From My Balcony to Yours
by Nino Gugunishvili
GENRE: Memoir Short Stories
BLURB:
Canceled
Plans? –Check!
Panic and Fear? – Check!
Self-
Isolation? – Check!
Missing Friends? – Check!
Gaining
Weight? – Check!
Binge-Watching TV? – Check!
Lengthy
Self- diggings? – Check!
Hope? – Check, check, check!
Who
would have thought that Global Pandemic, Self-Isolation,
Cluster, and a Lockdown were to become the trendiest words in
2020? Who would have imagined the world would freeze and people would
stay home shattered with fear, panic, uncertainty towards their
future?
How do we adjust to this changing reality, when none of
our questions have answers when plans turn upside down, things get
totally out of control?
In her new book: “From My Balcony to
Yours,” author Nino Gugunishvili shares her personal account during
the first several months of the COVID -19 global pandemic in the form
of short stories and observations.
Nino Gugunishvili’s
writing biography includes a collection of short stories “You Will
Have a Black Labrador” and a women’s fiction novel “ Friday
Evening, Eight O’Clock.”
Excerpt:
Balcony Blues
9:00 am First thought as I wake up is what if I would never have a chance of going anyplace further than the supermarket across my apartment building. I know it’s not original to start a story with a “wake up” scene, but specific rules change under the circumstances, don’t they?
9:30 am Checking Facebook. Logging off. Checking Instagram. Logging off. Checking Twitter. Love Twitter.
9:45 am Coffee time! God bless whoever decided that our nine-floor apartment building would have balconies. I feel eternally grateful for the opportunity of having a cup of coffee in the fresh air and only looking around. Not that I see anything unusual or unfamiliar. There are parked cars everywhere—an empty stadium, where two boys are coming to every evening with their dogs. I can even tell you the exact time. Usually, it’s around 9 pm. For the rest, it’s all peace and calm except stray cats wandering around trash bins. To tell you the truth, the view from my balcony doesn’t fuel my imagination. Still, the enormous twenty-three-floor building that I wholeheartedly detested suddenly gives me an unexpected hope. Wait, I hated it for so many reasons! For blocking the beautiful view of the TV Tower and a little old church up on the hill, for transforming our street into the never-ending traffic jam, for being so huge compared to the red brick house next to it, and for invading our privacy! But today, seeing that grey building as I’m standing on the balcony brings hope. Someday very soon, new people will be living there, buying croissants in the French bakery across the street, hurrying to their offices, having late-night home parties. It’ll be filled with human voices, stories, dramas, heartbreaks, laughter, life.
Interview with Nino Gugunishvili
What books that you have read have most influenced your life?
I can’t say that there was just one book that has influenced me the most; instead, I’d say that probably every book that I’ve read had an impact on me. From classics to contemporary fiction and poetry, books were always a huge part of my life, thanks to my parents, who continually encouraged us to read and collected a massive library.
Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
I would love to learn professional photography and travel to the most distant parts of the world, searching for adventures. I would love to visit Africa, or Lapland and Alaska, and I would definitely try dog-sledding. Speaking of the influence, that’s Jack London for sure! Although considering my clumsiness, I might end up being buried in snow, and I can almost hear a helicopter coming to the rescue! Ain’t it an excellent premise for a cozy, Christmassy romcom?
Can you tell us something about your book that is not in the summary?
I think there was no better time to write From My Balcony to Yours than now. There was no better time to rethink and reevaluate many of my perceptions and find answers to the questions I often avoided. It was the best time to face the fears and remember some of the regrets or failures, but don’t be scared! From My Balcony to Yours is not a selection of philosophical tractates; it’s not that serious, it’s sprinkled with humor, and it’s real. By the way, “sprinkled” is not the right word; as I see it, it’s quite funny in parts, but you have to read it first, and then we could argue.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
Oh, it’s never easy, and the more I write, the more difficult it becomes. But on the other hand, it’s that challenging nature of writing that pushes you to overcome your doubts and continue working. Every time I write, it’s like learning how to do it all over again; all the struggles are coming back, and it’s a mixture of thrill and fun and joy of moving forward with it.
What is your favorite childhood book?
Too many! But if I have to choose just one, it would definitely be the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. We were totally obsessed with it, its fantastic characters, and the incredible storytelling. Still to this day, that book for me is the synonym of my very happy childhood.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
To be honest, I wrote From My Balcony to Yours rather spontaneously during the lockdown. I didn’t really know then that these essays would end up in the form of a book. I was trying to understand what was happening with us and how the global pandemic affected us on a very personal level, describing my own feelings, emotions, and thoughts. I suppose that my intention was to write an honest account of the whole experience, which I believe many readers would relate to, and maybe it’ll even give them an impulse to share their own stories.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Nino Gugunishvili is the author of the two collections of short stories, “From My Balcony to Yours” and “You Will Have a Black Labrador.” Her women’s fiction novel “ Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock” was published in 2015. Nino lives in Tbilisi, Georgia. Her educational and professional background includes film, television, and journalism.
Author Links:
Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads
The book is on sale for only $0.99.
Buy Link:
2 comments:
Thanks so much for hosting! I'm getting totally addicted to the blog tours! :)
Thanks for hosting!
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