This has been an exciting month for me! My first novel, Cycling to Asylum, was published. (For details on the book and where it can be purchased, visit my Cycling to Asylum page.)
So far, my novel has been reviewed by three publications . You can read these reviews by following the links below:
New Perspectives on Canadian Literature
I was also interviewed for the first time as an author. I was a little nervous, but it turned out to be a lot of fun, and in the process, I got to meet writer and blogger, Dyane Forde, who lives in my own city of Montréal. The interview is below:
This is a first! An author interview with Su Sokol, an author hailing from my very own city of Montreal. It’s always great to meet new authors, but I have to say connecting with a local writer carries a little something special. I quite enjoyed discovering today’s guest–an activist, lawyer and writer with a warm personality and gift for communicating–I’m sure you will enjoying meeting her as well.
So without further delay, please pull up a seat and make yourself comfortable. It’s time to welcome our guest!
Hello, Su! Can you start by telling us a little about yourself?
I am originally from Brooklyn, and like the family in my novel, my own family immigrated to Montréal largely for political reasons. Happily though, unlike that fictional family, it was not because our lives were in danger. In New York, I worked as a tenants’ rights lawyer. I do similar work now in Montréal as a social rights advocate, only I don’t have to go to court and I get to speak French as well as English. I love cycling, cooking, books, red wine and dark chocolate.
Oh, you had me at red wine and chocolate!
Are you interested in other forms of artistic expression besides writing? Why are you drawn to writing?
I also love music and have sung in a number of choral groups. I’ve played piano, cello, and most recently, I learned to play the glockenspiel for an anarchist marching band. I also enjoy visual art, theatre and dance, cooking, and gardening. Yet, aside from music, there is no artistic expression that has come close to moving me as much as writing. With words and stories, new worlds can be imagined, populated by characters, events, places, and emotions, and all this can grab hold of your heart and mind and refuse to let go.
Wonderfully put. Such is the magic of storytelling.
What draws you to novel writing? Do you write in other formats? What can you never see yourself writing?
I also love music and have sung in a number of choral groups. I’ve played piano, cello, and most recently, I learned to play the glockenspiel for an anarchist marching band ….
Read the rest of the review here.
What is great about all this is that my book launch hasn’t even happened yet! I am being double-launched, first in Montréal, where I live, and then in New York, Brooklyn to be exact, my city of birth. I am very excited about reading at two fantastic bookstores — Drawn & Quarterly and the Community Bookstore — in front of my friends and other guests My publisher and I are also working to arrange readings in other cities, so stay tuned!
Su J. Sokol 