Author Interview: Dushica Labovich

Tell us something about your book.

PRIDE AND INTENTIONS is THE NOTEBOOK meets PRIDE AND PREJUDICE! And only a few months after I self-published it, the book will finally be traditionally released in the spring of 2021 by wonderful NY „The Wild Rose Press“, acclaimed as one of the top romance publishers.

It is a book about great love, one that happens once in a lifetime and never lessens. A novel about a family, about the relationship of people of different social status, about praise, forgiveness, about the past that always comes back, and destiny from which we cannot escape. Pride and Intentions is an unusual magical story about Doris Rose, the young daughter of an English oligarch, who can’t forget the poor young man who stole her heart a long time ago when her parents forcefully separated them. But love has the power to turn the dark tragedy of their past into a miracle. Reborn as one of the richest men in England, the former poor boy from her childhood returns to the lives of her parents…

Who is the ideal reader for your book?

Pride and Intentions will find its audience among fans of family drama, British historical romance, character-driven love stories with strong descriptions of emotions, and growing up in love. Similar books are The Notebook, The North and South, The Wuthering Heights, Persuasion, and Pride and Prejudice.

Share the best critique/review of your book.

„…A very professionally written family drama. It was quite easy for me to follow from start to finish & never a dull moment. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists & a great set of unique characters & facts to keep track of. This could also make another great family drama movie or, better yet, a mini TV series. There is no doubt that this book deserves a 5-star rating.“

“Similar to The Notebook or Pride and Prejudice, maybe this isone of the greatest love stories ever told.

What inspired you to write it?

As a philosopher and lover of mysterious or psychological “smart” thrillers with magical and mystical elements, I never imagined myself as an author of romance. But like every woman, as a girl, I was in love with Jane Austen’s books as well as The Wuthering Heights and the film The Notebook inspired by Nicolas Sparks’s book. And what young girl doesn’t fantasize about Mr. Darcy or Ryan Gosling? So I said to myself: Just one romantic book! Just one! And I did it! I wrote a book in which the readers could find elements from my three favorite novels. I set the story in the middle of 20th century England, created a phenomenal female character with a strong but also sensitive nature. It is a character-driven story because that was the only way I could express my feelings from the hidden depths of a woman’s heart.

Share an excerpt from your book.

“I will tell you the story of my life. The story of nameless events that I intentionally never wished to name. We give games to the things that we don’t want to forget, but I have no fear of forgetting. Events that are so dramatic that they affect the lives of us all are never forgotten. They are always remembered with the same intensity, whether they destroy your heart or make it glorious…”

Did you dare to believe that your book will be published when you started writing?

Yes, I have always hoped for that while writing each of my books.

How many times were you rejected?

Like every new writer in the English-language territory, I have been rejected many times.

Was the process of looking for an agent/publisher discouraging?

Sometimes it was, but I believe in the saying: Hope dies last 🙂

How long did you write the first draft? And how long did the editing and re-editing take?

I wrote this book for two years. The re-editing seems to have taken longer than editing. However, since Pride and Intentions was translated into English, I had to wait for the translator to do her part of the job and that added many more months.

Can you share your writing rituals/habits/process?

I write almost every day, in all seasons. What I like most is sitting by the window and writing. Since I live in two cities, Budva, Montenegro, in the summer in an apartment with a sea view, and Moscow with a view of the eternally snowy sky during the winter, I prefer to write at home while watching nature’s changing games, rain showers, snowstorms or Mediterranean sea storms. I never write on trips, then my inspiration goes through other channels that I use later in writing when the passions calm down.

Who was your first literary crush?

Mr. Darcy and Alexey Vronsky. I don’t remember which one was the first…

Did you imagine yourself as an author in your teens?

Yes, I have always imagined myself as a writer, since the first grade of elementary school. Writing is not only my hobby, but my job and much more, writing is my obsession.

What was the first book that made you fall in love with reading?

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery

Did a book ever make you cry? (Which one?)

Many, but I remember very clearly Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, Emily Bronte’s The Wuthering Heights, and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

Which literary character did you want to take to bed as an 18-year-old?

Mr. Darcy, of course 🙂

Do you sing under the shower? Or to your plants?

Yes! I sing in the shower, especially in the summer when the temperatures in southern Europe are over 40 degrees and if I am not by the sea I take a shower ten times a day. I also sing when I work around flowers, but also when I vacuum, although I only do that when I’m alone since my sons don’t appreciate their mother’s musical talent.

Do you like to cook? What is your specialty?

Yes! I love to cook. My whole family is vegetarian, so I have a very big challenge in terms of novelty. My specialty are raw cakes, and I love when my friends can’t believe that there isn’t a single cooked or baked ingredient in the abundance of pudding and chocolate cream.

Do you have a pet?

Yes, a rabbit. I am like Beatrix Potter 🙂

What is the most romantic thing you ever did?

Ten years ago, I traveled half the world and married a foreigner in a distant country although I didn’t know a word of their language.

Do you believe in love?

Yes. But I have to add. I am a lover of everything and everyone. I fall in love again every day.

Your writing overflows with descriptions of the natural world. How much did nature influence you?

I love poetry so much that I can’t avoid it even in prose writing. That is why my writing is full of descriptions of nature and feelings. On the other hand, Pride and Intentions is set in England and how to write about England without mentioning the beautiful nature which makes the British Isles famous? I believe that every man who is in love or suffering because of love has a keen sense of nature and the seasons, and that is why this book is gifted with such descriptions.

What do you think makes a great story?

I think a good story can only be written if it is written from the heart. It must have an intriguing beginning, a good plot, and an unexpected outcome that will leave a positive inspiring impression on the reader.

You have finished another book which will find its home soon too. What is the newest one about?

Oh, God! I finally wrote a creative nonfiction intellectual thriller written with the help of fictional characters! The genre I enjoy the most. It took me more than ten years of research, three years of writing, and more than six months for the translator to translate it into English. It is about Salvador Dali’s big mystery, but also about the great mystery of our origins and abilities to influence the future, ruled by human consciousness. 

Any tips you would like to share with other writers who are starting out?

Every successful writer used to be a beginner. Every other successful writer today started as a self-published one. Every writer should be ready to ignore a huge number of rejections from both publishers and agents. But that must not be a reason for writers to stop believing in their abilities and bury their desire to be read someday. A real writer is the one who writes every day. A real writer is the one who does at least one thing every day that will help him in his career as a writer, even if it is the most innocuous status on a social network. Never write posts solely to say something since it will only turn the audience away from you.

What message would you like readers to take away from your books?

As a lover of the philosophy of ancient cultures and a traveler who explores the world of archeology and spiritual messages of holy places, I believe that the chances of waking up in a better world tomorrow are equal for each of us and this is the main mission of my writing.