Rhapsody in a Minor Mode
Elaine Kozak
Tellwell Talent (2023)
ISBN: 978-0228891017
Elaine Kozak came to writing after several fascinating careers. She designed and sold information-retrieval systems, worked on policy and agreements to expand international trade, and, with her husband, planted a vineyard and established an award-winning winery. This last experience inspired Elaine’s first book, a vineyard mystery titled Root Causes. She followed it with The Lighthouse, a family saga set in New Mexico. A question about one of the characters in The Lighthouse intrigued her, and she wrote Rhapsody in a Minor Mode to answer it. Elaine now lives in Victoria, Canada.
Hi Elaine and welcome to Reader Views. What inspired you to become a writer, and how did that journey lead you to write Rhapsody in a Minor Mode?
Thank you for your questions.
Growing up, I didn’t aspire to be a writer (nor did I aspire to be a winemaker) but life takes interesting turns. I’ve always had a busy imagination, however, and many years ago characters and their stories began crowding my mind. Why not write them down? I thought, and here we are.
Although intended to stand alone, Rhapsody in a Minor Mode follows from my second book titled The Lighthouse where Niels Larsen is a minor character. A question about Niels arose from The Lighthouse and I decided to explore it in what became Rhapsody in a Minor Mode.
What is Rhapsody in a Minor Mode about?
Rhapsody in a Minor Mode is about a young man’s search for identity after learning a shocking secret about his origins. Questioning the basis and even the fact of his existence, and realizing that his life to that point has been shaped by others’ ideas of who and what he should be, he abandons his studies, his soul-mate, and his family to embark on a journey of self-discovery.
The life of your main character, Niels Larsen, changes dramatically due to a shocking secret revealed by a casual remark at a New Year’s party. Can you discuss how you decided on this particular revelation as a plot point, and also speak to the power of seemingly inconsequential moments serving as catalysts for life-altering changes?
In my previous book, The Lighthouse, others know Niels’ secret but he does not. After completing that book, I wondered how Niels would react if he ever found out, and that is the point of departure for Rhapsody in a Minor Mode.
Life can turn on what on the surface appear to be innocuous or inconsequential comments, events, or experiences. The significance of the phenomenon isn’t always immediately apparent and often its effect can be benign or beneficial, like when you suddenly gain an understanding about someone or something. But sometimes it challenges everything you know and value and tears you apart, as happens to Niels.
What inspired you to set part of Niels Larsen’s transformative journey in Spain, specifically in Seville? Could you elaborate on how the location acts as more than just a backdrop, perhaps even as a character in itself, within the story?
I like to write about places and subjects that interest me, as Spain does. Beyond that, after learning the secret of his origins, Niels effectively deconstructs himself and assumes a peripatetic life in a container ship, a hard, static, colorless environment. When he arrives in Seville, he enters a warm, dynamic city full of color and passion, conditions which inspire renewal and regeneration. A place where his phoenix can rise out of the ashes.
Tiago, the enigmatic gypsy guitarist in Spain, plays a pivotal role in Niels’ journey. How did you conceptualize this character, and what does he symbolize?
I don’t consciously conceptualize characters. They just sort of present themselves, as the gitano guitarist did. He serves as a kind of spirit guide for Niels on his inward journey.
Niels Larsen finds himself at a crossroads, torn between a newfound life in Spain and his roots in Canada. Could you discuss the inspiration behind using this geographical dilemma as a lens through which to explore Niels’ deeper internal conflicts?
It’s the universal dilemma of anyone who has left home to transcend the constraints of their past–especially the persona assigned to them by the assumptions, definitions, and expectations of their family and cultural context. Years after he set off on his journey, Niels recognizes that it is through his experiences in Spain that he became the man he is and lives the life he does, both of which he values greatly. Yet the pull back to home and family is strong—paradoxically, it’s in Spain that he comes to fully understand the meaning and importance of family. The contrast between the misty, blue-gray dreaminess of Pacific Canada and the heat, earthy colors, and vibrancy of Andalusia underline this tension.
The cello and Flamenco are not just musical elements; they seem intricately tied to Niels Larsen’s personal journey and transformation. Could you discuss the pivotal role that music plays in the emotional and thematic fabric of the story?
