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NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND A conversation with Lubo DoBrev, author of "Four to the Dance Floor" Where are you from, Lubo? I was born in Bulgaria - on the Black Sea coastal town of Varna. How was life in Eastern Europe? Very interesting; I should write a book about it. I was also fortunate to have lived in Antwerp, Belgium, at an early age. My father worked there for four years and my experience in Western Europe had a profound effect on me. I was surrounded by a lot of different cultures, languages and ways of thinking. Unfortunately, I paid for it when my family returned to Communist Bulgaria. I would get kicked out of school not just for wearing jeans and long hair, but also for my views. I was lucky. A couple of years later the Berlin Wall fell and we went from strict rules to complete anarchy. Quite an interesting change! Thinking about those days puts a smile on my face. My parents, though, wanted to do something different. My father was a Captain of these large container ships, and he wanted to show me the world, so he took me sailing with him. Where did you sail? We sailed from Europe to India. We visited many countries in Western Europe: Germany, Holland, the UK. We went to Egypt, the Emirates, Pakistan, India and Sri-Lanka. Afterwards, we'd sail for Europe again and then it was back to India. I was on the ship for nine months. I was a sailor and I worked on the deck. It was then that I decided to study international business. I came to America as a foreign student shortly afterwards. Where did you go to school? Illinois College. I was there for a year and a half. Afterwards, I transferred to the University of Oregon and I also studied at the University of South Carolina. I wanted to see different parts of the States, so I traveled a lot. There's an excellent international business program at the University of South Carolina.I graduated from there and moved to New York. I began working for a telecom company there. It was not Telecommando, wasn't it? No, no. Telecommando exists only in my book. Well, many years ago the telecom company I worked for announced these massive layoffs and I remember going to work thinking that my job was in jeopardy. I was on the subway when all these ideas swirled inside my head. I didn't know it at the time, but it was the plot of the book. It was all the what ifs. And what happened at work? Did people get laid-off Telecommando-style? It didn't happen that day. The layoffs occurred about a month or so later, but it definitely wasn't Telecommando-style. I wasn't there by that time. I had left for Brazil. The place where Andy and Nico lived. Rio, Campos, the Nordeste - all of the places in Brazil that I write about in the book are places that I've visited. Brazil is a joy to write about. Did you write the book in Brazil? No, not really. I began writing the book when I returned to New York, when I was looking for work again. The job market was tight after 9/11. I was sending resumes like crazy, talked to lots of people, but still couldn't get my foot in the door anywhere. One day, I just had the urge to write something other than a cover letter. I recalled all the what ifs from about a year ago, so I began to develop the story. I was really fired-up about it. I lived really close to Central Park at the time. I would often go to the park and write like crazy. How long did it take you to write the novel? 3 years, 7 months and 2 days. The first run, the very first version of the novel, I wrote in nine months, but it needed work. I needed to learn the process of writing. I enrolled myself in a writing class at the New School, where we would write short stories about New York. Some of them are really funny, but what I learned was how to edit and rewrite. I also began using focus groups, or a pool of readers, to evaluate the novel. It's where a lot of the re-writes came from. The amazing thing about this book is that it still sounds fresh after all those re-writes, as if it were written on a first or second take. Who and what helped you the most while writing? My readers, their feedback was invaluable. Peter Drucker's business ideas influenced me tremendously. Kenneth Maxwell, who is considered as one of the world's foremost experts on Brazil, also encouraged me to write about the country. Then there are the musicians. DJ Migs, Jay-J - their beats helped me out a lot. I think it also helped that I got a job. And what was the most difficult part? I think it was the names of the characters. How did you come up with DJ Nico Gracias? I wanted someone like Ben Franklin re-incarnated as a savvy banker and an underground rock star at the same time. Andy Clifford, Nico's roommate, is another amusing fellow. Andy thought he knew what the world around him was all about, but the layoffs changed all that. Fortunately, Nico is there for him so that the two of them can put on a show. It's character-driven fiction. I wanted to write a book that people will enjoy reading. Few, however, have found success writing in their non-native language. So far, the feedback has been really, really good. Did I tell you that I received a nice note from Elizabeth Kostova, the NY Times bestselling writer? She said that my English was awesome. Is it true that Alan Greenspan also sent you a letter about the book? Yes, when I saw the envelope with "Official Business of the Federal Reserve System" I thought that I was in some sort of trouble. It was only a letter from Alan Greenspan's office thanking me for sending him a copy of the book… Music is a big part of the story. What are your musical influences. All the music that I listened to while writing the story is in the book. Personally, I enjoy all types of music, but I have to say that deep house music is what I listen to the most. House music is freedom. Rock, blues, jazz, soul, rap, dub, funk, metal - you can mix it all with a solid dance beat. In many ways I found that writing the story is like making music. The DJ's have the sounds, the writer has the words. Do you DJ or play music? Right now I'm just happy to jam with people. I'll pick-up a guitar if I can't think of what to write. I also did a couple of remixes on a Roland groovebox many years ago. What next project's in store for you? I'm building a website with Kruz - he's an awesome web designer from Varna. We plan to have sample chapters, messageboards, etc. What about your next book? I've started it already. I can't tell you what it'll be about just yet, but let's just say that it'll be something about different parts of the world again. Last question: In what language do you dream? I think it really depends on the dream.

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