Author Interview
Mapping Sounds, Loves, and Colors with Luna Popescu
💫 Dear Amazing Friends,
Let me share something special with you.
I met Luna exactly ten years ago at the Metropolitan Library in Bucharest, in the garden of the historic building.
The afternoon air carried the scent of blooming honeysuckle and hot coffee.
When Luna began to read, her voice — steady yet charged with emotion — made the garden hold its breath.
That story stayed with me long after the pages were turned.
It was a story of love and surprise.
One that is now ready to transform and come to life again.
Because Luna doesn’t just make art — she lives it.
I invite you to read, follow her rhythm, and allow yourself to be moved. ✨
And if you’d prefer not to be tagged in my stories, feel free to let me know.
With gratitude,
Julia Kalman💙🤍💫
Motto: Maybe sometimes I’m not what I seem, but I can be what you can’t imagine.
1. That Special Moment
One fine day, you started writing poetry/prose. How did it happen exactly?
On a scorching August day, just after my birthday, I was dancing in the garden as usual, and at some point, I got tired, so I retreated inside.
I entered a cool, dark room, took a notebook and a pen, lay down on the bed, and with my eyes closed, I let my hand write my first poem, which was called “I Love You.”
When I opened my eyes again, I was happy to see that my poem had depth, rhythm, and rhyme.
At that moment, with the writing of my first poem, I felt a barrier lift, a metronome start ticking, and I experienced a download from another world that enriched this new artistic version of myself.
2. Art Is Work
What does your work as a writer consist of? What are the biggest challenges of the present?
I would say that being a writer is a big responsibility, a challenge that fills you with worries.
Once you start writing, it’s very hard to let go of your creation — at least until it reaches an almost perfect form.
And that perfection is like an impossible mountain peak to climb, one that’s very difficult to stay on.
It’s no wonder that the writing process gathers so many worries in an author’s mind.
Do you know what moments inspired Agatha Christie the most?
Washing the dishes — apparently, that task annoyed her so much that she escaped into the world of crime.
It’s the same for me.
Maybe in a different area, at a different level, but inspiration hits me in similar moments.
When I’m tidying up the house or vacuuming, lines, phrases, and scenes start flowing — as if the duster were a magic wand.
So, if you need help around the house… call me.
I promise I’ll work hard — but I might also leave you a dedication in verse!
3. Without Projects, There Is No Future
What are your representative projects? What projects are you working on?
I have many projects, but to some extent, not all of them are finished — or maybe I haven’t wanted to finish them yet.
Many remain on hold, waiting for the final touch that will complete them and bring them into the world of printed books.
Recently, I contributed poems to two anthologies: Essence of a Woman Anthology, marking my poetic debut within the Atelier of the Lyrical Café — EP Publishing, Bucharest, 2025 — and The Poem Café Atelier Anthology — Ballads of Love, within the Literary Atelier: A Café with Poems — Museum of Emotions Publishing (Ed. Muzeu de Emoții), 2025.
Right now, I’m working on four book projects: a children’s storybook, a short story collection, a fantasy novella, and a fantasy novel.
4. The Scent of Creation
Describe a scent that immediately transports you to a moment of inspiration or creativity. What emotions does it evoke, and how does it influence your creative process?
An intense and sweet blend of black orchid, jasmine, and vanilla.
Maybe Black Orchid by Tom Ford.
Such a perfume instantly transports me to a world of flowers and ideas.
You know, there’s a lot of talk about olfactory memory…
I put on perfume and start writing, especially when I need a boost of inspiration for the character I’m working on.
Sometimes it’s about me, other times about a certain perfume, and sometimes it’s about the feeling of a character who uses a special scent to attract another in a love story.
5. Ink and Intimacy
If your writing style were a tactile experience, what texture would it be? How does the act of putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard make you feel on a deeply personal level?
Definitely paper and pen.
Although I can write quite fast on a laptop, I admit that ideas flow more smoothly and clearly when I put them down on paper.
It feels like my hand takes over directly what comes from my mind and soul, and creativity flows naturally that way.
Handwriting fascinates me.
So does calligraphy.
That’s why I celebrate Handwriting Day every year on January 23rd.
In 2020, this celebration became public for me: I took part in a calligraphy exhibition and held a series of themed workshops — unfortunately cut short by the pandemic.
I can say that handwriting, calligraphy, drawing, and painting are constant passions of mine — along with photography, music, and, less often, theater.
I cherish art and am an artist who is always evolving and expanding creatively.
6. The Harmony of Silence
Think about a moment when silence spoke louder than words in your creative journey.
What were the circumstances, and how did it shape your understanding of your craft?
Silence is an art with more words than all the languages of the earth.
Silence is deeply musical.
Silence is also graphic — the space between lines, between notes, between the paintings displayed on an easel.
Silence can be complete, direct, and indirect.
And yes, sometimes silence is a language of its own, through which the storyteller conveys the intense and profound emotions of their characters.
7. The Palette of Dreams
Imagine your creative mind as a painter’s palette. What colors dominate your artistic spectrum, and how do they represent the different facets of your imagination?
My imagination is polychromatic and cinematic.
My characters, though varied, tend to follow repetitive patterns in their gestures and behaviors — perhaps because they share a common emotional background.
Yet, depending on the story’s circumstances, they evolve differently, like colors on a palette taking on unique shades depending on the context.
8. The Quill of Vulnerability
If your creative expression were a handwritten letter to your inner self, what truths and vulnerabilities would it unveil? How does the act of exposing your innermost thoughts contribute to your artistic identity?
