Author Interview with Agnieszka Paletta

This Week’s Feature Author Interview with

Agnieszka Paletta

Hi Agnieszka Paletta, welcome to the Indie Publishing Group website. Introduce yourself to us. Tell everyone who you are, where you’re from, what do you enjoy doing, hobbies and interests.

I’m a collage of countries and cultures… I was born in Cracow, Poland, and I feel Polish first and foremost. I grew up in Toronto, Canada, elementary school through university and beyond, so obviously that has had a colossal impact on who I am. At some point I fell in love with Italy and spent some of the most memorable and impressionable five months of my life there. But now, I’ve been living in Germany for nearly a decade. I’m a nomad who loves chocolate and wine!

Which is your favorite book you have written and what gave you the idea for it?

My first book. I can still close my eyes and picture the moment: I was sitting in a worn-out orange armchair in Munich, Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence” in one hand, a glass of wine in the other. About half way through the book it dawned on me: why not write something about Germany? I had read a number of books about what it’s like to be a foreigner living in Italy or France or Canada. But I’d never even heard of a similar book taking place in Germany. Well there I was, in Germany, with nothing to do. Voila! I could finally indulge in a dream that’s always been in the back of my mind: write a book.

How did you come up with the title for your book?

I tried so hard to convey everything I am into that title since it’s about nothing other than me ha, ha… My original thought was: “A Polish-Canadian-Lover-of-Italy Does Germany”. But that’s a bit long, no? So, then I tried to slim it down and “Doing Germany” is what remained.

Who helped you with the cover? Or did your design it yourself? What was your inspiration for your cover design?

I did everything myself. Editing the book, doing the cover, creating a website… You can learn how to all this stuff on the internet for free. (Lack of funds will do that to a person.)

What are some of the themes of your story?

The entire series is about me moving to Germany; what it’s like for an immigrant of mixed ideas (Polish-Canadian-lover-of-Italy) to settle into this country. It’s not fiction at all. I try to be funny and as honest as I can, researching names of places and things if I’ve forgotten over time. I’m one of those people that takes tons of photographs so this helps my writing as I can easily go back to “check facts” of certain events in the past. Creating a new life when you’re still longing for the old ones isn’t easy…

What’s your process when you sit down and decide to start writing a book? What is your process and do you have a system?

There are two books in the DOING GERMANY series, with a third in the planning stages. Planning for me means collecting little scraps of paper with ideas I’ve jotted down. A napkin from a restaurant, a receipt, pages torn from notebooks, newspaper margins – I’ll write anywhere when an idea comes. Sometimes I record voice messages on my phone. Half of those will never make it into the book, but that’s my process anyway. And when I’m ready, I translate those scraps of paper into something more coherent and friendly. So that’s where book three is for now.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Ever since I read “Quo Vadis” by Henryk Sienkiewicz when I was twelve I’ve been fascinated by the Roman Empire. This author and book changed my life. It began my love-affair with books and I’ve been reading ever since. I read a number of genres now, but every few books I go back to reading about the Roman Empire. It’s got me hooked. Colleen McCullough and Steven Saylor are the best, though of course there are many others. And I also adore the astounding Jane Austen. I so wish she had had the time to write a dozen more books!

If you could have any super powers what would they be?

I would love to fly! Is that a superpower?

Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?

My God I would love to be in a house where without confusion, doubt and overthinking I can just say: “Finally, I have found a place to call home. Forever.”

Thank you for this interview.

Agnieszka Paletta

Thanks so much for taking the time to do an author interview. Take a minute and check Agnieszka Paletta out on the links below. Agnieszka Paletta’s book, Doing Germany, is available now on Amazon!

Agnieszka Paletta Amazon Author Page

Agnieszka Paletta Instagram Page

Agnieszka Paletta Facebook Page

Agnieszka Paletta Goodreads Page

Agnieszka Paletta Author Website