Rumyana Whitcher | Author Life

Rumyana Whitcher, the author of Underneath The Willow Tree, released her book in June 2020. We wanted to catch up with the new author and see how life has been treating her since she was published.

Did you always dream of becoming an author?

Writing poetry came to me almost spontaneously when I wrote my first poems in my native Bulgarian language, and then in English about two years ago.

What was your first job?

Previously I had a career in zoology

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

First poems which I wrote in English were borne from my close observation of nature and places along the British coast. Some of the poems include legendary stories, provoked by imagination that I wrote for fun.  For some of the poems I also created my own illustrations and photographs which made me consider completing a book in which I can put together all my work. The title of the book, 'Underneath the Willow Tree', caries the title of one of the poems.

What was your life like before you became an author?

Writing poetry involved reading many other poems by other authors and I always wanted to find my original and unique way of 'branding' my poetry. This is why becoming an author for me was like a life journey and a transformation of my lifestyle, emotions and vision, as well as a search for inspiration that would free my creativity.

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

People often go through different life challenges.  Writing and publishing a book for me was like discovering a new way of expressing myself. Honesty and imagination in writing is the best way to overcome any challenges.

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

It did change, as now I see that I have potential to write. I read different genres of literature now and I have more plans and ideas to write, in short essays as well.

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

Apart from usual daily routines, I try to spend one or two hours every day in nature, which gives me a sense of freedom. I like writing about nature, so this is the place where I discover my new ideas and of course take photographs of nature. Often I search in my home library for some forgotten books for reading.

In general I try to not have a typical day in my life, and I like every day to be different.

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

It was in 2018 when I wrote a poem every day of the week. Another important moment for me as a writer was when I had the poems that I had chosen for the book in front of me together with the illustrations compiled together. Since then I have had different ideas about how my next book will look like and what it will include.

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

I am very happy that I worked with Pegasus Publishers. The time from the initial submission to the publishing date was as agreed. Even in the difficult time of COVID-19, I had the chance to communicate and work with the production team.

Why did you choose Pegasus Publishers?

At first I was not sure where and how to approach the publication of my book and I had to speak with several publishers, but after I had the whole process explained by Pegasus Publishers, I did not have any doubt that I would like to work with them and I am happy that I did, as they have long years of experience in publishing. I like Pegasus Publishers website, where I found many new authors published, which was encouraging.

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