She is
a former diplomat, turned political writer, and with age and wisdom - now
spiritual writer.
Her stories, articles and essays have been published in numerous newspapers and magazines, and first collection of short stories, titled 'The Year Spring Turned into Winter' was out in December 2008. Crossing Qalandiya - Exchanges Across the Israeli Palestinian Divide, co-authored with Shireen Anabtawi, was published in the UK in May 2010. Her upcoming book, On Dragonfly Wings - a skeptic's journey to mediumship , is due out in April 2014 from Axis Mundi Books and a short story collection titled Angel Feathers: Ten Tales from the Other Side, in November 2014 from Soul Rocks Books.
Her stories, articles and essays have been published in numerous newspapers and magazines, and first collection of short stories, titled 'The Year Spring Turned into Winter' was out in December 2008. Crossing Qalandiya - Exchanges Across the Israeli Palestinian Divide, co-authored with Shireen Anabtawi, was published in the UK in May 2010. Her upcoming book, On Dragonfly Wings - a skeptic's journey to mediumship , is due out in April 2014 from Axis Mundi Books and a short story collection titled Angel Feathers: Ten Tales from the Other Side, in November 2014 from Soul Rocks Books.
A very
warm welcome to Daniela!
Your
real name and pen name?
One and
the same - Daniela Norris. I used to write under a pen name when I worked as a
diplomat, because much of my writing had political undertones. These days, I am
delighted to be able to write under my real name.
Please
share some of the best memories of your childhood
I always
knew I wanted to become a writer, but I also knew I had to accumulate some life
experience before I did. Even as a child, as soon as I could write, I had
notebooks in which I've written things that I wanted to remember later in
life.
About
your education
I studied
political science and international relations, because I thought I could change
the world through understanding how it worked and wanted to be able to see the
'big picture'. Today I understand I was visiting the wrong gallery.
What
career did you plan during your education days?
I thought
I'd try to go into diplomacy - which I did. But it was always a temporary
choice, until I accumulated enough life experience to write.
What
languages you can speak and write?
I speak
English, French, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese and a little Romanian. I write in
English and Hebrew - and I am taking my first steps in French writing these
days.
What is your
biggest source of inspiration in life
that's easy - people. People inspire
some of the best and some of the worst situations and characters, but that is
what life is all about - experimenting and finding the right path,
making mistakes and learning from them.
What hurts you most
in this world
Hatred, judgement and
prejudice - I just don't understand these human behaviours, and they bother me
on a deep level. I know they always comes from fear and ignorance. But I
still find them hurtful.
What is
the biggest challenge you have faced? How did you overcome it?
I suppose
it was the sudden death of my younger brother in 2010. He died in a drowning
accident, and my world came to a halt. But it is also the event that has put me
on the spiritual path on which I walk today, and it inspired my latest book, On
Dragonfly Wings.
If you had to live
a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be
and why?
Allan Kardec (pen name
of the French teacher and educator Hyppolyte Leon Denizard Rivail, the
systemiser of mediumship). He dedicated much of his life to understanding
mediumistic phenomena, and I would love to be able to understand share some of
his knowledge, even if for one day!
What is
your favorite genre and why?
I love
reading everything, and it really depends on the time in my life, but at the
moment it is spiritual writing. Generally speaking, I love reading both fiction
and non-fiction, as long as I can learn something from the book I read.
Which of
your work has been published so far? Would you like to share a synopsis of
your work?
So far I
had one collection of short stories (2008) one political non-fiction book
(2010) - and one spiritual non-fiction book coming out on April 25, 2014.
What
are your forthcoming writings?
Another
collection of short stories, this time with a spiritual theme - due out before
the end of the year. It is titled: Angel Feathers: Tales from the Other Side.
What
are your future plans?
I am
currently working on a novel with the themes of reincarnation, past lives and
the lessons we come here to learn.
What
four top most things you take care of while writing a book?
1) School
or childcare for my three young boys, so I can have some writing space.
2) Good
coffee
3) Good
chocolate
4) A great
critiquing group to read the few first drafts.
Your
dream destination on Earth?
Nepal.
I've never been but I would love to go there one day.
Your
favorite time of the day?
four in
the morning - that is when fresh ideas wake me up, and I try to grasp them and
put them on paper before they disappear with the first morning light.
Your
zodiac/ sunsign?
Virgo
Your favorite color
and why?
Purple
and turquoise - colors that I connect to these days. And also, black -
which is the color I love to wear.
Your
favorite book and why?
Dr.
Michael Newton's Journey of Souls - it has opened a whole new
world to me.
Your
favorite celebrity and why?
I am not
into celebrities - although if I had to choose a film star, I would choose Matt
Damon, for his talent and choice of scripts. He's done several fantastic movies
with spiritual themes recently.
Your
favorite food?
Good
vegetarian Indian food wins every time. But I also love Thai food!
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,
Water or Fire,
Air or Earth,
Mars or Jupiter,
Moon or Sun,
Tulip
or Rose,
Red or Blue,
Left or Right,
Glance or Stare
State your
signature line/ tagline/ best quote –
Allan Kardec (Book on
Mediums and Evokers, 1861) - “Elementary logic requires that, in order to
discuss an issue, one should be familiar with it. The opinion of a critic
has no
value unless they talk
about something they know perfectly well.”
The
last line of your autobiography would be…
she was
not afraid to explore life, and death.
Twitter handle:
@DanielaINorris and @TFTAfterlife
Facebook
page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Daniela-I-Norris/179238064930?ref=hland https://www.facebook.com/ondragonflywingsthebook?ref=hl
Goodreads author
page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3328991.Daniela_Norris
Amazon link:
US http://www.amazon.com/Dragonfly-Wings-Skeptics-Journey-Mediumship/dp/178279512X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396895290&sr=1-1 or
UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragonfly-Wings-skeptics-journey-mediumship/dp/178279512X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396895327&sr=1-1
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