Dmytro Tsehelnyk interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My name is Dmytro Tsehelnyk. I'm 24 y. o. fantasy writer from Ukraine, a bachelor of history, an eternal dreamer and board games fun.

When did your love of books begin?

My love of books is closely linked to history. When it emerged as a subject in the 5th grade, I realised that I liked reading about intrigue, people's fates and the reasons for this or that event. I combined my own imagination and real events, imagining what the world would have looked like if something had worked out differently.

 

My imagination could not get enough of real stories, so I became interested in fiction. Over the years, my book tastes changed. From Jules Verne to Tolkien. From Bradbury to Orwell. From Shakespeare to Remarque. But my love of fantasy has always remained.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

The idea of writing my first book came on Christmas Eve 2012. It's hard to remember why I came to that decision. I just sat down and started writing. The first experience was difficult. I was inept at linking words, there was a lot of tautology and superfluous sentences. But I loved it! I realised that I could create a whole world with its own story.

 

I rewrote my first book four or five times, perfecting my skills. The more I read books of that genre, the more I understood how to write. The first story never became a full-fledged book, but it started many other stories. One of them evolved into a fantasy trilogy, the first book of which is already on Amazon!

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

When I finished writing my first book in 2016, I thought that any publisher would be interested in an unknown author without an audience on social media. After all, there is a finished book, so what more do you need? I was very much mistaken. Attempts to get into publishing ended in complete failure because of different mistakes. I sold books on my website for a while, printing a small print run and going into a decent minus. The journey of any author is a separate story. And mine is still waiting for its happy ending.

Tell us about your book/books:

So far, I have finished three books. The first two are fiction for middle school children. The 3rd is a fantasy for young adults, a world I've been working through since 2020. The first book in the trilogy is called Elemestarium: The Inheritors.

 

This book is about two young people who receive a letter with an unexpected proposal. In the aftermath, their decision will determine the fate of the world and their own lives. There are no classic dragons, dwarves or elves or orcs in the story. I wanted to create my unique world. To write about the characters in a way that the reader lives their story.

 

If you like books with intrigue, labyrinthine mysteries and an epic plot, you will definitely love it!

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

A budding writer cannot develop his creativity without an audience of readers. It is the community that drives him forward, encouraging, stimulating and inspiring him to write. After all, he knows for sure that his stories are of interest to someone!

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Thanks for being there! Writing a book is not just a process of putting thoughts onto pages. It is a part of someone's life in which you play a really important role.

Where can people connect with you?

I run a Twitter and Instagram page @dmytrotheauthor. 

On Twitter, I plan to share my thoughts and news. 

On Instagram, you can see art with characters from the book and their descriptions.