Crossing Borders: Interview with Michael Ferris

Michael Ferris, originally from St. Joseph, Michigan, started working in his father’s music store, Ferris Music Center, at the age of sixteen and started playing the classical guitar at the age of seventeen. Having had many wonderful teachers, not only with great talent but also great souls, he moved on to study at the internationally acclaimed Mozarteum University for Music and Applied Arts in Salzburg, Austria (*-Die Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Mozarteum) where he completed his M.A. in Guitar. Michael studied under well-known guitarists Maria Isabel Siewers de Pazur, Joaquin Clerch, Augustin Wiedemann, Ricardo Gallen, and the world-renowned player Eliot Fisk. In doing so, he has not only learned the instrument, but lived out his dreams.Having the chance to gain an array of experience during his travels in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, he is now able to speak several languages fluently and works at an international company in Vienna. In addition to this, he still teaches guitar and holds courses in Business English at a local college on the weekends.

His latest book is Crossing Borders.

You can visit his website at www.crossingborders.ferrisguitar.com or connect with him at Facebook at and Twitter at http://twitter.com/ferrismichael. Visit his book’s facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crossing-Borders-by-Michael-Ferris/178577402162088.

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Michael. Can you tell us how long you’ve been writing and how your journey led to writing your latest book, Crossing Borders?

I have always fancied writing, but it was not until an article I wrote about my life got published in the May 2008 edition of Classical Guitar Magazine that I started taking writing a bit more seriously. When you see a two-page article that you wrote with your picture in a magazine distributed all around the world. It’s definitely an eye-opening experience. I guess I just didn’t want it to stop there.

Q: I love your title…can you tell us why you chose it?

I chose the title ‘Crossing Borders’ because it is something that has always fascinated me. When you go across a border into another country, everything changes. It is like the whole world gets turned upside down. Depending upon the country, this change can be so drastic that it is like being beamed onto another planet. Take traveling from the US to Egypt for instance; that is like walking into another dimension.

Q: Why did you believe your book should be published?

I have led a charmed life and wanted to share some of my great experiences. Possibly by doing this, it may inspire others and bring smiles their faces.

Q: We all know that publishers can’t do all of the publicity and that some lies on the author. What has your publisher done so far to publicize the book and what have you done?

My publisher has provided really great distribution and has done everything he said he would. I have no trouble selling the book anywhere in the world. I live in Austria, so VBW Publishing has been servicing me here. They designed the cover of the book which I just think is spectacular. I would like to go so far as to say that I would recommend Virtualbookworm to anyone looking to publish.

Q: What book on the market can it compare to? How is it different? What makes your book special?

I really cannot compare the book with anything, as I wanted the book to be my own creation. It is not really just a book about traveling and about learning the guitar. Nor is it just about living in Europe. It is a book about growing up, taking responsibility and seeing new things and accepting them for what they are.

Q: Open to a random page in your book. Can you tell us what is happening?

There is one page of my book where I am in Cairo dancing with a belly dancer and my friends are trying to force me to go with her to a back room. There is another chapter where I am waltzing with my wife on our wedding day. Both were really exciting moments, but the latter had much more meaning.

Q: Do you plan subsequent books?