Hard to believe we're up to the final Author Interview of 2021!
We've done almost 70 interviews this year, if you can believe it!
Today we have PD Alleva. He writes thrillers. Whether those thrillers are a Sci-Fi Fantasy about Alien Vampires attempting to subjugate the human race, or steeped in a haunting horror novel, or an urban fantasy with supernatural themes, PD always provides readers with a profound, entertaining, and satisfying reader experience, in a new genre he has coined as alternative fiction. His novels blend mystery, conspiracy, psychology, and action with the supernatural, horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Always. I’ve been writing since childhood, mostly short stories and fan fiction. I wrote my first novel at the age of twelve.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
I write full time and hypnotize people part time (my wife and I have a private practice specializing in treating trauma and addiction). So, I write during the day and hypnotize people in the evening, not bad at all if you ask me. I write and/or edit just about everyday, exception being when the mind requires stepping out of the forest so I can see the trees, so to speak. I love being so deep within the story I can’t see straight, it’s often like being in an alternate dimension, bending the laws of physics as I wish and adding depth to my characters and plot that probes into the dark reaches of the cosmic structure of the human mind.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I sometimes will play out a scene, talking and acting like the characters. I find the practice to be an important part of the writing process, burrowing deep into the psyche and the hidden agendas living in each character. Learn how they feel, how they move, how they think. Kind of like a method actor, or, in other words, method writing.
What does your family think of your writing?
They are fully supportive. They always found me a bit strange to begin with.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I do, mostly via email or as a response to my newsletter. Usually it’s something personal about themselves or sending good wishes during the holidays. And sometimes it’s just to say hello.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Write books. I love literature and the literary scene. I love being a part of the writing and reading community and the artistic medium of the written word.
What is the first book that made you cry?
I can’t think of one.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I enjoy being original. Create new myths, erect new cathedrals, put a new spin on old tropes, and create something fresh that transcends across time.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
Angel Ramon, SE Turner, Mike Evans, and Kayla Krantz to name a few. It’s always good to receive a professional opinion on your stories, so through collaboration and honest feedback my relationship with these authors meets that exact purpose. I respect their work and their professionalism. I’ve always believed that great projects are a collaborative effort, and I’m grateful to be friends with them and receive their feedback.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
The world will catch up to you just keep writing.
I’m a bit of what I call a peaceful anarchist, so joining big publishing houses was never an interest, as I don’t elect to be told what to do. Growing up the only other way to be published was through vanity press publishing, which had a horrible stigma to it at that time, so I waited, always believing something would come up to meet my needs and then amazon arrived and self publishing began to rise. The way I see it, there’s so many great books out there with awesome authors, so why should a select few publishing houses dictate all the literature there is fit to print.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
The best money I’ve spent as a writer has been with my editor. She is fantastic.
What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
I have a few. Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker. Time and Again by Jack Finney. Others by James Herbert.
What are you working on now?
Currently I’m writing volume 2 for The Rose and I just started a novella series titled Girl on a Mission: The Dead Do Speak. Rose 2 is going fantastic. I’ve been creating what’s called Drac City, a Tesla inspired silver city in hollow earth where the alien vampires reside. At the same time a few of the characters are discovering worn torn America, uncovering the many alien species and A.I. that are systematically destroying all human beings who are not in reprogramming camps scattered across the United States (the novel is dystopian scifi). It’s been a lot of fun. With Girl on a Mission, the story takes place in early 1990’s Brooklyn, NY, and follows sixteen year old leukemia and near death survivor Liza Ward who has a special talent she calls ‘the click,’ something she discovered after her near death experience: Liza is able to influence the human mind to do whatever she says. Now Liza’s father just entered rehab for alcohol addiction and she’s living with her mafia stooge Uncle Tommy when she takes a job with the Italian Mafia, using her newfound talent to help her father through rehab by becoming a mafia hit man. The story is a supernatural thriller with elements of horror, magic, and witchcraft.
What do you have coming soon?
Golem will be released in October 2021. The Rose Vol. 2 this summer and the first installment of Girl on a Mission will be published before the summer (hopefully). Golem is a horror thriller novel, here’s the book blurb so far:
On November 1, 1951, war hero John Ashton was promoted to detective. His first assignment: find the district attorney’s missing daughter. But his only lead is Alena Francon, a socialite committed to Bellevue’s psychiatric facility.
Alena has a story for the new detective. A story so outlandish John Ashton refuses to heed the warning. Alena admits to incarnating Golem, a demonic force into her statue. A devil so profound he’s infiltrated every part of New York’s infrastructure. Even worse, he uses children to do his bidding, unleashing a horde of devils into our world.
When Alena’s confidant, Annette Flemming, confirms the existence of Golem, John is sent on a collision course where fate and destiny spiral into peril, and the future of the human race hangs in the balance.
Confusion is an evil art!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Yes, but first, thank you for the interview and supporting literature and the indie author community
All of my books can be found on my website @ https://pdalleva.com , more than likely by the time this interview posts there’s a good chance all of the above mentioned books will be available.
I can be found across social media, however my newsletter is where I like to give that extra special something so be sure to sign up so you don’t miss all the fun, games, book fairs, giveaways, and prizes. Goes out once a month and signing up is also an option to enter the giveaway.
Social media links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdalleva_author/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pdallevaauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PdallevaAuthor
Website: www.pdalleva.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gxKH7P
The Rose Vol. 1 Excerpt:
“It’s in the blood, dear,” said Ellen, one of the women Sandy shared time and space with, her skin worn by age, hard labor, and days spent under the sun. Blotches, liver spots and creases led the observer to the eyes. One dark, the other a cataract milky white and she always wore a dark shawl draped over the head and shoulders. Sandy was afraid of Ellen, she reminded Sandy of a gypsy or witch from a fairy-tale.
“Come again?” said Sandy, her eyes shifting from soldier to Ellen to soldier then back to Ellen.
Ellen had cut herself transferring a wood bucket filled with rice to add to an already large trough of buckets. A thick wood splinter pinned in the bottom of her palm dripping with a thick stream of blood. She turned to Sandy raising the bloodied palm and caught a drop of blood in her unwounded hand.
“The blood dear,” said Ellen. “All magic comes from the blood.”
Sandy cringed at the sight; she’d always been squeamish. Her stomach bumped, blood curled. Magic, Sandy thought. If only magic was real. How wonderful would that be? Sandy understood she was naïve, the result of an isolated childhood and her parents’ death when she was ten years old. Not that they had taught the young Sandy about the world she lived in either. They’d kept her under lock and key, never so much as offering a glimpse or advice on the outside world. They were always so cryptic with their explanations, living in an abundant and overgrown mansion as if luxury were a childhood friend. Sure there were plenty of rooms for a child to explore but as time went by those rooms seemed more like a prison than a home.
Years of neglect, isolation and secrets were as torturous as physical suffering. And she was tired of secrets. She wanted to know truth. Truth was like a blanket that keeps you warm in the coldest winter.
“The blood, Sandy,” said Ellen who clenched her fist around those crimson droplets, shaking her hand in front of her face. “All is in the blood.”
