An Interview with Thaao Penghlis, author of Places

What inspired you to write Places?
With so much knowledge gained along the way by visiting the different cultures of the Middle East and Europe, I felt that I needed to share it with like-minded souls.

I wanted to put down on record the history of how I lived so that my family's history is not forgotten. When my parents died I realized there were questions I never asked and that record is not available. Heritage is important for future generations.

What books are particularly important to you as a writer?
I've always loved spy thrillers and the way the writer keeps you on edge. It's the way I travel because in many ways you always must be aware of what crosses your path. It’s a way of sharpening your tools and surviving.

I read a lot about archaeology as that is my favorite subject. How others lived before us and what remains. I find that carries for me a lot of intrigue.

If readers should take one thing away from the book, what do you think it is?
How to travel as a scholar, not as a tourist. To study the culture that you're aiming for so that it helps you better understand the values of the foundation that you stand on by seeing life through other lives. And lastly, the excitement of having left that front door and when you return, something about you has changed for the better.

Where would you like to travel next?
It would have been Iran but right now it's still not safe. So I leave next week for Cuba to explore a world that has not found God.

Is the book only for fans of General Hospital and Days of Our Lives?
I always considered myself a man of the world and there never has been a culture that has not inspired me in the way they see. So for me it is a book for everyone as it has all the elements that life offers through spirituality, danger, misunderstandings and revelations, and the transformation of death and the joy of letting go.