My main characters prefer to remain in the shadows, present in the darkness — not in a malevolent way, but quite the opposite. As unexpected figures, they quietly help those in the light from their dark place.
9. Symphony of Shadows
Consider a character or theme in your work that embodies the shadows of your own psyche. What does this shadow teach you about your fears, desires, or unexplored dimensions of your creativity?
In the manuscript I’m working on, some characters embody the dark side of the human psyche, living in the shadow of shadows, from another negative universe.
From this, I’ve learned that every negative character has experienced a trauma in their past — something they couldn’t understand and didn’t know how to heal, which deepened their dark side.
But healing comes from embracing and accepting one’s own wounds.
10. Echoes of Childhood Whispers
Recall a childhood memory that resonates with you as a writer. How do the echoes of your early experiences manifest in your work today?
In my writing today, the language has grown and evolved, but the themes and ideas remain those of a dreaming child — full of playful imagination, high ideals, and bold courage.
I remember how, even as a child, I was always searching for books — and especially notebooks and planners — so I could have a special place to capture my thoughts.
Even now, I collect all kinds of notebooks, where I write, draw, and create collages, keeping my creative and playful spirit alive.
11. Melodies of Memory
If memories were composed as a musical score, what instrument would represent your most cherished creative recollections? How does the melody of your past influence the composition of your present work?
For me, music has always been a staff of stories.
Since childhood, my writing has been intertwined with dance and music.
One particular score that takes me back to my childhood is the “Harp Cadenza” from Swan Lake by P. I. Tchaikovsky, and my favorite instrument is the harp.
12. The Dance of Words
If your writing style were a dance, what would be the rhythm and tempo? How does the cadence of your sentences mirror the beating of your creative heart?
What defines my writing style is a piece from The Nutcracker — “Snowflakes,” which begins with a journey through the forest to a candy house.
There, you start as a child and become an adult, surrounded by all of nature that hides your shadows.
You arrive triumphantly and realize that everything was perfect, just like in a dream.
13. Admiration Exercises
Which writers do you admire? What are your favorite books?
I admire Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt and eagerly await him to write a story as grand as the Crossing Time series; I’m glad he takes us through these fascinating tales.
I also love Joseph Campbell’s books, especially The Hero with a Thousand Faces and The Pathways to Bliss.
14. An Indiscreet Question
With which influential author or inspirational figure from life, past or present, would you most like to share a cup of tea and a captivating conversation?
Hmm, an interesting question.
From the past, I would love to have a conversation and share tea with Francesco Melzi, Leonardo da Vinci’s apprentice.
I could have chosen Leonardo himself, but I think I’d talk more with Francesco, who seems charming and convincing to me — if he became Leonardo’s best student and friend, he must have had a unique spirit. Surely, I would spend a fascinating afternoon, carried away by a beautiful conversation about many fields or everything he experienced alongside Leonardo da Vinci.
15. A Story in Ten Words
My world belongs to a bright kingdom full of immortal tales.
16. Favorite Refrains from Your Creation…
“With the morning dew, our bodies are sculpted,
Toward the memory of the landscape from the night painting.”
— Smile of Love
“His body is a graveyard of extinguished desires,
Many disappointments and many unlit dreams.”
— Find Your Happiness!
“I wish I were that dream you wouldn’t share,
I wish to live and be able to love you!”
— I Wish
“Melancholy, this sickness of sadness,
Makes us fall into the open abyss of depression.”
— Find Your Happiness!
17. What exactly would you like to convey to a fellow writer/editor/screenwriter/film producer?
Present your writings in a few words.
Coincidentally, the very novel I’m working on now already seems to exist in a cinematic form in my imagination.
As I write, I visualize each scene like a frame in a film.
It’s about a bright girl undergoing a deep process of self-discovery.
She receives subtle hints from the universe — fragments, small pieces — that she gathers and assembles until she meets her true love, her soulmate.
As she journeys through this personal path, she maps out a symbolic guide — one that becomes useful to others as well.
In this way, people can learn to interpret the signs of the universe to find their loved one — not necessarily their soulmate, but someone essential for their current stage in life.
The girl has a special gift for understanding the subtle laws of the world and the universe.
She manifests a network of feelings on this planet — a network that people can access and connect to to attract the right love.
Before long, a wave of interest and popularity surrounds her.
Many seek her out, eager to learn how to find love and happiness faster.
Thus, she becomes a kind of modern oracle — a mirror for the questions, fears, and hopes of those carving their path to spiritual fulfillment.
From her, we learn that:
“Love does not exist as we imagine it; it is a feeling we cannot see, only sense.
To access it, you simply need to connect to universal love, and you will find the way to your heart.
Strip your mind of patterns and concepts, descend into your heart, and you will understand true happiness and true love.”
18. Embers of Endings
Envision the conclusion of a significant project. How do you feel as you pen the final words or brush the last strokes? What is the emotional resonance of completion, and how does it influence your anticipation for the next artistic endeavor?
Tired, of course — because writing the last words of a story means burying an entire world.
It’s that sadness that doesn’t cry, but presses on your chest and coils around your shoulders, then around your neck, cutting off your breath.
As if the ink in the pen had run dry, the dry nib scratches the paper until it tears… and all that remains is the brutal silence of the end.
© Julia Kalman 2025. All rights reserved.
Dear Friends and Followers of the New Literary Society,
Read, clap, engage — and stay tuned for our next story! If you’re interested, consider this your warm invitation to be featured in an Author Interview, published here and in our upcoming E-Magazine on Calameo, available to download or print. ✨🖋🧡📖🌟✨Thanks so much!
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Julia Kalman 