BPL Local Author Spotlight: Birmingham’s Antonia Gavrihel

Antonia Gavrihel will hold an author talk about her Back to One series at Southside Library on Aug. 2

Birmingham, Ala.—Ever wonder how a successful novelist comes up with the words that create a best-selling book? Learn that and more as author Antonia Gavrihel speaks at the Southside Branch Library on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, at 1:00 p.m.

Can a married woman and a handsome, single movie star truly have a friendship without sex? Antonia Gavrihel has built a name for herself as an award-winning author since the first book in her Back to One series introduced readers in 2021 to Catherine Leigh and Kyle Weston.

The debut novel captivated fans. Back to One was recognized as a Finalist in the Chick Lit category for the National Excellence in Indie Literature, shortlisted for the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Award, and the 2021 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite in Friendship.

The second book, Back to One: Take 2 Ambient Light released in September 2022, was also recognized and shortlisted for the 2022 Chanticleer International Book Award, and the 2022 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite in Women's Fiction.

The third book in the series, Back to One: Take 3—Cinema Verite, was released May 29, 2023.

In a Q&A with Birmingham Public Library (BPL) PR Director Roy Williams, Gavrihel—whose real name is Anne Glass—talked about what inspired her pen name. She also shares that the fourth book (in what Gavirihel says will be a six-book series) will be released in the spring of 2024.

BPL: Introduce yourself to our readers. (Click here to see her bio.)

Gavrihel: I am originally from Phoenix, Arizona, but have lived in Alabama since 1985, mostly in Birmingham. My parents were entertainers. My father was an actor and stand-up comedian, and my mother was a big band singer. I had a very unique childhood, and I loved it.

We did a lot of traveling; my mother would go to recording sessions and I would sit there. My father would do a film somewhere and we would go. I noticed that singer Tony Bennett just passed today (at age 96). I knew Tony Bennett very well because my mother worked with him several times and so did my dad.

I have an active law license and am a law professor at Birmingham School of Law. My main job is as an enrolled agent/master tax advisor for H&R Block for the last 21 years, helping people with their tax issues.

BPL: Your real name is Anne Glass. Why do you use the author pseudonym Antonia Gavrihel?

Gavrihel: My parents, being entertainers, always had stage names, so all my life I was surrounded by that. My mom’s stage name was Toni Rami. My dad’s stage name was Bob G. Anthony.

Antonia is my middle name, and I wanted a last name that meant something but also flowed well with Antonia. I thought about Gabriel as Gabriel was a messenger in the Bible. But I thought Antonia Gabriel doesn’t sound like the type [of] novelist I want to be.

So, I did the French female version of Gabriel, which is Gavrihel. That is how I came up with my author name Antonia Gavrihel.

BPL: Tell me about your trilogy, Back to One.

Gavrihel: It’s the first three novels of a six-book series. My main characters are actors. They make different movies in books two, three, and four. So, I went ahead and wrote the movie scripts they are performing in those books and give those to my readers as a free bonus via a QR code at the end. That way the reader can follow along with the script that Cate and Kyle are acting in the book.

Back to One is the story of Catherine Leigh and Kyle Weston, who appear to have the perfect friendship—deep, lasting, and platonic. Friendship without sex? The world of gossip doesn’t buy it because Catherine is beautiful, trusting, and married. Kyle is single, charming, and a handsome movie star with a tabloid reputation.

The second book in the series, Back to One: Take 2 Ambient Light, was released in September 2022. Ambient Light continues Cate and Kyle's journey in Hollywood, building careers to new heights while striving to have everyday lives. The public's interest in the two friends has intensified, becoming more invasive... and dangerous.

The third book in the series, Back to One: Take 3 - Cinema Verite, was released in May 2023. In Cinema Verite, Cate and Kyle's pasts disrupt their present through both their personal lives and flourishing careers, testing the strength of their friendship and love.

BPL: I find it fascinating that you came up with the original idea for the book 25 years before it was published.

Gavrihel: My original book was called Best Friends. I wrote it in 1994, the complete manuscript. It took me one year to write and 25 years to find a publisher. What most people don’t understand is when you submit to the big-name publishers, like Simon & Schuster, they don’t want to see the whole book. They want a prospectus, the book's idea sheet. If they don’t like the idea, you never hear from them.

I guess the idea of a major celebrity in a platonic friendship with a married woman from Alabama didn’t sound too exciting to them. So, I never got beyond the prospectus.

It wasn’t until the summer of [the] COVID shutdown in 2020 that my son William, who lives in New York, came home. He didn’t want to be locked up in his apartment in New York. He was 28 at the time. He said to me, “Mom, I don’t want to sit here and watch marathon TV with you for the next few months. We need something constructive to do.”

