Interview with Dudley Mecum, author of A Sojourn Among the Avatars of Wisdom
Inside the Book:
Title: A Sojourn Among the Avatars of Wisdom
Author: Dudley Mecum
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Visionary and Metaphysical
Format: Ebook
ORDER INFORMATION
A Sojourn Among the Avatars of Wisdom is available for order at
My book is a gift to my younger self. You see, I experienced a lot of setbacks when I was young, perhaps more setbacks than most people endure. A seventeen-year stretch of stuttering as a young adult preceded a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease, which causes constant headaches. That tag team prevented me from experiencing much success in life. When the stars didn’t align to provide me salvation from my current state of affairs, I endeavored in a new adventure, one that required a great deal of patience. Fifteen years passed until my idea became reality. When I turned to quote books for inspiration, the wisdom revealed was compiled author or by subject, which is very dry and lacks context. So, I felt the need to find a more cohesive, yet entertaining medium in which to impart the wisdom of the ages that gives hope for those who have endured a lot of adversity in their lives, perhaps more misfortune than their fair share. The best approach was to weave the non-fictional elements of wisdom into a fictional narrative. Complementing the adventure and wisdom, I included the traditional literary devices such as symbolism, irony, and foreshadowing. Finally, my book is an homage to Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School, a mid-19th century art movement. The story depicts three out of four scenes from his Voyage of Life series of paintings. In essence, my book would convey not my wisdom, but the counsel of the world’s greatest sages, allowing my younger self to avoid common mistakes and achieve a greater success in life. Similarly, I’m hopeful that most readers will find my narrative entertaining and its underlying wisdom compelling.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced writing it?
My book became a Rubik’s Cube of sorts because certain scenes called for specific wisdom and vice versa. In addition, I had to figure out who would impart what wisdom and in what order. The end result called for a colorful cast of characters and a multitude of scenes in which solicited advice would be given.
Do you plan subsequent books?
A sequel is planned for A Sojourn among the Avatars of Wisdom, which is hinted at in the last page of my book. Perhaps there will be more fantasy elements than imparted wisdom in that I don’t want to spend another fifteen years writing the sequel.
When and why did you begin writing?
Shortly after graduate school, I wrote recommendations on various airline stocks as if I were a research analyst for a commercial or investment bank. The individuals who read my work really liked my writing. I kept their comments in the back of my mind for the next twenty years until I started writing my book.
What is your greatest strength as an author?
I tend to be persistent. It took me fifteen years to finish my book. Not too many people can do that.
Did writing this book teach you anything?
I found that I needed to trust my instincts. I looked at quote books for inspiration and found their cataloging of quotes by author or by subject too dry. It’s as if each quote were a star in the sky. Even the notable quotes that I was drawn to, by themselves, really didn’t amount to much because there was no connective tissue. Only by writing a narrative, which not only provides context for each quote, but also related the quotes to each other, did I succeed in my quest. As a result, the “constellations of wisdom” are evident. Trusting my instincts proved to be the best thing I learned when writing my book.
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