting a story into a novel. In the slightly distant future, a wealthy but lonely man falls in love with a female android whom he meets at a club. When she asks him to help her escape, the man tries to buy her to take her home with him. He completes the purchase, but while he is away from her the club accidentally comes to collect her, and a technician is killed. Now, she is on the run and wanted worldwide. He sets out to find her before it’s too late. It is called ‘La Muneca’ and is a work in progress.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://viclana.blogspot.com/
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day. Don’t let criticisms stop you from writing. Write, write, and write. Join a writer’s group, get reactions to your stories, and read other people’s stories. Read the classics, the canon if you will, and everything else you can read. Most of all, never give up!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hemingway’s quote about writing: ‘There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
What are you reading now?
I’m reading ‘The Alchemist’ by Paul Coelho. I read it again every new year. It helps inspire me to keep writing and not go into shutdowns like I have done several times in my writing life.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, the big concern is working on the new novel. During that time I will take breaks to write articles and short stories and to continue to teach writing classes.
What is your favorite book of all time?
My collected works of William Shakespeare. My favorites are ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Othello,’ ‘Macbeth,’ and the sonnets.
Author Websites and Profiles
Victor Lana Website
Victor Lana Amazon Profile
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Goodreads Profile
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