The Poet’s Secret by Kenneth Zak
In The Poet’s Secret, Elia Aloundra, a young lit student, sees the reclusive poet Cameron Beck recite a poem at a
campus pub before he vanishes—for a second time. Ten years earlier, Beck had dropped from the public eye
leaving only an acclaimed collection of odes to an anonymous muse and a decade of speculation over his
disappearance.
Elia sets off in search of Beck, longing to know the man whose words have moved her so, hoping perhaps the
ghost poet will unveil the secret to eternal love. What she doesn’t know is that as her quest begins, Beck is
perched atop a cliff on a remote Caribbean island and about to attempt suicide. As Elia faces off with Beck’s
protective circle on the exotic island hideaway, the same island where decades earlier a Spanish shipwreck
entombing mystical Aztec relics was found, she finds herself swept up in the mystery of the muse. What Elia
cannot fathom is that Beck’s secret will change both their lives forever.
A
Q&A with Kenneth Zak, author of The
Poet’s Secret
What
inspired you to write The
Poet’s Secret?
At
the time I wrote The
Poet’s Secret,
I was on a personal pilgrimage. I essentially took a threeyear
sabbatical, sort of an adult “time out,” and embarked on a new
path. I dedicated myself to explore the meaning of life and love and
particularly the arc of passion. I became consumed by the idea of
living in the present, honoring the “now” as the only real moment
in time, the only authentic eternity, which allowed me to both
disconnect and connect like never before and let go of the constructs
of past and future as fictions created by the mind. I gained a new
appreciation for relatively brief moments and encounters as having
potentially profound effects. I was living abroad, reading, writing,
surfing and slowing down my existence.
The
tale that became The
Poet’s Secret
was conceived in a hovel perched atop a onetable taverna in the
hillside village of Avdou, just a scooter ride from the blue waters
of the Aegean Sea on the island of Crete. I was sequestered alone,
halfway around the world from my home, and recovering from a life,
and a relationship, that had left me hollow, or at least I thought at
the time. But it turned out words kept flowing out of me, first in
raw, chunky verse that faintly resembled poetry and then in images
and scenes that bore an even fainter resemblance to a novel. For
months I wrote, swam in healing waters and disappeared into this
remote, antiquated Greek village. I had never done anything like that
before, but at the time it was the only existence that made any
sense.
So
many miracles happened during those months. I experienced a
cleansing, a healing and an awakening, and I began to perceive light
and water and imagery and words and the souls around me like never
before. I eventually returned to California, and then traveled to
Bali, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Cambodia and South America,
following the sea and surf with laptop in hand and continuing to
write. The backstory to writing The
Poet’s Secret
is a story in itself.
How
did you select the locations for the novel?
It
was tempting to set the bulk of the novel in Greece, a country I
adore. However, as the story evolved the compass for the island
setting spun toward the West Indies, and the story’s life raft
washed ashore on the fictional island of Mataki. I was fortunate to
spend a good part of my sabbatical on tropical islands and coastal
villages that certainly informed the setting. As for the early campus
setting, I based it on a fictionalized version of my beloved alma
mater, The Ohio State University.
What
was your particular process in terms of plot, outlining and
character?
I
essentially began the novel with two scenes that were haunting me.
First, I had a reclusive poet on a remote island cliff about to
attempt suicide. Second, I had a bookish young woman captured within
the confines of the great romances of literature. I really had no
idea about their connection, if any, but those two images would not
let go of me. As I began to write, the concept of the woman yearning
for what nearly kills the poet began to take hold.
The
process was fairly organic. I let the characters breathe and lead me
into the story. I wasn’t even sure whose story it was until shortly
after the first draft. Once the closing scene appeared to me I
realized that it was really Elia’s story. I then just had to
navigate getting there. While I did not develop any formal outline, I
downloaded scenes as they appeared, stockpiled them and later wove
them in when they seemed to make sense. It was a bit like swimming
across a sea, not sure which direction land might be but hoping that
if I kept going I would eventually find my way.
Stumbling,
a bit blindly, through this creative process was both exasperating
and exhilarating. As I was working on revisions, I attended several
writers’ conferences that stressed the necessity of thorough
plotting, which made me feel a tad vulnerable. I later read an
interview about Michael Ondaatje’s process in writing The
English Patient
and realized I was in good company.
The
novel is filled with excerpts of poetry, which came first, the poetry
or the narrative arc?
Most
of the poetry was written before any narrative took form. The poetry
came in often painful and soulsearching flourishes, and then was
revised over time. There is a line in The
Poet’s Secret
where Dean Baltutis refers to the poet’s inspiration being
“survival.” That is precisely how it felt at times. I also wanted
to combine both poetry and prose into one novel and attempt to slow
down the reader a bit at the beginning of each chapter to contemplate
and absorb the poetry, to be in that moment so to speak, before
continuing on the narrative journey.
What
in particular surprised you about the process of writing The
Poet’s Secret?
I
didn’t want to force plot twists or preconceived outcomes. I let
the characters find the story. I let go of expectations and trusted
the story to evolve. Tapping into this creative process was freeing,
exhilarating and challenging, sort of like jumping off a cliff into
the sea for the first time. I had never done anything quite like it,
but this particular process for me felt authentic. I certainly was
surprised how well the early drafts of the poetry and manuscript were
received, which bolstered my confidence to pursue the project through
publication.
Water
imagery is abundant throughout the novel, what is the particular
connection for you with water and particularly with respect to this
novel?
