INTERVIEW WITH SVIATOSLAV KOZACHENKO

GENRE: Thriller, mystery, horror

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The young writer Vitaliy Svitlychnyi wakes up in the coffin in the mysterious house of the master of illusions – Lysander. Under the rules of the bloody game, all guests invited to the house should die one after the other. Rescuing himself and the lives of his new friends, Vitaliy tries to unravel the riddle of the damned to an unbearable death. About the illusion of light and shadows at play, about the scenes of forgotten manuscripts that have the ability to revive and embody reality, about the price of talent and fame - read in the thriller of Sviatoslav Kozachenko "The Killer of Art."

JDBOOKS has the privilege of an interview with author SVIATOSLAV KOZACHENKO

Where do you live and is that the setting for your book?

I live in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is a city with a thousand years of history. We have places

with amazing energy. One of such places is St. Sophia Cathedral. People go out there

to heal their souls and to seek inspiration. Sometimes I get the feeling that I have to do

something extraordinary. At such moments, I sit down to write a book. The

characters, events, and places in my books are mostly fictional.

How did you come up with the premise of The Killer of Art?Was it something that you experienced?

I always dreamed of writing a book with an unpredictable ending. So unpredictable,

that after you finish reading a book, you start reading it again, to understand how it all

worked, to put a puzzle togehter. I was thinking about the story for about 5 years. I

wanted every intellectual to enjoy reading my book. I myself am in love with this type

of a book.

How did you come up with an amazing title?

There is a type of people, who do not view art as a wonderful act of divine

intervention. For them, this is just a way to make money. Often, nothing can stop

them in their pursuit of money and success even if they have to destroy someone’s

future. They are art killers. There is another type of people - real geniuses. With or

without money, they will still create, because they can live only when they create art.

My book is a testament to the fact that destroyers will never be able to overcome

creators. The book title is a way of drawing attention to this important fact.

Your book is a Thriller, mystery, horror. What drew you to the genre?

I have a passion for fiction since I was 6 years old.

In one of my blog pieces, I discuss how to approach writing a book, but it is mainly targeted towards those who want to write Thriller, mystery, horror. What advice would you give someone on how to approach writing a Thriller, mystery, horror?

In my childhood there was no Internet and no social networks, but there were

plenty of books. We could get into a fight with my siblings over аn interesting book

because everyone wanted to read it first. To start writing, you have to be crazy about

books in a good way. Choose the genre that appeals to you the most, get acquainted

with the classics, learn from them. In the horror genre, everything is simple. Try your

prose on yourself. If you're sitting in a dark room at night alone reading your book

and suddenly you're scared, you begin to look around, to look uneasily into the dark

corners, your heart starts to beat faster - you are on the right track. Try to write more.

Have any of the part of story in The Killer of Art? Been influenced by TV or movie figures? If so, which one(s)?

Most of my readers say: «Wow, what a great story! I would like to see a movie

based on this book.» Who knows, maybe I need to wait a while for the proposal and

then sit down to write the script. In fact, I read more books than I watch movies. After

I had read Martin Eden by Jack London, I thought to myself that I know a better story

and started writing The Killer of Art.

If you could give your younger self some advice about the writing process, what would it be?

 I would tell myself, dude, leave it all and find yourself a normal job (just kidding).

Learn spelling, don't make your editor angry (just kidding again). Try not to think

about the future result, how people will perceive and evaluate your book. Believe in

yourself and no one else, do not back down from your plan.

What time do you usually start writing and what do you find the hardest part of the writing process?

I used to start writing in the evenings and work late into the night. Now it makes

little difference to me what time of day to start writing. This is a matter of self-

adjustment. The hardest part has always been finding inspiration. It can be anything: a

falling star, babys’ voices, talking to friends, a loved one. When you are inspired, you,

as a kite, rise into the sky. It's your natural state.

How has writing changed you?

 I became more religious. Because true talent is a gift from heaven. This is a great

responsibility.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I keep thinking about my new books. Life is too short to be able to write them all.