Today we’d like to introduce you to Costi Gurgu
Hi Costi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I first started writing in primary school. I was 8 or 9 at the time. And it all came naturally like I was supposed to do that—no question in my mind, as to why. The first attempts were “tribute” to books and movies that impressed me. But it all got pretty serious when I joined my first writers’ group at 14. The encouragement of published writers was life-changing. It gave me confidence and made me believe in myself.
And still, it was a long and arduous journey. I sold my first story to a magazine when I was in university. Shortly after came my first award. And then ten more years until I sold my first novel. I sold over fifty short stories to magazines and anthologies in Canada, USA, Romania, Hungary, Denmark, France and England. I have five books (two story collections and three novels) published in the USA and Romania and they have brought me 24 awards.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. It’s been convoluted and rugged. My first novel was a genre that hadn’t been written before. You cannot say: “It’s like this book crossed with this book or movie.” And for a debut novel, that is dangerous. The publishers don’t know how to sell it, or even if it will sell. So their formal answer was “Thank you but it is not what we’re looking for at the moment.” It took me ten years to find a courageous and open-to-novelty publisher to accept it. Once published it won three awards and got a lot of praise.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a writer. I write speculative fiction. I’m known for writing stories that are cross-genres or creating new subgenres. Stories that are hard to define and push the limits of the imagination. “RecipeArium”, my debut novel couldn’t be labelled. Best-selling writer Robert J. Sawyer tried it by calling it “the New New Weird”. “Green Corrosion”, my latest novel is said to be an “eco-based sci-fi thriller”, to quote the shortest description.
I am most proud of the series I started with “Green Corrosion”. The series is called “Corrosion” and is set after an ecological disaster that has affected the entire world and Nature changed our rules. This year I will launch the second book in the series—”Pink Corrosion”.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I believe risk-taking is important to any enterprise. It is also important to know when to take risks and to have a backup plan. One also needs to build up expectations for the moment of taking risks. It shouldn’t come out of the blue.
I wrote more and more fringe short stories before coming out with a novel that couldn’t be defined. So, while the novel had been a surprise to many, I was already known for pushing the limits. Also, in the writing business, one could play the long game, which is not a rule that can apply to many businesses.
I sent “RecipeArium” to a writing competition for unpublished novels. I won the contest and the award was the publication of the winning novel. Now, the jury had selected my novel, but the publishers didn’t know what to do with it. So, although I won, I didn’t get my reward. And I had to wait and test the publishing market until I finally sold it.
Pricing:
- 8 cents/word is the minimum payment for fiction writing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://costigurgu.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/costigurgu/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CostiGurgu/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CostiGurgu
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/_v4Xka6j-2E?si=TYxiExs2HZAeBT4F
Image Credits
Photos by Vali Gurgu
Personal photo caption: My book launch for “RecipeArium” hosted by Robert J. Sawyer, AdAstra, Toronto, 2017
Captions:
– My book launch for “RecipeArium” hosted by Julie E. Czerneda, CanCon, Ottawa, 2017
– My book launch for “Servitude”, Bakka-Phoenix Book Store, Toronto, 2022
– Portrait