The world is full of mysteries. After the rain, a rainbow appears, and we are enchanted by its beauty stretching across the sky. But how many colors are there in a rainbow? Some people see three colors, others see five. However, there are people who can see the shades between the colors, and these people are special. The rainbow carries them away to the endless expanse of the ocean. When they return, their eyes shine with the light of the mystery they have witnessed. Such people do not stay on the shore for long; they leave again for the horizon. Some of them never return.
There are many legends about the sea. One of them says that the souls of sailors turn into seabirds. Soaring high in the sky, these souls can see what is inaccessible to the eyes of those on land.
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I have been a seaman for decades, navigating all kinds of ships around the globe. 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 wiser and prefer prose. I write love and adventure stories, novellas, essays, works of history and politics, journalism and more. I don’t write pulp fiction; I leave that to those who learn life from their parents or Hollywood movies. I write about real-life stories that have happened to me and my friends. I know that real life is far more colorful than any Hollywood fiction.
Many have been written about adventurers. I knew a daredevil who travelled across seas and ocean. He seemed to be playing a game with fate; the more dangerous it was, the more exciting he found it. I decided to write about his exploits, gathering enough material to fill a book. So I thought about which category of genre to choose. I don’t usually write long stories as 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 love novellas! I enjoy adventure stories in which a few heroes each harbour secrets. Then, they caught up in events that reveal their secrets and true nature.
I thought I could write a series of novellas featuring the same main character. Although he would have different names, he would be identifiable by his passions and habits. One of my favourite writers, O. Henry, wrote a collection of short stories called ‘The Kings and the Cabbage’ and referred to it as a ‘novel’. A similar approach can also be found in Remarque’s work. While the plots of his novels differ, the main character remains recognizable — he reveals himself through his love of calvados!
Having collected so many personal life stories, I decided to share my own adventures with the main character, hiding behind him. A series of short stories is much more intriguing than one long story, the ending of which is almost always predictable or can be discovered by an impatient reader who skips to the final scene. 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 the 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 the book ‘Beyond the Bosporus’. Each short novel or adventure story has its own plot, so the book can be read in any order. There are tales of seafarers, pirates, and treasure hunters, as well as stories of love and betrayal. Many of these stories are available on my website.
My main book is ‘History for Dummies’. It took me over 20 years to complete it. The book covers the wars and revolutions of the 20th 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. This war is still known as ‘The Unknown War’.
Why did I create a website? One day, I realized that I could showcase all my books on it without publisher. By offering works spanning all prose genre, I can satisfy even the most demanding and curious reader. Having lived in several countries and experienced different political systems, I can draw on my bilingualism and experience to compare and describe the mentality and culture of the people in my stories. 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