Wonder Unleashed: An Interview with Mona Semerau, author of Forces and RANBIR

Mona Semerau lives in Stoughton, Wisconsin. She has a few friends, too many books, and is insatiably curious about things she cannot claim to fully understand.

You can buy RANBIR here.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

It took no time at all for me to decide the title. The entire work reads very much like a movie score, with a clear storyline at once frightening and beautiful, full of mystery, humor, and puzzlement, but most of all, the sense of wonder. Hence FORCES, stark and dispassionate, strikes the balance for what is to follow.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

For as long as I can remember I think there has always been some kind of story trying to emerge. In my earliest years I was influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien, who was unique in his time. But the writing style in the final product is entirely my own.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

The music of Loreena McKennitt—particularly her albums An Ancient Muse and The Book of Secrets—most embodies the immersive elements of the story.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I would hope the person who reads FORCES will take the time to savor the wordcraft, feel the immersive element of it, and come away with a sense of the bigger picture in the ordinary wonders which surround us.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

RANBIR has been published recently, and is a totally different beast altogether. Told entirely from the perspective of a seven-year-old, the book is less than 100 pages long. It is NOT a children’s story, but instead—believe it or not—it is an introduction to higher mathematics and includes instructions for making a simple slide rule using only 3X5 index cards and slats from a Venetian blind.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

Over and above! At every stage of the process there has always been someone who stayed with me to see the final product come to fruition. I had so much to learn, and so much fun! And I’ve made some good friends.

You can buy RANBIR here.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.