George Nevgodovskyy

What was your favorite book as a child?

The first English book I became obsessed with was called Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan. I remember the school librarian making me read a section of it out loud to her, because she thought it would be too challenging for me as an ESL student at the time. There is a scene in that book where a young boy attends his own funeral and witnesses his family grieving at his death. That scene has always stuck with me.

What was the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

Originally I began writing just to materialize the stories that were in my head. I also enjoyed playing with language and saying something in an interesting way.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

Doing a field school in Italy when I was a university student. I think travelling always feels thrilling. It takes you out of your comfort zone.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

Yes I do. I find it helps to channel the right mood that I want to create in my writing, which for me is a huge driving force. In writing my story "Passing Through" which appears in Tint, I remember listening to a lot of Mitski. I was particularly inspired by the longing and melancholy of her songs "Old Friend" and "Two Slow Dancers" for that story.