I
was thrown onto a swim team at age 8 even before I passed beginners
swim lessons (I was terrible at the back float). But water soon
became my life and in many ways my salvation. Throughout my youth I
swam, played water polo, lifeguarded and hung around Lake Erie in
northeastern Ohio. Somehow, I didn’t even see an ocean until I was
18. But I recall climbing out of the backseat of a Datsun 210
hatchback (or what they claimed to be a backseat) after driving for
twentytwo hours to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break and telling
my college buddies to just pick me up in a few hours. I was
mesmerized. I sprinted into the Atlantic Ocean and swam and
bodysurfed until dark. Today, I surf or swim almost every day. I feel
like I am about eighty percent water, the remaining twenty percent
made up mostly of curiosity and mischief.
Much
of the water in the universe is said to be a byproduct of star
formation. I’m no scientist, but I like the way that sounds.
Because when I look up at the night stars it feels a lot like gazing
west an hour before the sun dips into the sea, at least at my secret
little spot by the water. Flickering diamonds scatter everywhere
along the surface, and if I squint just right, I forget the sea is
even there. Instead, it looks like a galaxy of stars shimmering right
into me, washing across my heart, reflecting off my smile and filling
me with the belief that I can just float away into the universe. So I
often do.
Spiritually,
water often represents purification and healing. To me, water
represents so many things, perhaps most importantly love and life and
the sacred feminine. I once nearly died underwater while surfing in
Uluwatu, a place few have ever heard of and even fewer have visited.
But I know on so many occasions water has saved me, water has healed
me, and water has reset my compass when I have been spinning in some
uncontrollable vortex. So for me, my life and my love seem to be tied
to returning to the great aquatic source, again and again, maybe just
to fill the chasm that still exists in me, and maybe to some degree
still exists in all of us.
I
have been fortunate to swim with sea turtles and dolphins in the wild
on many occasions. When I stare into the eyes of a sea turtle or a
dolphin I cannot help but believe that they understand this great
aquatic connection, a connection beyond humanity, beyond species,
beyond even the stars. So when I am writing about passion,
heartbreak, healing, life and love, it is only natural for me to
write in a particularly aquatic language and style.
Where
is your favorite place to write?
My
favorite place to write is on that squeaky metal spring cot in that
hovel above Mihalis’ taverna in Avdou, Crete. After that, any place
as long as I have my noise cancellation headphones. I’ve written
and revised all over from kitchen tables to airplanes.
How
long have you been writing?
I’ve
been writing over thirty years now in one form or another. I wrote a
bit of poetry in high school and then did a bunch of required writing
in my legal profession. It was sometime after law school that I
penned my first novel (unpublished), and then about ten years ago
when the idea for The
Poet’s Secret
first took flight. I also have some published short fiction and
poetry.
Who
are some of your favorite authors?
Pablo
Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Haruki Murakami, Carlos Ruiz Zafon,
Paulo Coehlo, Milan Kundera, John Steinbeck, Michael Ondaatje, Jorge
Luis Borges, Rumi, A.S. Byatt, Carl Safina, Tom Spanbauer and so many
more.
How
did those authors influence your work?
My
favorite authors inspire, entertain, challenge and provoke me. I
don’t try to write or emulate any particular style. But when I read
the opening of Cannery
Row time
stops.
How
did you become affiliated with the Romance Writers of America?
Someone
recommended I send an early draft of The
Poet’s Secret
to the RWA. While The
Poet’s Secret
is by no means a traditional genre romance, it was selected an RWA
Golden Heart Finalist in romantic suspense. I was the only male
nominated that year (attending the national conference and award
ceremony is another story altogether). When my face went up on the
Jumbotron in front of thousands of mostly female authors at the award
ceremony it was a bit unnerving. Writing anything can be fraught with
selfdoubt. The RWA could not have been more welcoming and
supportive and certainly gave me a bolt of confidence to continue
writing and revising, as did the nominee class from that year, the
appropriately named Unsinkables.
How
did your professional career as an attorney influence your writing
and how do you balance the two careers?
I
think practicing law actually spurred my interest in creative
writing. While I was in private practice, I felt constrained by the
form restrictions requisite within the legal profession. I also felt
a lot of legal writing often served more to obfuscate than illuminate
and writing poetry and fiction allowed me the freedom to explore and
express myself in a different medium. The
Poet’s Secret
is not “another lawyer’s courtroom thriller” in any respect,
nor am I particularly drawn to that genre since I’ve lived it.
Nonetheless, my legal career (now as General Counsel for a large
private brokerage company) is both fascinating and challenging. I
draw some inspiration from the poet Wallace Stevens who for years
continued his vibrant writing career while an executive for an
insurance company. As far as balance goes, my evenings and weekends
are spent around the keyboard as much as possible.
Tell
us about your involvement with 1% for the Planet and The Surfrider
Foundation.
Perhaps
only a poet would give away money before it is even earned, but that
is what I felt compelled to do given my love of the ocean and
conservation causes. In addition to ocean swimming, free diving and
water polo, I have been an avid surfer for nearly two decades and
have surfed around the world. Subtle conservation themes are laced
through The
Poet’s Secret,
but my love of the ocean and our planet is anything but subtle. I
hope to leave this world and particularly our oceans better than I
found them. Penju Publishing’s membership with 1% For the Planet
and my pledged donations to The Surfrider Foundation are an effort to
spread awareness, give back and pay it forward.
PRESS
CONTACT
Elena
Meredith | PR by the Book
Just pure amazing, I was first draw to this book by the cover, it may be simple but sometimes simple is the best. Second was the author's name, my son is named Kenneth and well ...... Third is the plot. This book didn't let me down. I will admit it isn't one of my normal reads,( paranormal , elite fighter's etc..) but I am so honored and glad that I was able to read this wonderful author's work.
