Haythem Bastawy, the author of The Hesiad and The Hesiad ll, released his books in 2020. We wanted to catch up with the new author and see how life has been treating him since he was published.

Did you always dream of becoming an author?

I always planned to be an author. Writing is something I did since I was very young. Having learnt English before other erudite languages which I was bound to learn as I grew up, writing in English was a form of staying at home in a way – while having to deal with other languages in other mediums.

What was your first job?

I worked in many career paths in my youth but my ‘first job to mention’ is probably working as a free-lance journalist while completing my BA in English Language and Literature. I enjoyed this line of work very much and it formed the basis upon which I made the decision to return to academia.

How did you come about writing your book? Was that your intention or did you start writing for fun?

I planned to write an epic inspired by the ancient classics many years ago, and I experimented with many ideas in prose for many years until I eventually settled on this form in verse for this book.

What was your life like before you became an author?

I am not new to being an author, I published widely on various aspects of English Literature and History academically for many years. My author ranking according to academia website is in the top 1% worldwide.

Fiction-wise, I worked full-time and I completed a PhD and published several articles and papers while writing the book in its current form. The book has only been published two weeks ago, so it would be hard for me to describe the difference now, particularly in these unusual times. Having said that, I am very pleased that a project that I have worked on for many years has finally seen the light, and I’m working hard to make the other two parts of the trilogy and their sequel even better.

Did you face any struggles before becoming an author? If so, how did you overcome them?

The book as a project was a journey that started over twenty years ago. As a journey it was very tough and I had to start it two or three times from scratch, particularly after a lengthy period of experimentation in various forms in prose. Some of the earlier manuscripts I worked on are now lost, some I wasn’t pleased with at all and decided to discard of.

After reaching the current form of the book I started building on it and keeping the writing going within that.

Now that you are a published author, how has your life changed, if at all? 

Well, yes and no. Writing the book was a plan or a project at some point. Now that it’s published the book or the series is now a profession. That’s what I currently do.

I have also written a play and started a collection of kids’ stories inspired by the stories I have been telling my sons and the stories my sons have been writing with me.

Can you please describe a typical day in your life now?

I work from home, instead of a coffee shop or the pub due to the Covid 19 restrictions, so the current routine is slightly different but here is what I usually do. In the morning I go for a three K run. After that I start a home-schooling session for my sons, we usually finish after midday. I have lunch, then I start writing for two or three hours. After dinner, I play with my sons for an hour then I do my weight-lifting exercise - which is based on my boxing days back in time. After this, I take my younger sons to bed and tell them either a story we have written together or read them one of their books. Then I spend some time with my eldest son. After that I work for two or more hours. This includes either writing or art work. I am currently going through a mathematical art phase. I used to have singing time with my youngest sons but we are not doing any of this at the moment. They have probably grown out of it.

What is your most memorable moment of your life as an author?

I have many to mention, I would say there are countless moments.

In a few words, how would you review your experience with Pegasus Publishers?

Professional, to-the-point and flexible.

 Why did you choose Pegasus Publishers?

I went through the lists of publishers that I thought would be relevant to the trilogy then I chose Pegasus as it seemed the most relevant. And Pegasus chose me too.

Get yourself a copy of Haythem's book, here!