What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it.
Moon In Bastet is my debut novel. It’s a hyper-fiction memoir, written in a fantasy world but based off my true life. I was inspired by Martel’s The Life of Pi, which is very similar to how I wrote Moon In Bastet – except this is my memoir.
Moon In Bastet touches upon anti-Semitism, the Spanish expulsion of Sephardic Jews, spirituality, and sexism (both within and outside of Judaism.) One of the things that drives me crazy is also the white washing of the Jewish identity, so I tried to teach the audience about some different “types” of Jews, both religiously and culturally.
Tell us something about yourself.
I’m from Queens, New York and have been writing since kindergarten! I’ve known for a very long time that I’ve wanted to become an author but didn’t write a book until I was completely lost in life. I had just turned down a graduate program in oceanography, working with a professor from Woodshole, for an IT job. I knew that there was barely any money in the marine sciences field from my experience working as a marine biologist, but it was my dream for a very long time, so I sort of launched myself into a life tornado. What was I going to do now?
So I decided to become a lawyer and started studying for the LSATS frantically. I was a little over a third way through one of those big LSAT preparation books, when this Italian man from Milan struck up a conversation with me in Starbucks. He saw me studying, and as it turns out, he was a director for the environmental sciences program at a local college. From speaking with me, he could tell how passionate I was, and had said that he was worried that going into law would kill my spirit. He gave me some advice, which I ended up not taking, but meeting him was godsent, because the next day I started writing my book and never stopped. Meeting him made me realize that I needed to finally do what I was meant to do – write.
Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I definitely outline my book, but it always evolves with my novel. I’d say that I usually revise my outline about five times by the time I’m halfway through a book.
Do you have a daily or weekly writing schedule, or do you write only when you are inspired? How many words or pages do you complete in a typical day?
It depends. When I was writing Moon In Bastet, I had a daily goal of 2000 words, but now I have a monthly goal of 2 chapters.
How many drafts did you write before publishing your most recent book?
I had five drafts!
Do you read reviews?
The short answer is yes, but I try not to.
What is the best advice you could give other writers about writing or publishing?
Writing the book is the hardest task, but it’s also the most fun. When it comes to revising, things can get a little stale, especially after the second draft. Coffee helps.
Where can readers learn more about you and your book?
The book is available on Amazon.com.
Readers can check out my website, www.esdanon.com.
I suggest following me on social media too:
My Instagram – @author_e.s.danon
My linktree – linktr.ee/esdanon
