Back to One & Discovering Antonia Gavrihel

I am often asked about my writing process.  I decided to answer your questions in a three-part reveal.  

Part One

THE PAST

Back to One & discovering Antonia Gavrihel, the writer.

When I originally wrote Back to One, my first true novel, life was quite demanding. I had a full-time job. I was a working mom with a toddler.  Most days were filled with my daily responsibilities before I could strip off the mantle of motherhood and allow myself late hours of creativity.  That is when Antonia Gavrihel came into being.  That is when I could escape into Cate & Kyle’s journey.  Usually from about 10 pm until about 3 am every night.  The apartment was still with no interruptions or commitments to anything but creativity.

I did this for nearly a year, including fine-tuning the manuscript to prepare it for presentation to publishers, production companies, and literary agencies.

In the beginning, I often wrote via paper and pen.  Later, I would transfer the writing to the computer. This was 1994, after all, and I had written poems, stories, plays, and even screenplays by paper and pen since I was a child.  The computer was pretty new to me, and allowing my words to flow without interference from technology was, at times, awkward.  But eventually, my comfort level with writing directly into the computer increased, and I defaulted to the computer after about six months of intense usage.

To dissect my writing style back then is a little hazy.  I don’t recall if I wrote the same as I do today. Specifically getting the structure and story in place and filling in the descriptions after.  I do know the story comes to me in the same way. I know what the beginning and end of the story are from the moment the idea occurs.  The middle is where the craft of writing lies. 

My late-night allotted hours to write would often short circuit inspiration.  I think that is why it took me a whole year to write and edit.  Having to renew my nightly excitement for Cate & Kyle’s journey after a long hard day at my day job, Back to One was sincerely a labor of love.

Of course, no matter what happened, I was deeply and passionately in love with my two main characters and wanted only the best for them.  They became family, like a child, and my mother nature wanted to protect them at all costs.

Part 2: Spontaneity & Writing Back to One

Part 3: The Back to One Series

Keep your dreams alive,

Antonia Gavrihel

Order Back to One from Barnes and Noble