Author Interview: PD Alleva

1) What inspired you to write?

I’ve always been a writer. I find inspiration through old movies, nostalgia, music, and listening to the wind while in a fit of contemplation. To see, hear, and feel emotional frequencies and vibrations that rage within my veins with the purpose to create and to be a part of. To be a part of literature and the literary field. To be respected among my peers and to contribute a voice to the never-ending parade dancing across the stage of life. It’s not just about writing a book, there has to be a message, a reflection of society within the pages, a warning over carless human behavior, or a story that reaches into the heart of humanity and rips it from the chest, tossing the organ on a slab to be feasted on. To create a story that drives deep into the psyche and cuts even deeper into the flesh, with a bite that remains and leaves an ever-lasting impression on the heart and to use words, actions, thoughts, and behaviors that reflect the human condition and the dark heart of society.

2) Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

I fell in love with literature at a very early age. When I have a book in my hand I feel complete so yes I have more than a few favorites. But where to begin and where to end is the question, because there’s so many worthwhile books and even more I’m sure I haven’t read (is it possible to read every book in existence in one lifetime?), so here’s a list in no real order from the classics to modern literature including a few non-fiction books:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Dracula by Bram Stoker (also read Dracul by Dacre Stoker and JD Barker, excellent prequel IMO)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

The Od Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Others by James Herbert

Time and Again by Jack Finney

The Damnation Game by Clive Barker

The Shinning by Stephen King

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

The Secret History of the World by Mark Booth

The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot

Breaking the Death Habit by Leonard Orr

Vicious and Vengeful by VE Schwab

The Charlie Parker series by John Connolly

The Fourth Monkey Killer trilogy by JD Barker

Recursion and Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

3) What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

The Rose Vol 1 is the first installment in what will be at least an eight book dystopian science fiction series. The first installment begins immediately after the end of World War 3 and follows the protagonist Sandy Cox who is rescued from a WW3 safety camp by a mysterious rebel fighter, Phil, who, for reasons unknown to Sandy, has been tasked with transporting Sandy to the rebel fighters base in Atlanta. During the rescue attempt Sandy is captured and brought to an underground medical complex where she soon discovers the presence of alien greys and alien vampires who have conspired with elite humans to subjugate the human population. When Phil learns she’s been taken to the underground medical complex he enters the compound, fighting through alien vampires, telekinetic greys, werewolves, and genetically mutated human beings to rescue Sandy. The book is a tour de force of action, martial marts, conspiracy, and heroism. The story is told through multiple points of view. I enjoy being in the heads of all my characters, whether they’re alien vampires, grey aliens, or rebel heroes. 

As far as what will happen in the future, well, without giving away the special sauce lets just say the series will have increasingly high stakes for our protagonists to overcome, new alien species and alien worlds to discover, evolving super powers and the evolution of the human mind, and, of course, the fate of humanity. Time travel, alternate universes, and dimension travel will also be included. 

4) Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

Yes, don’t just read, read, read, study the craft. How the author introduces new concepts or characters. The flow from one chapter to the next. Find out why you keep reading, what is it about the story that’s intriguing, the language, the characters, the situation, but also, how does the author present the problem and solution, what’s the formula within the story, the flow and the words used to drive and maintain reader interest. Knowing what makes you tick as a reader transfers to how you as a writer can continue to engage your reader. And use ProWrittingAid or another writing program. I’ve had major success with ProWritingAid and highly recommend the program for any new writers. 

5) What influenced you as a writer?

Intelligent writing and stories that cut deep into the human condition by way of excellent character depth with an accurate psychological analyses that drives the story (I’m also a hypnotist and psychologist so getting the psychology correct is important to me as a reader and writer). Also, nostalgia, old familiar feelings, sensations, alternate dimensions, quantum physics, and youthful memories. Stories that look at all the possibilities that can, may, or do exist, latching on to the most surreal and exploiting the idea to its fullest in a never ending sea of imagination. And then there are the authors and books that get my gut more than others. Major literary influences have been HG Wells, Jules Vern, Ray Bradbury, Mary Shelley, Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Clive Barker, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Blake Crouch, VE Schwab, John Connolly, and JD Barker, to name a few. I also need to include John Carpenter movies. Movies like Big Trouble in Little China, They Live, Escape from New York, and of course Halloween, have all played major influential roles. 

Author Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdalleva_author/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pdallevaauthor/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PdallevaAuthor

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/pdalleva

Website:  www.pdalleva.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7634126.P_D_Alleva

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/p-d-alleva

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