ILA Exclusive Interview by Carl Scharwath

An interview of Author, Luzviminda Gabato Rivera by Carl Scharwath February 2021

Hello ILA Magazine readers and supporters! About the Author: Luzviminda Gabato Rivera is from the Philippines. She is a multi-award and bestselling author, an excellent international journal reviewer and a multi-award researcher. She finished her post-graduate's courses with academic distinction and academic excellence awards, such as the Doctor of Public Administration (her 6th Degree) and took up units leading to a Bachelor of Law. She has published six books, namely: 'A Gift', 'A Gift II', composed of 71 poems and translations of her 'A Gift' in series to 23 languages of 17 countries; 'Crossroads II: A Poets Life Journey' - 4th Anthology of Motivational Strips, composed of 83 World's Best Poets which became 'A Memoir of Love - A Quadrilingual' (English, Italian, French and Spanish), in various poetic forms (free verse, haiku, rhyme scheme, sonnet and tanka); 'Love Spell - A Collection of Sonnets', in Asian and European Languages and 'A Gift III.' All six books became the #1 ranking among bestsellers on Amazon.

'Poets Unify World' - 6th Anthology of Motivational Strips has been published in 2020. In addition, her poems have been published in International E-Zines and magazines. INTERVIEW: CARL: Hello, Luzviminda, thank you very much for your time, today. I am happy to introduce our readers on ILA Magazine, to you and your poetry. As fellow writers, we would love to learn from you, your writing process, so my first question is, where do you get your ideas? LUZVIMINDA: I love writing, Carl. I am a very observant poet. I usually get my ideas through observation and experiences (mine and other people). If you notice, I wrote a lot of poems with imagery, life's endless struggles, triumphant and victory. ..... CARL: What is your writing process like? LUZVIMINDA: I do not follow a process in my writing. I write every time I feel like writing in whatever circumstances I am in. ..... CARL: What advice do you have for your fellow writers? LUZVIMINDA: Love your craft and continue to learn from it. Competition should be within yourself, only, and trying to do better than yesterday, should be your goal. Let it be your tool to inspire, motivate and encourage others and whatever accolades you will achieve, keep your feet grounded. Offer everything to the Living Giver of your gifts and talents in writing. ..... CARL: How do your poems develop? Please guide us through the stages of your poem. LUZVIMINDA: My simple practice in developing or writing a poem are the following. I think of a title - it should be unique, eye-catching and everybody can relate. 1. Conceptualization of the message I want to put in the poem. 2. Determine the poetic form I will be using. 3. The first stanza of the poem should give a "bang" to hook the reader. 4. The second stanza and the remaining lines of the poems should clearly state the message you are trying to give to your readers. 5. The last stanza of the poem should also give a "bang" to give the last impression to your readers. NOTE: Maintain the uniqueness of your writing. ..... CARL: When did you write your first poem and what got you interested in this art-form? LUZVIMINDA: Hmmm...It made me smile...it's in my high school days. During my college days, I became an editor in our College publication and it is where my love for poetry developed. Poetry is like a friend to me. It became an outlet of my emotions and the things that surround us. ..... CARL: Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice? LUZVIMINDA: Yes, in fact, all my books focus on categories of hopes and inspirations, especially my 'A Gift' series. It is also one of the reasons why I am into poetry. I remember, in my Poetic Mind page, every Sunday, I would post poetry focusing on the Living god and spirituality. ..... CARL: Who is your favorite writer and do any artists motivate you? LUZVIMINDA: Hmmm, Danielle Steel and Barbara Cartland. I love Danielle Steel's, 'THE PROMISE' and many novels of Barbara Cartland, focusing on the Royalty's Love Story. ..... CARL: Please tell us what your future will look like and what you want to accomplish? LUZVIMINDA: Humbly speaking, I have accomplished so much in my life in all the fields I ventured. In my academic journey, professional career, researcher, international journal reviewer and writer. I never dreamt of having accomplished and being on top of everything I do. Fate has brought me to where I am now. If it is the Living God's desire for me to continue writing, I will obey and continue to inspire, motivate and encourage others. ..... You can find Luzviminda's books at: https://www.amazon.com/Ms.-Luzviminda.../e/B084GM3GQV?fbclid=IwARlqlClg_yGI2aqzRcZH7-AuuOM7r6lWqMSpJnFrjObMlnOYcUb5qMZalxM

Photo of Author, Luzviminda Gabato Rivera

Photo of Interviewer, Carl Scharwath Carl Scharwath has appeared globally with 150+ Journals selecting his poetry, short stories, interviews, essays, plays or art photography (his photography was featured on the cover of 6 journals). Two poetry books, 'Journey to Become Forgotten' (Kind of Hurricane Press) and 'Abandoned' (ScarsTv) have been published. His first photography book was recently published by Praxis. Carl is the Art Editor for Minute Magazine, a competitive runner and a 2nd degree Black-Belt in Taekwondo.