Mary Novakovich stops by Travel Writing World to answer a few questions about her career as a writer. She is the author of My Family and Other Enemies: Life and Travels in Croatia’s Hinterland (Bradt 2022). You can find out more about her and her work on her website.
How did you first become interested in writing travel books?
I’ve been writing about travel for newspapers and magazines since 1999, but it wasn’t until I decided to do a road trip in Croatia with my mother in 2009 that I had an idea for a travelogue. I knew I was sitting on a goldmine of family stories in the Lika region of Croatia where my Serbian parents were born. And the region itself is still unfamiliar to many people, a place that has endured centuries of turbulent history but is one of remarkable beauty. I wanted to tell those stories.
How did you manage to get your first travel book published?
It wasn’t until 2019 that I met my agent at a party and talked about writing a travelogue about my 40-odd years of travelling in Lika, and which became My Family and Other Enemies. He was immediately enthusiastic about the idea, and took me on. But we had nearly a year of rejections until Adrian Phillips at Bradt Guides read my submission and agreed to publish, which was a daring thing to do in the middle of a global pandemic. Since then, everyone at Bradt has been fully behind the book, which has been so gratifying to see.
What is your writing process like, both on the road and at home? And how long does it take you to write a book inclusive of the research, travel, writing, and editing phases?
On all my travels, I make detailed notes in my notebook throughout the day. During that 2009 trip, I made copious notes on my laptop as well as my notebook in addition to audio interviews with my mother, as the intention at the time was to use that trip as the basis of my book. I also take lots of photos, which helps with visual reminders as well as time stamps. It was during the 2020 lockdown that I started to write the book after spending many weeks researching the extremely complicated history of Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. But during the writing process, I still had my full-time job as a travel writer, which I was still able to do in spite of the pandemic. What really spurred me on was the short window between signing the contract and delivering the manuscript: only four months. Like most journalists, I need a deadline to get cracking.
What books or authors influence or inform your own work?
I’ve always loved Eric Newby, whose inimitable wife Wanda I had the joy of meeting a couple of times. His style is relatively spare, which is something I’ve tried to keep in mind while writing. Dervla Murphy and Patrick Leigh Fermor have been major inspirations too. But the most recent travel writer I admire enormously is Kapka Kassabova, whose books have shed much-needed light on the Balkans and whose lyrical writing is captivating.
What advice would you give to someone interested in writing a travel book?
You need a really strong story, and a compelling reason why you’re the person to tell it. But you don’t necessarily need to embark on a great adventure to exotic parts of the world to find a story to tell. One thing that lockdown showed was how much inspiration could be found closer to home.
What is so appealing about the travel book as a literary form?
People never tire of hearing stories and discovering new places, even when they’re within a short distance of their own home. And not all travelogues make you want to travel: I’ve read plenty that have kept me utterly gripped, but whose locations I have no desire to visit. It’s this window on humanity that is endlessly fascinating.
Why write about travel?
The world needs opening up more than ever, not physically but emotionally and intellectually. Rather than focus on the “otherness” of other cultures, good travel writing can reveal our similarities and increases empathy and understanding.
Mary Novakovich stops by Travel Writing World to answer a few questions about her career as a writer. She is the author of My Family and Other Enemies: Life and Travels in Croatia’s Hinterland (Bradt 2022). You can find out more about her and her work on her website.
If you enjoyed this interview with Mary Novakovich, you might enjoy our other author profiles for more behind-the-scenes interviews with authors of travel books.