He asked, "What did you ever do with your manuscript of Best Friends?"

I said it has been sitting under my bed for years. When I went to law school in 2008, I did not have time to try and get it published.

He suggested, “Why don’t you get it out and update the book as you always complained it was based on 1994 and you wanted to make it more current.” So, I took it out and began to update the book.

I got to a point where I finished my update and said to myself, "I really like the main characters Cate and Kyle a lot. I wonder what happens to them after I turn that last page. So, I wrote the second book, Ambient Light, in six weeks. The first took a year, [and] the second six weeks because I already knew the characters so well. Then it was October 2020—things were starting to open up again.

One of my tax clients, who was a good friend, said, “We can get back in the world again, let's go out and have lunch.” We went to Surin 280, and he asked about my son. I responded, “That darn kid—You know what he made me do? He had me yank out a book I had written in 1994 and update it."

My friend mentioned, "Did I ever tell you I am related to someone who owns a publishing company? He usually only looks at books submitted through literary agents, but would you like me to see if he will read the book?"

I said, "Sure, thanks!" and sent him a PDF of the manuscript.

He sent it to the man who is now my publisher and a few days after receiving the book, my publisher called and said, "I love these characters. Have you considered turning this into a series of books?"

I told him, "I already have a second book." He said, "I will buy it sight unseen. How many books do you have in you for Cate and Kyle?"

I said, "I don’t know—maybe six." He said OK. So, that is how it happened.

BPL: Who is the publisher?

Gavrihel: Hidden Shelf Publishing House. They are located in Idaho but have staff working for them in Virginia, California, and across the country.

BPL: Why did you change the title from Best Friends to Back to One?

Gavrihel: One thing my publisher told me was there are a million books out there called Best Friends. And you will get lost. Let’s find a different title. I was getting panicked because we were getting closer and closer to the release date. One day I was looking at film terminology. "Back to One" is a term used when a director has done a scene and wants to do another take of that scene.

They turn to the film set and say, "Let’s try that again, that wasn’t quite what I wanted." The first assistant director yells out, “Everyone, back to one.” So that is where the title comes from. I remembered how every Harry Potter book uses his name to create a link between them. I thought my books should be "Back to One: Take 2," "Back to One: Take 3," etc., and I'd connect them together.

Even "Ambient Light" is a film term: a type of soft, natural lighting. "Cinema Verite" is a form of documentary filming that the French created back in the 1960s. It means truthful cinema.

BPL: Who is your favorite author and why?

Gavrihel: As a little girl, I was a big Charles Dickens fan. My favorite book was David Copperfield. Now I really enjoy Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander series.

I also love Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.

BPL: Any advice for new authors or those desiring to become an author?

Gavrihel: My advice is to write to please yourself, not to find an audience. Ultimately it is your creative process. You must feel fulfilled by what you have just written. If you find an audience, that’s an extra perk. People who tend to write to find an audience are usually not finding themselves very happy.

When I originally wrote the first book—and I was having a difficult time finding a publisher—I chose not to self-publish because I am biased of my own work. I wanted to make sure an impartial eye could look at it and say, “This is really good,” or, “I would stay away from this if I were you.” Law school for me was my mid-life crisis. Most people buy a sports car or motorcycle. I went to law school, and I didn’t have time to push the book to a publisher. But every time I had a crisis in my life—such as my divorce—I would yank that book from under my bed and reread it. It would make me feel good. It became soothing for me to enjoy.

BPL: What is next for you as an author in the Back to One Series?

Gavrihel: My next book in the series is finished and will be Slating Magic Hour. Magic hour is that special moment about 20 to 30 minutes when the sun is just about to rise or has just set and all the sunrays are shooting up into the horizon. For photographers, this is considered the most complimentary time to shoot a picture of someone because it is very flattering, very vibrant.

The full title is Back to One: Take 4 Slating Magic Hour and comes out in the spring of 2024. The book after that is Back to One: Take 5 Hero Shot. And the sixth is Back to One: Take 6—Persistence of Vision. Four is completely done, I am tweaking five now, and the last one, I have written about half of it. 

Meet Author Antonia Gavrihel (pen name for Anne Glass)

Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona (has lived in Alabama since 1985, mostly in metro Birmingham)

Education: Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from UAB and Associate Arts degree in Theater Arts from Phoenix College, Juris Doctor degree (JD) in law from Birmingham School of Law

How to reach the author: Email Antoniagavrihel@gmail.com

Social media handle: on all platforms @ANTONIAGAVRIHEL OR/& @AGAVRIHEL

Website: www.antoniagavrihel.com

Upcoming book signings

Cat-N-Bird Winery in Chelsea, AL, Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 12:00–3:00 p.m.