A life story marked by convincing dreams, prolonged passions and differentiating tastes, is what today places Omar Darío Nogara Cecchín, or simply Omar Nogara, among the outstanding writers of the moment.
"I am from Beltrán, Maipú and I grew up on my old man's farm, a humble farm by the way. I always liked to read, since I was a child," he began his dialogue with El Ciudadano.
And without hesitation, he said that thanks to the environment where he grew up, without many people living in the surroundings of his house -for his fortune- it was that his imagination was released at its best and began to model some of the characters that today have a name and last name in his book. "My brother passed away when I was 7 years old and that motivated me to create a character with his name. However at that time it was still something instinctive, almost a game," he said.
Nicolás Draggo and the Unique Key
And this passion was growing along with him. "I couldn't think of my story as a novel, until I had my first computer, almost at the end of high school. When I wrote the pages of Nicolás Draggo and the Unique Key (title of his first book), on that old computer, so noisy as a tractor, I used the places where I grew up, the corners of my old man's farm in Los Alamos, the little streets of Rodeo del Medio, the train station, the vines and the fifths, the few streets of the city of Mendoza that he recognized at that time, "he described.
But his love was intertwined, because these elements were combined with "the architecture of Ancient Greece and medieval architecture, he had found the perfect place to flee when necessary."
Nicolás Draggo y la Llave Única is an epic novel of adventure and youth fantasy, with elements of mystery, which can be divided into 3 fundamental axes according to its author: The place where most of this is developed, The Hidden Empires, where there is what remains of Atlantis. The protagonist, whose name gives the title to the story. A 17-year-old boy who must accept his past and train the skills he inherited. Since he descends from the ancient Atlanteans and has the ability to move things with the mind, highly developed sensory and physical powers. And also, together with their friends, they can control the four elements. The last axis is the Unique Key, an artifact that opens a portal in which a powerful weapon was long hidden, today sought by Lord Erebo, but only Nicholas can find.
"The novel talks about the importance of friendship, touches the problems of today's youth, although with an epic air and always maintains an ironic and entertaining air. I also try to raise awareness about the importance of respect, empathy and always help others, "describes his work.
Different roads, the same horizon
The writer's life is not easy. Whichever city you have to perform in, you will surely have a fighting path ahead of you. He struggles to sort his ideas in time and space, he struggles to think not only of his product but also of his audience and, above all, he struggles to get his work to others.
Although in Omar's life his passion for letters was intact since his childhood, he did not leave the "social scheme" in which we are immersed. After finishing high school, he studied architecture. However, "over time the university meant relegating my dream of being a writer for a while," he said.
"After I graduated, I obtained a job as a teacher at a school in Tunuyán. It was there that I began to review my writings, on a laptop, while traveling in the bus or waiting in the cafe at the service station. From then I restructured my story, trying to bring the corners of the Hidden Empires to life, loading my narrative with an epic and mysterious glow. "
And it was at that moment that Omar decided to prioritize writing in his life and stop relegating it as a hobby. "Searching for a publishing house was an arduous task, because after many years of work, I discovered that publishers are not interested in reading novels by a new author and they all respond in the same way: 'For economic reasons we do not receive manuscripts from new writers or that have not been requested, "if I was lucky enough to respond. Then I discovered that we Mendozans have to self-publish, which means personally financing the publication of a book," he said.
And on that way he found an editorial for independent authors: Tinta de Luz, which specializes in helping exceptional writers publish their literary creations. There "the most entertaining road I have traveled began," he said enthusiastically. And thanks to this step, Nicolás Draggo y la Llave Única was one of the options for youth literature at the 2019 Book Fair, dedicated to Antonio Di Benedetto, Juan Draghi Lucero and Iverna Codina.