Official Interview: Eytan Uliel
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Official Interview: Eytan Uliel
Today's Chat with Sarah features Eytan Uliel author of Man Mission. This story will be book of the month in January 2020.
To view the official review, click here.
To view the book on Amazon, click here.
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1. Can you tell us a bit about who you are outside of writing?
Outside of writing, I am a 47 year old Australian company executive (I work in oil and gas finance), father of three, hopefully normally adjusted. I love to travel, eat, and write about eating and traveling! I have lived in Israel, South Africa, Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), Singapore, London, The Bahamas and Los Angeles in my life, and one of the great perks of my work is that I get to travel a lot. I spend about 6 months of every year on the road, and I get to visit some weird and wonderful places, all around the world. My current count is that I have been to over 80 countries on my travels - so I guess I am a bit of a global citizen.
2. According to your author blurb, it looks like you travel frequently. What's your favorite place you've visited?
That is a bit like asking someone if they have a favorite child!
In terms of big cities, I love London and Tokyo - I find both to be incredibly vibrant places; cities that have both done a fantastic job of blending the old and the new. In terms of "out there" travel locations, Iceland was extraordinary - amazing scenery, lots of good (and bizarre) foods to try, and many adventures to be had. And in terms of a place to just chill out, I am an Aussie, so I can never go past Bali, which is a truly magical place - I have been there over a dozen times.
3. Let's discuss your book Man Mission. This chronicles the journey of four men during the course of fifteen years. Considering your travels I'm wondering if this comes from your own experiences?
Writing is my passion and for the last 8 years I have written a successful blog - The Road Warrior (www.eytanuliel.com) - where I publish short stories about the places I have been and the people I have met, all around the world. A few of my readers told me I should write a book, one thing led to another, and my novel Man Mission was born. It took me four years to complete - a work of fiction, but set very much in the world of international travel I am most familiar with. So whilst fiction, much of it comes from my own experiences.
4. Are the characters completely fictional or are they based on real-life people?
I would think that in all writing you draw on your own experiences for inspiration, and that includes people you know. So whilst the characters in Man Mission are fictional, they are to some extent loosely based on real-life people - mainly friends of mine who, thankfully, are still talking to me! I also "merged" a few aspects of more than one real-life person into each of the characters as I was writing. I wanted to tell a story, and so I took a lot of artistic licence to create the characters I needed for that purpose.
5. Is there one particular mission or scene that you would say is your favorite in the book?
Another tough question! A scene that immediately springs to mind is the one in the hot tub in Taiwan, where the main characters meet a trio of Taiwanese cyclists who, in many respects, are doppelgangers. Plus everyone is nude. I especially like this scene because firstly, it's lighthearted and funny (at least I hope it is). Secondly, this fiction is a composite of sorts drawn from events that actually happened to me. Because bizarrely enough I had similar experiences in real life not once but twice, although in Korea and Miami, and not in Taiwan as I wrote the story in the book. And third, even though it is meant to read as a fun and entertaining scene, at the same time it really hones in on one of the core themes of the book, which is that the modern experience of manhood is pretty universal, with men all over the world experiencing similar challenges and making similar journeys.
6. Would you tell us a bit about the writing process for you?
In terms of the writing process, I am a firm believer in the notion that a large part of the writing process is simply the act of getting words down onto a page. After that you can edit, rearrange, polish or bin, but without words on a page, you have nothing. So my process is to have a general idea of where I want to go, and then just write. Oftentimes, I surprise myself with what the end result is!
I don't do too much research or planning to start, but when I do get to a point that I need to research something, I become pretty intense about it. I will collect everything I possibly can, and become a quasi-expert on the subject. Also, as I mentioned a lot of what I write is about travel, and of course there is no substitute for going there, so most often my research will involve visiting the places I want to write about to explore, learn and observe.
I am also a big believer in doing things on a schedule. So I try and set aside at least an hour each day for writing, more if I can. Some days it goes well, other days it is a grind, but I think doing it regularly and often makes for better work. If you want to be a good athlete you have to train every day; if you want to be a good writer you need to write everyday. It's no different.
7. You have quite a few four star reviews and reviewer accolades. What would be your advice to others looking to write a book?
Put words on the page, and read! You can't write a book if you don't start somewhere, and you can't write well if you don't know what you are trying to achieve. As Stephen King so perfectly said it: "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot." It's pretty simple really.
I also think a book needs to be engaging and accessible - something that people enjoy reading and want to read. Ultimately, first and foremost a book is about storytelling, and so before you can get round to delivering messages and ideas, you need to tell a good yarn. A lot of people seem to forget that.
8. What do you most want to be the biggest takeaway for the reader?
Well, on one level I really want readers to enjoy the story of journeys and adventures set against a backdrop of international travel. But that is really just the canvas on which the real story is told, and so I hope everyone who reads my book is prompted to some thought and reflection on the subject of manhood in the modern age, where, for so many average guys, what it means to "be a man" has become very unclear.
I'd like someone to get to the final page of the book - male and female readers alike - and feel they have a new perspective, and that their understanding of manhood has been challenged. I've been especially proud when men who have read my book have written to me to say they got something out of it: a sense that it is okay to have strong male relationships, that it's okay to cry, that it's okay to be emotional, or that it's okay to really question the life they're leading and to try and redefine it so that they can be the best version of themselves. And surprisingly quite a few women readers have also reached out to me, mainly to let me know that through my story they gained a bit more understanding of the inner workings of the sometimes mysterious male psyche!
9. What's next for you? Is there another book on the horizon?
Actually four. I have a trio of three new travel books that will come out sequentially over the next 3 years. The first is a collection of stories from when I backpacked around India, the second a collection of stories from travels around the United States, and the third a collection of stories about Jewish-related encounters I have had on my travels. And once these are all out, I am working on a second novel, which I hope to publish in about 2023. Nothing like having a plan and looking forward!
How about a few sillier questions.
10. Amusement parks: roller coasters, shows, games or food?
Roller coasters terrify me, so definitely not that! It would have to be food. I am a committed foodie and love trying new and wonderful things, wherever I travel. Plus I am a sugar junkie, and amusement parks often have more sugar in them than anything else. I especially love cotton candy (or as we say in Australia, fairy floss) - there is something about a big ball of cotton candy on a stick that just makes me happy. Go figure.
11. Coffee, tea, cola, or water?
Definitely coffee. I love coffee, and working/writing in a coffee shop is how I spend almost every morning of my life. I find I am so much more productive in a caffeinated environment!
12. What superpower would you most like to have and why?
That's a tough one - if I can have a superpower, why only just one?!? I suppose I'd want to be able to fly, but that is just a holdover - I think every little boy had that superpower fantasy at some point. Practically, x-ray vision: there are a lot of amazing things that could be done with x-ray vision. And I'd clean up in the casino, I suppose.....
—Neil Gaiman
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