Page 17 - San Diego Woman interactive pdf

Women of Distinction
S.G. BLAISE

MAKING A DREAM A REALITY

By Judith A. Habert

Photos by Dawn Nicoli/Nicoli Productions

S.G. knew from the time It was this history that S.G. moved to America in
that she was about 10 years S.G. was able to use in her 2001. Despite a working knowl-
old, that she wanted to be a writing. Her country was filled edge, she had never spoken En-
writer. “Even as a young girl, with so much beauty but was glish, so it was a bit of a culture
whenever I couldn’t sleep, I also filled with ruins. She used shock to be in a new country
would write short stories in all of this knowledge and his- and unable to communicate
my head and it would relax tory in the stories she wrote. with those around her. It took
me enough to fall asleep. In “Hungary is a country that her almost ten years to become
my stories, I was always the has a ‘thousand years of victory fluent. Throughout this time,
princess or the hero. It made in defeat’ (as noted in the book she had ideas for possible books
me feel empowered and ready Hungarians: A Thousand years in her mind, but didn’t proceed
to face the next day.” of Victory in Defeat by Paul because she wanted to be able
Being born in Hungary, Lendvai.) We outlasted every to write them in English, which
Many of us dream of being S.G. was surrounded by a one of our oppressors. I grew is a daunting task for someone
a published author one day, culturally rich history, dating up during the second half of whose first language is Hun-
but in the case of S.G. Blaise, it back a thousand years. the Soviet occupation. My Dad garian. S.G. was determined to
is a dream come true. “During “I would go to school decided that his way of rebel- share her stories, “Writing is not
a family cross-country road and walk past ruins of an ling was to smuggle in Hol- what I do. It's who I am. There
trip in 2012, an idea came to ancient Roman house on my lywood movies. He didn’t get is nothing I would want to do
me in a dream. I remember, right side and on the left side them to sell them, he wanted aside from writing. This is my
we were in Austria. I woke passion and my dream come
up in the middle of the night, true.”
feeling jet-lagged and with S.G. didn’t publish her first
this amazing story idea that I book until 2020, as she explains,
instinctively knew would span “I didn't learn the writing
a couple of books. I wrote it craft like those who were born
down, with the only illumina- here in the US. For example,
tion coming from my phone.” in Hungarian a quotation in a
This was the impetus that section of dialogue is marked
gave S.G. the starting point by a dash, not by a quotation
for her creative endeavor, The mark. This was just one of the
Last Lumenian Series. Kirkus many differences I had to learn
Review calls the debut book: when writing in English. I was
“A terrifically entertaining, starting at ground zero, but I
complex and original fantasy.” embraced all the challenges that
Many reviewers on Amazon you could see a castle, which to show them to his children. came with developing my own
and Goodreads say it’s the was ruled over by Kings and No one in my family spoke writing style. I didn’t just revise
most compelling, captivating Emperors. It was phenomenal English, we weren’t allowed to my story, I rewrote it five or six
Sci-Fi/Fantasy book they’ve how much history was sur- speak anything except Hun- times, starting from a blank
read, a real page-turner. It has rounding me. It’s no wonder garian or Russian. He would page and writing 500-pages on
already won multiple awards, that this influenced the lush use his voice to translate the average. This allowed me to find
including Best Romance and layered world building movies, so we could under- the best possible story, while
Fiction at the 2020 New York of my book, The Last Lume- stand. He risked his life, he was actively learning the craft of
Book Festival as well as Best nian—from the castles, to all very brave to do this, because writing at the same time.” The
Science Fiction at the 2020 the way to the dictators with he wanted to enrich the lives of culmination of over six years
New England Book Festival. an agenda.” his children.” of hard work resulted in the

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