Interview with
Ivan Figueroa-Otero MD
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Never expected to be a writer, since my original career was Pediatric Surgery. It was around my seventies as I was developing a holistic medical practice based on Chinese style acupuncture, I started getting the urge.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Book writing time maybe two- three weeks, but the preparation is variable. I write like downloading the contents from a very wise source.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Getting to know myself better without judging the process of learning that drives me to share it in my books. This experience, which has been learned from my attempts at understanding the way my life has intertwined with that of others in this splendorous journey, has motivated me to share the mistakes which made me wiser.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Both readers and patients are grateful to find a fellow traveler that has similar experiences and are hopeful that with the tools I offer they can recover their joy.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
It nurtures my heart and motivates to write again.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
To share the hope and patience with other fellow students, that more advance disciples have given me in the school of life.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I write to motivate readers to generate the questions that they need to answer.
What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
There is always the right message in a book when the reader is ready.
At what point do you think someone should call themselves a writer?
I don't know1
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
Wrong time to write. Go back to living the life you have missed.
Are there therapeutic benefits to modeling a character after someone you know?
Yes.
What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
Don't write fiction.
How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?
One who loves challenges and adventures.
How much research did you need to do for your book?
Not too much. Enough to support the message.
Tell us more about your book/s?
They are two trilogies that visualize life as a school of learning for our souls, where life tests us according to our needs and potential and where the purpose is getting you ready to pass your final exam. The basic questions you will be required to answer are. Who am I?. Where do I come from? And where will I be going back to?