Good Night Evil Book Trailer

 

Light and Shadows Book Trailer

 

Living in the Readers’ Imagination

      A friend once said of my drive to write, “It must be something to be in your head.” Yes, in my head there are many worlds filled with vibrant characters and their consuming stories that beg to be told. I love creating characters and watching them come alive on the movie screen of my mind. But what I love most is when my characters make themselves at home in the readers’ imagination. It would be amazing to see my characters through the eyes of readers. A writer can be very descriptive about a character’s likeness, dress, mannerisms, and soul, but to me, it is the reader that fully fleshes out the characters in their mind. Each respective reader has a unique vision of the character and their world. That fascinates me. I love the birthing of my characters, but it is the characters’ gift of entertaining, and hopefully enriching, a reader’s life that is the greatest gift to me. Having the drive to write may be enough to some, but to me, the drive to entertain is just as strong as my drive to write. Imagination is our passage to other worlds where we can escape our reality and live safely in a world of our choosing.

     Our imagination is the door for those with a desire to expand their horizon. When I was a child I believed that writers tapped into other lifetimes to find inspiration for their characters and tales. We may not have the gift of many lives to enrich our imaginations, but the true gift is that an imagination is something that we all share. A book is a vessel to travel into other times in history, visit other cultures, become intimate with some one’s love story or explore a mystery, dive into the fantastical, and entertain ourselves in the privacy of our minds. And it is in that spirit that we all can pick up a book and escape. I am captivated to think that my characters not only come alive in the imaginations of readers but evoke in them personal feelings. I am as equally captivated when I hear that my character solicited the same emotions from readers in different cultures and junctures in life. My characters and their stories are my creations, but the readers who welcome them into their imagination bestow to them the magic of a thousand lives.

     The imagination is a magical ground where invention, inspiration, spirit, and individuality grow and expand their roots into reality. The imagination is also a place to escape to other worlds that will not collide with ours, where we can safely explore the unbelievable, impossible and feel outside of our respective reality. A book is like a great key that opens up the imagination. I am grateful for readers that welcome my characters into their imaginations.

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The Romance of Horror

     Webster defines horror as “painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay.” The allure of horror to the human psyche is more romantic than Webster’s dreadful definition. Horror is a familiar emotion that seems to have a key into the darkest corners of our minds, the base level of our souls, and our most dormant and secret beliefs. We are addicted to the adrenaline rush that horror pumps through our veins. Horror is a lover with the power to make our heart race or stop. Horror forces us to question our existence and explore the unknown with eyes pried opened by fear. Horror reminds us that our imagination is more awake than we are. Horror lives in the shadows of our psyche, thriving off our fears and passions. Horror is a double agent that can either alter or entertain our lives. Horror, like love, makes us feel alive. Horror has the power to invoke your emotions while inspiring new fears in you. Horror’s dark serenade seduces all your senses with a suspenseful trepidation of mounting fear that can either snuff or revive you. Horror manifest in many forms, but the perception of horror is universal. Horror’s masterpiece is to seize a group of people while still invoking individual fears. Horror lives because of mankind. Or is that mankind lives because of horror? 

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Writing

     I have always had an active and vivid imagination. From a very young age, I began creating stories in my mind. It wasn’t until after I graduated high school, however, that I began to write down my stories and poems. I write in solitude, but I love the intimacy of sharing my writing. I love that my characters come alive in other peoples’ imaginations. I love that the written word survives history and opens the door into the future. I love and appreciate that a story is still welcomed in the rush of the present.

     I keep a notebook near so I can write down ideas and inspirations. My work tend to cross genres, and I do not like limiting my characters. My imagination has no boundaries, and it is not unusual for three-five stories to be unfolding in my mind at one time. In my writing, I love visiting history, exploring the world, inspiring emotions, engendering personalities not just characters, and creating worlds within worlds. I love to bestow my characters with unique plights and gifts, place them in intriguing worlds with distinct plots.

     My three most recent books fall mainly in the horror genre. My stories were influenced greatly by experiences I had as a young child, the epic battle of good and evil, and my fascination with the paranormal. My curiosity to explore the minds and hearts of those who lived centuries ago influenced the historical aspect of my work. The aesthetics of fashion, architecture; and dramatic human experience influence the gritty realism in my writing. The seen and unseen power of our universe inspires the magical realism in my work. The seduction of emotions and the power of love influence the romance in what I write. My love for researching and expanding my knowledge inspires and challenges me to create rich stories with well-developed characters.

     My series “Montenegro” was born from a love for Gothic architecture, mystery and suspense, the macabre, history, magic, and the supernatural. My desire for Victor Montenegro, the illusionist, to be timeless inspired the vampire theme of the series.

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