Exploring the Layers of Womanhood and Family: Inside the Mind of Rising Author Eva Asprakis
Eva Asprakis was raised in South London by her American mother and Cypriot stepfather, who subsequently adopted her. She now lives in Nicosia with her partner, and is the author of two contemporary fiction novels. Her work explores themes of cultural identity, womanhood, and complex family dynamics.
For more details, visit her website here.
Here we sit down with Eva, to learn more about her journey as an author.
What inspired you to become an author?
Eva: I have written compulsively since I was a child. For me, the practice is as challenging as it is joyful, and a necessary means to processing things. I don’t know that I always dreamed of writing books, just of writing. And eventually, I found myself a novelist.
How did you get started as a writer?
Eva: By nineteen, I had written my first book and signed with an agent in London. For the next three years, I wrote around my jobs in call centers, estate agents, and coffee shops, honing my craft as I presented book after book to my agent. Ultimately, we disagreed on the direction that my work should go in and parted ways. A year later I began self-publishing, and found a readership on my own.
What was your biggest challenge in the beginning? How did you overcome it?
Eva: I think my biggest challenge, early on, was realizing how tough the publishing industry truly was. I hadn’t known that securing an agent at nineteen was so rare, and that first success gave me a false sense of ease. Moving past that, I had to put a lot of work into building a readership with no publisher to do it for me. This is something I still work hard at, but have grown to love as I have connected with readers who are passionate about stories like mine.
What is the most memorable thing you’ve done since becoming a writer?
Eva: In March 2024, I had the honor of speaking on the Literature Panel at the inaugural Cyprus Diaspora Forum. Along with six other writers from around the world, I shared my own, somewhat nonlinear connection to Cyprus and how it had shaped my work. Before this event, I had often felt alone with the sense of belonging nowhere, born of having connections everywhere, and so it was affirming to sit among people with similar experiences.
What is one book you recommend, and why?
Eva: This question gets harder to answer with every book I read… But I think it has to be On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, a long-time favourite of mine. The writing is just beautiful.
In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Eva: I’d like to keep writing stories that resonate with people, and make them feel seen.
In one sentence, what advice would you give to someone just starting out on their journey as an author?
Eva: Act as though you believe in what you’re doing, even when you don’t. You will thank yourself later for pushing through those hard times.
To keep up to date with Eva and her journey, connect with her on Instagram.
