Nino Gugunishvili, author of From My Balcony to Yours, on her journey to becoming an author

 

Writers don't just magically appear. There's often a journey that each person goes on to becoming an author. Today, Nino Gugunishvili shares hers as well as an excerpt from From My Balcony to Yours. Let her know your thoughts as you follow the tour. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Canceled Plans? –Check!
Panic and Fear? – Check!
Self- Isolation? – Check!
Missing Friends? – Check!
Gaining Weight? – Check!
Binge-Watching TV? – Check!
Lengthy Self- diggings? – Check!
Hope? – Check, check, check!
Who would have thought that Global Pandemic, Self-Isolation, Cluster, and a Lockdown were to become the trendiest words in 2020? Who would have imagined the world would freeze and people would stay home shattered with fear, panic, uncertainty towards their future?
How do we adjust to this changing reality, when none of our questions have answers when plans turn upside down, things get totally out of control?
In her new book: “From My Balcony to Yours,” author Nino Gugunishvili shares her personal account during the first several months of the COVID -19 global pandemic in the form of short stories and observations.

Nino Gugunishvili’s writing biography includes a collection of short stories “You Will Have a Black Labrador” and a women’s fiction novel “ Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock.”

Read an excerpt:

Dance, Dance, Dance!

I didn't want to get out of bed today. I couldn't find the reason why I had to, why I couldn't snuggle in bed for the whole day. What did I have to do that needed jumping out and throwing myself into a routine? I could bring my laptop to my bedroom and connect with the outer world from there. Who'd care? Then I could go to sleep, wake up and sleep some more. Luckily, the more optimistic part of me decided that there are better rejuvenating ways, and I got out of my bedroom for coffee, news, and the social media frenzy. It seemed the world stood in the exact same place as yesterday. The virus outbreak, self-isolation, quarantine, social distancing, and clusters are the words we hear and use most often.

My immediate 'cluster' of friends is okay. Each handling the self-imposed stay at home time differently, ranging from mild panic to existential crises blended with self-irony and humor of all imaginable shades (read dark). All the usual remedies of taking our minds off from the downpour of negative news, like reading or watching TV shows and movies, didn't seem to work this time, at least for me. I need something more substantial, mind-blowing, tiring, and freeing. Something that would make me forget my weight, my double-chin, and my thinning hair. I need to see a happier face in the mirror today. Try dancing! I tell myself, but the lazy part of me starts laughing hysterically.

Available on Amazon

on sale for $0.99

Your journey to becoming an author

My journey to becoming an author goes back to the winter of 2013 when I started writing my debut novel – Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock, about a young woman Tasha, who decides to change her life dramatically and relocates to Paris, France, diving into new adventures, romance, and rivalry. Much like Tasha, often without a second thought, I delved into writing, not thinking what would happen next; as I recall the process now, it seems I was driven by curiosity, excitement, and the novelty of the experience. Somewhere deep down, I always knew I’d want to write a novel but never considered it seriously enough to pursue until the clumsy, straight-forward, funny, slightly neurotic Tasha was born. In the 2015 Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock was finally published.

Fast forward to 2019, and a new collection of essays/short stories called You Will Have a Black Labrador came out. You’d think writing the second book would be more comfortable, but in many ways writing it was much scarier and more demanding than the first one. Contrary to my debut novel, You Will Have a Black Labrador is, to a great extent, autobiographical, and it felt strange and, at times, rather challenging to be a character.

Little did I know back in 2019 that we were about to enter the most challenging, frightening, dramatic year of 2020 with the Covid-19 Pandemic changing and shattering everything around us to the core.

Another collection of essays: From My Balcony to Yours, started as a series of blogs I was writing from March to September, and it was my close friend who actually suggested making a book out of it. I think From My Balcony to Yours follows all the skyrocketing emotional phases we went through, from fear and uncertainty to disillusionment, irony, sarcasm, disbelief, grief, but most importantly, and ultimately, hope, and that’s why maybe, I hope that this book will find its readers.

About Nino Gugunishvili

Nino Gugunishvili is the author of the two collections of short stories, “From My Balcony to Yours” and “You Will Have a Black Labrador.” Her women’s fiction novel “ Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock” was published in 2015. Nino lives in Tbilisi, Georgia. Her educational and professional background includes film, television, and journalism.

Twitter: @NinoGuguni

Instagram: ngugunishvili

Facebook Author page: Nino Gugunishvili 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14276355.Nino_Gugunishvili

Nino Gugunishvili will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway