Interview with Nonfiction Spiritual Book Author Nicholas Oliva

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Nicholas Oliva (O-lee-va’) has been a musician, writer, poet, photographer, an audio engineer, an Entertainment and Technical Director for over twenty-five years. This is his second book. The first entitled “Only Moments” published in 2007, ( www.onlymomentsbook.com ) was a novel that followed the lifetime journey of the professional musical career of a husband and wife team to the year 2020.

‘Finding God: To Believe or Not To Believe” ( www.tobelieveornot.com ) is a non-fiction book based on his own experiences. Mr. Oliva’s other websites are: www.onlymoment.wordpress.com You can find him on Facebook as well on the Facebook page Finding God: To Believe or Not To Believe http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=151624104854808

He lives in the quiet mountains of Nevada.

Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

In one sentence: I wanted to make a difference. And now the long version as I laugh out loud. Finding God: To Believe or Not to Believe is merely one human’s perspective and life experiences I am sure will mirror many other beings on this planet. To answer the question “why?” we must begin to understand who we are and what our limitations are. To be so arrogant as to have all the answers is the beginning of any normal human exclusionary, and possibly violent, action against those who would do harm in order to force others to believe as they do. No sword or bullet will convince any fanatic to change their mind. However, the defining point for a fanatic is a relative term in this world. Those who do nothing to stop this behavior can be just as guilty as the fanatic they allow to perpetuate such violence by tacit approval.

I waited a long time to begin writing this book. The incidents contained within occurred in October 2004, while at a hospital in Nevada. There are a few reasons why I chose to wait this long to tell my story. The first and most influential was the reasoning that by taking a stand on what I experienced and believe, I would have many detractors and people who would attack me in order to perpetuate and bolster their own beliefs and/or lack of beliefs and use me as an example. In order to fully explain what I’ve gone through, I will have to touch upon religion, morality, and ethics. My eschatological theme is actually non-religious and promotes the energy within as Godly, not the looking outward, by seeing with the eyes of the world. I always have been skeptical of near-death experiences or NDE. So it was with much skepticism I examined the empirical evidence of charts confirming the flat-line of my heart while in intensive care.

Much of what I think goes back to a search for meaning I have been drawn to throughout my life, beginning at a very early age. I was an altar boy, studied Latin, and planned to become a priest until the Pastor I adored, and everyone in the parish loved, committed multiple acts of sexual abuse to me and others over a period of four years. Those acts changed my thought process about the sanctity of the Church and the real questioning began in earnest for me. The idea of such a tidy and pious devotion to a religion containing more holes than Swiss cheese, as well as a whole horde of other accepted dogma of Catholicism, brought me to a silent, but pervasive, pensiveness.

All of this being said on such a heady subject, I have tried to write this in a non-scholarly, at times humorous and hopefully interesting, but easily digestible way. I’m sure there will be some indigestion occurring with those who will remain opposed to logical thought, irrational fear, and immovable theology. Bon appétit to those of diverse palates.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The hardest part of my book was writing and researching the story of the origins and the translations of so many versions of the New Testament. I wanted to be sure that the things I wrote were beyond reproach as far as scholarly history was concerned yet still make it palatable for people to read without the stuffiness of a history book or a scholarly thesis. I hope I succeeded.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

People should take good wishes from anyone and whatever sources that may be based on illusions of what anyone may think “God” is. Those good wishes are still good deeds and not a road to hell as many atheists want to believe. They do not want to believe it because they do not want to validate anyone’s religion because they think that if they allow any piece of that religion then they are acknowledging all of it. And atheists have a point in that they are highly discriminated against by those of religion. They have a tougher road to hoe than Wiccans. I think they should be called naturalists, not atheists, as it is closer to what they ascribe. They believe in the natural order of things. There are also different levels of what constitutes atheism. I think that many become hostile as a result of the backlash that is given to the negative connotations of the word atheist and what it implies to most people.

I think that good thoughts are good deeds and a prayer is hopefully also a good thought. I seriously doubt most even know what god they’re praying to as members of the same faith have different mindsets of what that deity is in their minds. My point in all this is that love in all aspects trump any and all dogma, non-believing, or any “Word of God” that tell you to hurt anyone else in the name of that religion. As far as I’m concerned in my book (literally) caring for a human being without conditions is a wonderful thing and far supersedes any and all other beliefs or actions. It is too bad few do exactly that, but there are people out there trying. Hope should replace faith and perhaps we’d be on the higher road.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

It began in high school but being a very insecure teenager that was a starter of the football team there was no way I was going to share my poetry and writing with anyone. I did not fit the mold ala’ Peggy Sue Got Married’s geeky poet-lover. No one really knew what was jangling about in my head, least of all me. I was just trying to understand how to deal with the world I was thrown into and keep raging hormones under control. That was no easy task. Mix in rock and roll with the social drugs of the day and you have a cocktail sure to put any sane person under the table. It was a quick but substantial decade of growing up. Then in college I enjoyed writing but it wasn’t until I was in my forties that I gave it a real shot. It was far from easy and to gain a “voice” that resonates with others takes much skill and many rewrites. I began writing scripts in the nineties for original TV series pilots and almost had one go to development, which at the time was unheard of from someone that lived on the East Coast sending it off to Hollywood, but alas in the end no takers for them.

Q: What’s the most frustrating thing about becoming a published author and what’s the most rewarding?

The most frustrating thing is typos. Those little bastards get in there no matter how many times it has been edited and proofread. The second most frustrating thing is having enough time, money, and energy to promote the book. It takes so much effort to get one person to buy a book even people that enjoy reading are very selective as to what they will actually buy. Perhaps it is a sign of economic times that we live in now or perhaps there are just so many books out there.

The most rewarding thing to make a connection with those people who get you; who understand what you are trying to impart. That’s worth all the time one puts into writing a book.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

I need to be away from any stimulus that will distract me. I can take notes anywhere but I need to be in an initial Zen state in order for my imagination to really flow. Then I usually have to write by hand because my hands cannot keep up with my thoughts. I have a sort of shorthand to jot things down quickly so I will not forget phrasing and ideas. I think that is the most important part-to catch those ideas before they fly-off while thinking of other things. The mind is extremely fast at times and that to me is the most important aspect of writing. It is all about catching that elusive moment.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I live up in the mountains of Nevada about 8,000 feet up in a beautiful canyon. It is a very majestic soul satisfying place but cold in the winter. The mountain air is fresh and invigorating and I escape the brutal heat of the summer. There is no need to turn the air conditioning on.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I write in the main living room on my laptop occasionally glancing out the window to the mountains across the way.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I’m content to stay at home as it is so beautiful there.

Q: Were you the kind of child who always had a book in his hand?

I was always a bit introverted but consistently scored high grades in English. When I was in the 6^th grade they did a comprehension test and I scored 1^st year college level. Now my math is another story. We won’t talk about that right now. I loved reading. The process began at age ten. My natural ability to speed read had me zipping though texts and encyclopedias in my parent’s spare room. My punishment when I was bad or disobedient—go to the spare room! Little did they know I liked to be alone in the spare bedroom. Never show your hand when you’re that young.

Q: Can you remember your favorite book?

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I read that in the 10^th grade and many times since. It is a classic tale of coming of age and getting old. Much wisdom is in that skinny little book.

Q: Do you remember writing stories when you were a child?

Poetry yes but I didn’t have the confidence to write stories until much later on in life.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

Facebook was an immediate way to begin getting the word out. My blog at www.onlymomentsbook.com was already in place so I used that as well.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

I do not twitter as of yet but I may begin in the future. I’m not a mobile net kind of guy. I like a full size keyboard and screen and my ability to read tiny text is waning with the years.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

It is difficult to market a book. There are so many being published that the traditional marketing methodologies just don’t work. You can pour money into advertising with results that may only bring you half of what you spent. The main impetus to buy a book is word of mouth. How do you get that pot of gold called “word of mouth?” Well the social networks can help but first you have to be able to create a buzz with credibility. You have to be yourself to sell yourself and that takes a bit of understanding of you and your product. If you are selling fiction, as is everyone else out there, then you need something unique as a drawing card. My book is about me so in the end if you think I’m interesting you will want to hear my story. If you are very opinionated and do not want to read anything critical to what you may believe than it would not be your cup of tea. The difference is that I wrote this book for a reason-not for money so I guess I may be the exception not the rule on the whole. I put myself on the line so to speak, to try to make a difference in the way people treat each other. I hope I can get that message out but I may not. Better to have tried and failed then never have tried at all.

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

I wish I could transfer my consciousness into a healthy body with no spinal damage. Even a cyborg would be a wonderful thing. Pain is not a fun experience each day and I must bear it for the alternative is permanent.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

I would love to go to Cambodia and see the temples of Angor Watt. I would then go Nepal and watch the whirling dervishes spin in praise of God. From there, a trip to Italy for art’s sake and then Paris for love’s sake. What more could I ask?

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

If I ever wanted to get into my house again that would have to be my wife.

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How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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