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First, I’d like to take a moment to celebrate with Konstantina because today is the day that her book, The One: Chronicle of a Crime, releases! It’s always great to share in those big release days with other authors.
Eliza: When did you write your first book and how long did it take you?
Konstantina: That was almost seven years ago. I remember it had taken me just three months. It was never published though! It still remains a draft on my computer. It was just my first book. So, I decided I should give myself some time to practice and evolve as a writer, and I’m grateful for that! Maybe I’ll do something with it one day. I mean the story.
Eliza:Β Your first book, βThe Fairy Tales Grown Upβ is a collection of short stories. What inspired you to tackle fairy tales reimagined?
Konstantina: Well… I first drew the inspiration for a story from a castle. Two castles actually: one in Thessaloniki, Greece and one in Rome. It was an early inspiration, and I ended up taking notes on two stories out of it. Maybe because of the castles, and imagining the heroes of my stories up there, I envisioned them as fairy tales. And then the inspiration for more stories came. So, I decided to narrate my stories this way.
Eliza:Β Your second book takes a bit of a darker turn, as a mystery thriller. The lead character is solving a thirty year old mystery. So, who wasΒ Andreas Chrysovergis?
Konstantina: Andreas Chrysovergis is a fictional character. So, according to the plot, he was the prime minister of Greece from 1977 to 1988. He was admired and loved, in his country and beyond it, because of his outstanding skills and his commitment to serving the interests of the people. So, his murder caused sorrow to the masses. Not to mention, it triggered a “treasure hunt” and conspiracy theories on the penetrators of the lethal attack (like with JFK).
Eliza:Β Β Youβve published in both Greek and English. Did you work with a translator or were you able to write in both?
Konstantina: I’ve never worked with a translator. Only an editor, like most authors do. Greek is my mother tongue, so it’s easy for me to write in Greek. English, on the other hand, is a language I’ve used on countless occasions, like job, studies, travelling and reading. What I like in English, is that it gets creative with the developments on technology and so many things.
Eliza:Β Is there a market for Greek translations for English books?
Konstantina: Generally, people in Greece read not only Greek literature, but also literature from other countries. Books in other languages, English for example, get translated in Greek and they are distributed in Greece. A very popular book in English is very likely to become popular in Greece as well, in the translated edition.
Eliza: Many self-published authors have found translating into German to be successful as well. Maybe this is another avenue for translations that authors might find successful.
Eliza: What was the most challenging part of writing your most recent novel?
Konstantina: Well… An important part of “The One – Chronicle of a Crime” is about the influence of Andreas Chrysovergis on the people close to him. But they are quite different with each other. So, I worked hard on showing a different side, a different aspect of the effect leaving with Andreas had on each one of these people. And since he is dead in 2017, when the plot takes place, his story had to be explained, narrated through other people and their perception of him. That was all hard. But now it worked and it contributed to building a world of secrets, I’m already working on the second part of “The One”, which will actually be a book trilogy!
Thank you to Kostantina for answering my questions! You can find out more about her books here:
Konstantina Kalliontzi Website
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The One – Chronicle of a Crime is available on Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Nobles.
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