Spotlight: Lena Mikado with My Journey to the Ocean

Today I am welcoming, Lena Mikado, author of My Journey to the Ocean, which is out today. Happy publication day to you. All the best of success with your debut novel!

Elena knows what she wants from life. Her whole picture-perfect existence is planned out and allows for no deviation. She is engaged to be married and intends to be happy. Along with three of her girlfriends, she takes a summer trip across the ocean, to St. Simons Island, Georgia, United States. Pool parties, vodka watermelons and the eternal question - to shag or not to shag. Her whole world is about to be rock-n-rolled, and she will have to face a pretty hard choice. It all sounds like a setup for a summer-fling novel, but is it really like that in actuality, or does Miss Real Life have something more conniving under her sleeve? Are there happy endings in real life?

This book is a love story. It's about love in all possible representations, forms and masks it can wear. It's a love story of a girl in her 20s, looked back on by a woman in her 30s, who is also trying to take a peek into the future. It's an ageless book, it's a borderless book, it’s a book that focuses on and laughs at our cultural differences, yet sweeps away all man-made boundaries on its way. But I made it sound too complex. It's first and foremost a story about a summer away from home, it's a story about falling in and out of love - it's a story about My Journey to the Ocean.

More information about this book: Amazon / Goodreads

Hello Lena, I’m delighted to welcome you on Dreaming With Open Eyes. For the readers who don’t know you, could you please introduce yourself?

Hi Isabell and everybody who is reading this wonderful blog. I am really happy to be here :). My name is Lena Mikado. I was born and raised in Voronezh, Russia, but I have been living in the United States for the last 10 years. I am also a translator - I absolutely love foreign languages - and I work with words in that way or another 20 hours out of the day. Life has been pretty crazy recently :). I have two little boys - 5 and 2 years old, and they keep me super busy. I also love traveling, going to the beach and belly-dancing :). 

What can you tell us about My Journey to the Ocean that will pique the reader’s interest?

My Journey to the Ocean is a Love Story. It's about love in all possible representations, forms and masks it can wear. It's a love story of a girl in her 20s, looked back on by a woman in her 30s, who is also trying to take a peek into the future. I've tried to look at love from different angles - even not the prettiest ones. For example, sometimes people realize that they don't feel love towards another person anymore. Are they to blame? Should they stick to their agenda and remain faithful no matter what? It's also presented from a mother's point of view, compared to the point of view of a younger girl who doesn't know motherhood yet. :) And - of course - it's about traveling, expanding your horizons and getting rid of any cultural differences and misconceptions that often stand in our way. The book is also very humorous and light :).

Tell us about your inspiration for the story. Is the heroine of your book based on you/your experiences in any way?

Yes! The heroine is actually myself. :). Even more so - this novel was the first time I decided to be honest with myself - I swore that I was not going to throw anything out or make anything up. That's why I had to write under a pen name! Ha ha :).

My Journey to the Ocean is the first book in the All Colors of the Rainbow Series. What can we expect of the upcoming books in the series?

There will be 2 more novels in the series. The second novel will be called A Year in the Sky - and it will be about traveling all around the world, while trying to deal with jealousy, insecurity and fear of losing that bright future that you already directed for yourself in your head :). I have to share a little secret with you. The full name of my 5-year-old son is Liam Ocean and the name of my youngest - Maximillian Sky ;).

What are you working on at the moment? What is next for you?

I'm working hard on A Year in the Sky and after that - who knows :). I'm going to work on the third book of the series, which will talk about family life in a humorous sort of way. I'm thinking about calling it After the Glitter, but we'll see :).

Lastly, tell us 3 reasons why a reader should pick up your novel.

Wow, that's a tough one :). Let's see...

1. It will make you laugh out loud.
2. It will make you remember what you were like in your early twenties - and laugh out loud.
3. And, hopefully, it can help you enhance your life - and live it as you have always wanted - because we never should quit dreaming.  :) 

I dedicate this novel to all of you, crazy travelers, who are not afraid to follow the magic elusive bird of their dreams. :)

More information about the author: Website / Twitter / Facebook