Author Interview: Magdalena Ganowska: I Wanted To Be The Best Teacher Ever

She was born in Poland, in a small town, moved to a city at the age of 8, grew up there and that she feels was the best period of her life. She never loved schools, but was always open for learning about anything that would interest her. She loves to read and learn about ancient history, and geography. She loves to listen to people telling her about other cultures and ages. She started loving an educational institute when she joined her college because of two things – meeting different people from different arena and learning. She has a master’s in HR.

She works in an accounting office with her Dad and loves to teach English in her spare time. She has two wonderful and most interesting partners in her journey of life – her daughter Nadia and her husband. Inspired and motivated by her grandma, she started writing poems when she was in primary school. She thinks she is too emotional and emphatic whereas her friends have an opinion that she is a reliable person who doesn’t recognizes her true colors. You can find her fan page link on facebook here. Her book is available on Amazon.

We are in conversation with Magdalena Ganowska-Sztuba whose favorite authors are Paulo Coelho, Manuela Gretkowska, Jane Austin; whose favorite bands are one republic, opera, classical, Delilah, adele, lana del rey and whose favorite pastime is watching movies with a glass of wine in the company of her husband. Welcome, Meg on board. Let us start learning more about you after an exhaustive and interesting introduction above. Thanks for accompanying us for this interaction.  

Your real name and pen name?

My real name is Magdalena Ganowska-Sztuba but I shortened it and use only Magdalena Ganowska when talking about the book.

Please share some of the best memories of your childhood.

Lots of those I described in my book. If I was to add something, I would  mention Christmas when I was ten. I remember how happy I was among my family, how safe I felt.

About your education

I graduated from College for Future Teachers of English, got my bachelor degree there. I continued my education and got Master's degree in Job counseling

What career did you plan during your education days

I wanted to be the best teacher ever 

What is your biggest source of inspiration in life

Books  and real life.

What hurts you most in this world

Indifference, injustice, and my own weaknesses 

What is the biggest challenge you have faced? Were you able to overcome it? How?

Writing and publishing my book was a huge challenge that involved a lot of commitment and patience but the biggest is having a family. I want to be the best mother and wife I can possibly be.  

If you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why?

I'd be any actress on the set of any of my favorite movies, like Interview with the vampire or Moulin Rouge.

What is your favorite genre and why?

I don't have a favorite genre. I love drama, adventure, thrillers, YA, classics, romance and lots and lots more. 

What is the purpose of your writing?

To share my point of view, my feelings. 

Which of your work published so far?

Imperfect, a story based on my own life and lives of people I used to know. 

What are your forthcoming writings?

For the time being, I am too preoccupied with promoting my book as its publisher,  but I have plans for a second book, something totally different. But not in near future.

What are your future plans?

I want to travel the world and build my dream home.

What four top most things you take care of while writing a book?

I tried to create characters who would seem true and honest.

I paid huge attention to details concerning rooms and places, which I heard is something very positive and well done

I tried not to repeat words, I used http://thesaurus.com/ a lot.

I reread and rewrite something a lot, reading it out load and coming back to the text after longer and shorter breaks to ensure the plot is concise and meaningful.

Your dream destination on Earth

I have two: New york and Machu Picchu (Peru).

Your origin of birth and other countries you have visited/ stayed.

I was born in Poland and I still live here. I have visited Spain, Italy, Germany, England and France. 

What best things you liked in these countries around the globe?

I love learning about  places, observing how other people live their lives. I love good food of different regions and the smell of different places. 

Your favorite time of the day?

Sunrise...

Your zodiac/ sun sign

Capricorn

Your favorite color and why?

Brown, cause it's the color of my daughter's eyes and blue cause it's the color of my husband's.

Your favorite book and why?

I don't have one favorite but I love reading those authors: Coelho, Orwell, Rice, Gretkowska, Sapkowski, Austin, Irving, Picoult...

Your favorite celebrity and why?

I don't have one. I respect and admire the talent of many people, but I don't think of them as celebrities.

Your favorite food?

I love food, I love cooking and eating especially pasta dishes.

Some quickies: Sun or Moon, Laughter or Smile, Morning or Evening, Coffee or Tea, Mountain or Sea, Long Drive or Short Drive, Silence or Conversation

State your signature line/ tagline/ best quote

Be real.

And then Meg had a question for me:

I have an additional question, can I add a brief description about my book, maybe the one on amazon and the cover photo? Cause I haven't thought about it...

I said – sure, go ahead. And here it is in Meg’s own words!

Imperfect is a semi-fictional, self-published memoir which takes you on a journey through all sorts and types of intricate and challenging relationships. Meg, the main heroin, the storyteller, could be anybody. Ordinary on the surface, complex and unique in reality. Depicted here, we have a life of a young woman who after hitting the bottom, clawed her way up to the very peak. Solitude, this fatal modern disease, is what Meg had had to tackle since her parents’ divorce. As a fifteen years old, she started an affair she hoped would mend her wounds but what it actually did to her, was everything but. Many years later, she's given a second chance in life, but her closet, overflowing with skeletons, is something that she finds intimidating and has no idea how to get over it and move on. With a shocking prologue, breathtaking honesty and startling moments of retrospection, the reader is able to dip into the action set in contemporary Gdansk, a magical city situated on the north of Poland, just by the Baltic Sea. This extremely gripping story is not another mawkish prattle but based on true events, brave and straightforward modern tale of how varied faces love can wear. Written by a completely unknown, first time author from Poland, Mrs. Magdalena Ganowska, is a proof that in life, everything is possible.

From the Back Cover

If I were to describe my life in seasons, I would name two.

First, there was the summer, boiling hot and too bright, burning my skin and soul. It was when I was fifteen and I met a boy who seemed to be my dreams come true. In just a second, the misguiding first impression started becoming blurred to finally vanish into thin air, letting the truth sink in. The romantic notion of love I used to bear in me was destroyed by this handsome and charming guy, who altered my life forever.

Many years later came the snowy and frosty winter, bringing shelter and comfort for my overheated body, giving me a second chance in life. It was when I met my husband, my soul mate and my comrade in arms in one. Our imperfect relationship saved us, giving some kind of meaning to the suffering we had to endure throughout our lives.