Writer or storyteller”¦.

A very warm welcome to all from the glorious Greek island of Corfu. Don’t believe all you read in the papers. Only the centre of Athens is in riot mode. The rest of us are too busy working.  So, a little bit about me….

I was born in Reading U.K. in 1958. My father is English and my mother is French although there is a strong vein of Spanish on my maternal grandmother’s side. I somehow managed to collect A levels in English, French and History and I subsequently won a place at Sheffield University where I decided to read Classical Civilization. Much to my mother’s horror, I gave up my studies and went to London to begin a course as a canine beautician. In 1984, my first husband and I parted ways amicably and I decided to visit the Ionian island of Corfu to celebrate my new freedom. It proved to be a life-changing decision. I still remember to this day, sitting in a café-bar, overlooking the crystal clear azure sea and saying to my friend. “I never want to leave here.” Writing has become my passion. I have always been a “Romantic”, often accused of not living in the real world but who wants to do that? I like to call my work Romance with a quirky, humorous Brit twist and I am always striving to make my characters real, characters we can all relate to. Which brings me nicely on to my blog topic of today. How do you see yourself? Writer or storyteller?

I count myself  lucky. I have four novels published, just received a contract for a fifth and am waiting to hear on a sixth. I am a writer ““ or am I? What defines a writer, a true writer?

This question was posed and answered in a recent television documentary. The American author being interviewed is not an author I have heard of but, apparently, she is a winner of many literary prizes.

The main focus of her discussion was genre writing ““ especially crime fiction, although her points can apply to romance. She said, the reader of crime knows where the story is going. The writer follows a plan: action, fast-paced, a puzzle to be solved, conflict. The reader is so caught up in the action and so longing for the case to be solved that any literary failings will be overlooked. We’ve all done that. Example: I know Dan Brown has taken a lot of flack but, hey, he held my attention.

I am not a literary snob. I can read anything from Superman comics {still love them} to Tolstoy. Sometimes I read for entertainment, other times for the sheer beauty of the prose on the page in front of me. Oh how I would love to scale such literary heights but I am a storyteller and proud of it. It is where, I hope my strength lies. I believe the world needs storytellers, the Dan Browns, the JK Rowlings, and Nora Roberts and, yes, even the creator of comic book fiction. Just as the world has a need for the Maria Callases, there is also a place for the Lady Gagas {probably on Mars ““ kidding ““ I adore her} because they bring joy to the world in their unique way. I hope, through my writing, I can contribute a little to that joy. My question to you all ““ who do you want to be? Danielle Steele or Fyodor Dostoevsky? I would love to hear your thoughts.

As this week I am celebrating the release of my single title, Cold, Cold Heart {MuseItHot Publishing}, I will be popping in with news, excerpt and competitions to share with you all. Enjoy your day.

Viviane Brentanos

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