If music is not actually in Niels’ DNA, he was exposed to it from such a young age and with such intensity that it becomes the medium through which he interprets the world. As a child he chooses the cello as his instrument during a lonely and difficult time, anthropomorphizing the ones that change and grow with him. Abandoning music is a major element in disconnecting himself from his past life. Yet it’s through this medium, although with a more combative instrument and in a more adult and much grittier mode, that Niels redefines himself.
The old musician and the enigmatic gypsy guitarist, Tiago, engage in philosophical dialogues with Niels Larsen. Could you elaborate on how these characters either mirror or challenge Niels’ own beliefs and life choices?
The philosophical dialogues that occur between Niels and important people in his life are not abstract, but reflections by older and wiser folk to help him interpret and draw meaning from his observations and experiences. They mark the progression of his personal growth and maturity.
Your book has been compared to Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist.” How do you feel about this comparison?
I have not read The Alchemist but having seen the synopsis of the book I can understand why readers might see similarities in the storylines of young men embarking on a journey of discovery and self-actualization. But while the young shepherd in The Alchemist is spurred on by a dream of treasure, Niels in Rhapsody in a Minor Mode is fleeing a nightmare.
How did you balance the existential themes with the romantic storyline? Were there challenges in merging the two?
The rupture in the romantic relationship is intended to show how profoundly Niels has been affected by the news he learns and how extreme the disconnect from his former self and life is. He feels shame and fears Aude’s judgment–he is not the man she has known and loved. How to relate to her is one of the many questions he needs to resolve.
How does the concept of time, particularly the transformative three-year period Niels Larsen spends away, play a role in shaping the characters and the narrative?
This is an interesting question as Niels’ perception of time is an important factor in the narrative. During his transformative journey, Niels has the sense of stepping out of time into a different reality with its own rhythm and logic. In the beginning of his journey, on the container ship, he feels suspended in time. When he arrives in Spain and gets caught up in his new interests, he has no sense of the passage of time in his former reality. He expects things to have remained the way he left them and, of course, that isn’t the case.
How does the theme of ‘unrequited love’ serve as a counterpoint to the love story between Niels Larsen and Aude, adding layers of emotional complexity and tension to the narrative?
I see the theme in the love story as more one of star-crossed lovers than of unrequited love. The connection Niels and Aude formed as children endures but they both need to grow up and it’s the circumstances and misunderstandings that arise from the way each one does that tears them apart.
Why did you choose to keep Aude in the “periphery of thoughts” rather than giving her more active agency in the storyline?
Aude is actively present in the narrative when she needs to be, but still influences thoughts, actions, and events when she is not. There is a whole dimension of Niels’ life that is predicated on Aude’s absence.
Aude’s character presents a feminine perspective that’s distant yet influential. How do you see her role in the context of a largely male-centered story?
Yes, the protagonist and other central characters are male but there are several important female characters. Aude is one of them, of course, but there are other women with whom Niels has significant and complicated relationships. There is more than one love story going on…
Readers have reported introspection and life reevaluation after reading your book. What elements did you intentionally insert to provoke such strong emotional and intellectual responses?
My goal in writing is to tell a good story well in the hope of bringing enjoyment to a reader. My only intention in writing a scene is to move the narrative along and represent thoughts, feelings, actions, and dialogue in a way that is coherent and faithful to the nature of each character. To hear that my book has affected a reader in the manner and to the degree you describe is truly a hand-on-heart moment. Thank you.
What message or feeling do you hope readers will take away from Rhapsody in a Minor Mode?
I think “hope” is the main message. Our life journey is often full of difficulties, unexpected developments, and incomprehensible phenomena. The way we respond defines us. Another message may be that when the going gets tough, lead with your heart.
Can you share some insights into your writing process while working on Rhapsody in a Minor Mode? Were there any challenges or moments of enlightenment that you’d like to talk about?
My main challenge when writing is getting a good night’s sleep! When I am immersed in a story, the characters and events are constantly at play in my mind and it can be difficult to disengage. I love the process of writing, choosing just the right word, and finding the rhythm of a sentence. I particularly enjoy being deeply in a character’s head and living through thoughts, feelings, and actions with them. Hope that doesn’t sound too weird…
What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects or future books that you can give us a sneak peek into?
I’m not quite done with the world and group of characters I created in The Lighthouse and Rhapsody in a Minor Mode. What’s forming in my mind right now is the origin story.
Is there anything you’d like to add today?
Only that I sincerely appreciate your interest in my book.
CONTACT ELAINE KOZAK!
Website: www.elainekozak.com
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