Michael Lacoy found the inspiration for his novel, The Mystical Adventures of Stavros Papadakis, to be as mystical as its subject matter. “It was about three years ago, early morning, and I had just sat down at my computer to start my work day (I’m an editor), when all at once it came—the story, the characters, the setting,” said Lacoy. “And when the idea hit, my initial response was something like, ‘Thanks but no thanks; I have neither the time nor the desire to write and publish a novel—bye-bye!’”
An exciting literary debut, The Mystical Adventures of Stavros Papadakis is the story of one man’s quest for meaning and redemption following a near-death experience. The story explores themes of love, family, friendship, and the mystery of existential truth. It is a powerful, provocative tale for our times. Luckily for readers, the idea for the book was insistent. “It literally would not leave me alone,” the author said. “You could even say it was harassing me.” Pestered by the idea of the book, Lacoy believed if he wrote down the thoughts in his head he would be finished with the experience. Not so. “The next morning, more ideas came, and from that day on they kept coming. I worked on the book pretty much seven days a week until it was finished.”
Lacoy has been writing intermittently since his college days at UNH. There, he describes himself as fortunate to have studied creative writing with John Yount and Thomas Williams. “Both of these men were great writers as well as great teachers; John Irving, among many other literary notables, was a student of theirs,” said Lacoy.
Lacoy wrote most of the novel at night, after completing his day job. After supper, he would sit in his favorite easy chair, play classical music, and write longhand with a pen. “I have to say the writing process brought me countless hours of extreme bliss. For example, typically when I went to sleep for the night, I couldn’t wait to wake up so I could type out what I had just written—I didn’t want to sleep, eat, or do my day job. How boring those things seemed compared to writing!,” he said. “Some people are intensely alive when they jump out of a plane or climb Mt. Everest; me, I was intensely alive when I was creating this book.”
According to the author, he takes equal pleasure in family, friends, and traveling. He is particularly partial to Europe. “France, Italy, and Spain are some of my favorite places, and I’m always looking to get back there.”
When not writing or traveling, he enjoys spending time outside in nature, particularly around the ocean; he also has a deep-rooted love for the fine arts—music, books, art, and film. “There is always something exciting and fascinating to see or hear, and these things in turn stimulate my own creativity,” he said.
You can purchase The Mystical Adventures of Stavros Papadakis at Gibson’s Bookstore, Toadstool Book Stores, and other independent book stores around the state, as well as Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Author Michael Lacoy is a member of the NH Writers Project.
You can connect with Michael Lacoy on Instagram (@michaellacoyy), Facebook, and Goodreads.
