Paullina Simons is the author of TULLY, THE BRONZE HORSEMAN, and eleven additional novels, as well as two children’s books, a cookbook, and a memoir. Her books have been published in over 23 countries and have been on many bestseller lists around the world. Born in Leningrad, Russia, Paullina immigrated to the United States in the mid-seventies, and now lives in New York with her husband and half of her children.
Discover more about Paullina on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit her website at http://paullinasimons.com
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Leningrad, USSR. In 1968, my father was arrested for protesting the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia and spent the next five years of his life in the Gulag prison camps and in exile. In the mid-seventies, my family and I managed to leave the U.S.S.R. and immigrate to the United States.
When did you begin writing?
While growing up in Russia I dreamed of someday becoming a writer. My dreams were put on hold as I learned English and overcame the shock of a new culture. After graduating from the University of Kansas and working various jobs as a financial journalist and as a translator, I wrote my first novel Tully.
Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?
I have a small writing studio less than a mile from my home. I go to work in the morning after I drop off my daughter at school and then come home at dinnertime. That sounds much saner than it is because as I get deeper into a book, it gets harder and harder to turn it off. So I’ll often also work at home, in bed, on the train—almost anywhere.
What is this book about?
The Tiger Catcher is a love story of Julian and Josephine, set in Los Angeles and London. He is on his second or third career, living in the land of dreams for sale, and searching for someone to change his life. She is a stage actress, shuffling between New York and L.A. working toward her big break. When they fall in love, it’s like a fairytale, because they fall in love in paradise.
Unfortunately, Josephine is not what she pretends to be. This causes a fracture in the foundation on which Julian has built his life and destroys the hopes on which he built his future. The Tiger Catcher is the story of the love, of that fracture and its aftermath, and what both Julian and Josephine must do as a man and a woman to repair what has been broken and retrieve what’s been lost.
What inspired you to write it?
The story of a man who loved a woman so much there was nothing he wouldn’t do to find her again, to love her, to help her, to save her, came to me all at once during one particularly vapid movie outing at which I was zoning out. When the movie was over, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about it, but I had envisioned my End of Forever saga almost in its entirety.
This wasn’t an acorn; it was an entire oak. I didn’t realize how big an oak it was until I finished the first book and saw that I had barely scratched the surface of the story, maybe planted the roots and tilled the soil. In total, I spent five years planning, writing, and then polishing these books.
The undying love and the hope to make it right that comes with a second chance is what animates these books and these characters.
Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?
The fact that we had all three books finished, and we didn’t have to wait a year or three for me to conclude the story, allowed my publishers to come up with a creative publishing approach. They wanted to tap into the way we as a culture consume our entertainment. We binge on it. We want it all, and we want it now. It wasn’t always the case, but it is the case today. So, William Morrow is publishing all three of the End of Forever novels in 2019: The Tiger Catcher on May 28th, A Beggar’s Kingdom on July 23 and Inexpressible Island on November 19.
Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?
Readers can purchase The Tiger Catcher at their local bookstore and online wherever books are sold (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.).
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?
Write your first book, everything follows from that.
What is up next for you?
On the one hand it’s hard to imagine starting something new since I have been in Julian’s world for five straight years. On the other hand, I started feeling the itch for my next book a year ago, and I have another three that I’m dying to get to.
Is there anything you would like to add?
It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. Thank you for the opportunity. I hope you enjoy The Tiger Catcher and are inspired to read the next two books in the End of Forever trilogy.
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