In this week's Guest Author Interview I meet Jim Vuksic to discuss his novel 'Levels' Find out more below:
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I'm Jim Vuksic, born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; but attended St. Mark Seminary in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1961 through 1965.
After leaving the seminary, I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and am a Vietnam veteran. Upon being released from active duty, I was hired by the H.J. Heinz Company and stuck around for 33 years, until retiring as the manager of the company's Pittsburgh facility in 2001.
My late wife and I had five children together and were loving partners for 35 1/2 years. I am now the proud father of four adult children and grandfather of four wonderful grandchildren.
What first inspired you to start writing?
Writing a novel was actually just one of several goals, included in a bucket list, that my late wife insisted that I create when I retired.
Where did the idea for "Levels" come from?
I often speculated upon what it would take to create and sustain a social structure in which everone, without exception, has access to the exact same quantity and quality of food, clothing, housing, formal education, medical care, and social advancement opportunities. "Levels" is my attempt to create such a world. Readers must determine if I have succeeded or failed.
If you could spend a day with anyone from history, who would it be and why?
Robert E. Lee. Although eventually proven not to be infallible or invincible, as many on both sides of the American Civil War initially believed, General Lee was truly an honorable, humble, and honest man. Such virtues have been, are now, and probably always will be in short supply.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
Being a writer is the closest any human can come to being a god. A writer can create worlds, people, and situations, with no restrictions to limit the possibilities.
And the most challenging?
For me, the most challenging aspect was the conceptual editing phase of the publishing process. Every writer believes that producing a completed, polished manuscript is a great accomplishment. To be made aware by a professional conceptual editor that their completed, polished work is not yet complete nor polished is a humbling experience.
What are you reading at the moment?
I am half-way through "A Game of Thrones"; the first book of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.
What are you working on at the moment?
As explained in a previous response, writing a novel was just one of several goals that made up the bucket list created when I retired. I am presently in the process of completing the last of those goals -visiting all 50 states by car (43 down - 7 to go!). Between that, staying in touch with my children and grandchildren, and a fairly active social life, I may never find time to write another book.
Tell us aout your latest release and how we can find out more.
"Levels" tells a story about the end result of a social experiment conducted by a dedicated group of men and women to eliminate all of the institutions, philosophies, and bad behavior in general which they believed contributed to the downfall of previous societies.
The reader accompanies Jonathan and his companions, who have just completed their formal primary education and indoctrination, as they set out to prove worthy of advancement within their social structure, so that they may discover more about their world and those who control it.
More information is available on the novel's website, created and maintained by the publisher: http://jimvuksic.tateauthor.com/
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