The world is full of secrets. After the rain, a rainbow appears in the sky. We are captivated as it stretches across the sky. But how many colors are there in a rainbow? Some people see three colors, some see five, and some can count up to seven. However, there are some people who can see the shades between the colors, and those people are special. The rainbow takes them to the vast, unknown expanse of the blue ocean. When they return, the light of the mystery they have witnessed sparkles in their eyes. They don’t linger on the shore for long, though; they return over the horizon. Some of them never return.
There are many legends about the sea. One says that the souls of sailors who never return are transformed into seabirds. Soaring high in the sky, these souls can see beyond the horizon… they able to see something inaccessible to land dwellers.
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I have been a seaman for decades, circumnavigating the globe on all kinds of ships. I have experienced everything from sparkling tropical waters to the icy seas surrounding Antarctica. I have had many adventures in my life, and I continue to have them.
Like many of you, I have hobbies, one of which is writing. When I was young, I wrote poetry, but now I am older and wiser, I prefer prose. I write in many different genres, including love stories, novels, adventure stories, essays, and works of history, politics, and journalism. I don’t write fiction; I leave that to people who learn about life from their parents or Hollywood movies. I write about real-life stories that have happened to me and my friends. I know real life is far more colorful than any Hollywood film.
Many books have been written about adventurers. I knew a daredevil who travelled across seas and continents. He seemed to be playing a game with fate; the more dangerous was the situation, the more exciting he found it. By the time I decided to write a story about his exploits, I had gathered enough material to fill a book. So I thought about which genre to choose. I don’t usually write long stories because they require a large cast of characters and a complex plot. Nowadays, young people don’t read long stories — they disparagingly refer to such literature as ‘long reads’. You have to take the trends of our times into account.
I like short novellas! I enjoy adventure stories in which a few of heroes, and each harboring his secrets. Than they find themselves caught up in events that reveal their true nature.
I thought I could write a series of short novellas featuring the same main character in each one. Although they would have different names, my hero would be identifiable by his passions and habits. I was inspired by one of my favorite writers, O. Henry, who wrote a collection of short stories called ‘The Kings and the Cabbage’ and referred to it as a ‘long novel’. Similar approach can also be found in Remarque’s longer novels. While the plots of his stories differ, the main character remains recognizable — he reveals himself through his love of calvados!
With so many life stories collected by me, I decided to create adventures for the main character based on my own life, hiding behind him in the process. A series of short stories is much more interesting than one long story, the ending of which is almost always predictable or can be discovered by an impatient reader who skips pages to the end. Each short story in a collection has its own plot and denouement, and the author can use a fictional ‘alter ego’ to help tell the tale. This is especially useful when the author needs to resolve a particular situation in the story. He can hand his problem over to his ‘alter ego’ to find a solution. This technique was perfected by everyone’s favorite writer, Ernest Hemingway.
I jokingly refer to my own ‘alter ego’ by adding ‘W’.
After some thought, I realized with satisfaction that I had found a compromise. I now know exactly what I want my work to be. Almost all of the stories in one of my books are set on the other side of the Bosporus and relate to the ocean in some way. The plots unfold on the islands and continents of the New World. That’s why I called this my book ‘Beyond the Bosporus’ in which each short novel or adventure story has its own plot, so the book can be read from any page. There are tales of seafarers, pirates and treasure hunters, as well as stories of love and betrayal. I am offering many of these stories here on my website.
I have written seven books, the most notable of which is ‘History for Dummies’. It took me over 20 years to finish it. The book covers the wars and revolutions of the XX century. It also discusses the architects of those wars. My second book in this category ‘Hidden Traces of the Grey Wolf’ reveals the truth about many distorted facts and events of the Second World War. Thanks to those who distorted the truth, this war is still known as ‘The Unknown War’.
Why did I create a website? One day, I realized that I could use it to showcase all my books. By offering works spanning all prose genres, I can satisfy even the most demanding and curious reader. Having lived in several countries and experienced different political systems, I can use my bilingualism and experience to compare and describe the mentality and culture of the people in my stories. Currently, I am trying to write more in English. However, the current political situation suggests to me that Russian-speaking readers, for example, would benefit from a source of information in their own language that nobody else can offer them. Perhaps my work will help them to understand the world they live in better. Happy reading, friends! I look forward to your comments and feedback — they are invaluable to an author.
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Excellent write-up