Welcome to Inside the Mind where we here at The Faerie Review interview authors and creators.
Our guest today is PD Alleva, the author behind Golem
Lily: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview PD I enjoyed reading Golem. This book is horror, do you read a lot of horror books?
PD: Hi Lily, glad to be here and thank you for the interview. Yes, I read a ton of horror books. It’s my go to genre, although I’m more of a classic horror reader. I grew up on the classics, reading Edgar Allan Poe at a very early age. I think I was like nine when I read The Tell-Tale Heart and may have lost my mind listening to that watch enveloped in cotton, the heartbeat that drives the protagonist insane after he murders the old man. From then on Ray Bradbury was fantastic to read, Something Wicked This Way Comes is still one of my all time faves. Discovered Stephen King and Clive Barker at 14 years old and spent my teenage years reading books like Frankenstein-still my all-time favorite book and Mary Shelley has always been my literary crush-Dracula, The Vampyre, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Devil and Tom Walker, Faust, Dante’s Inferno, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to name a few.
Of course, there are more than a handful of great contemporary horror books I read by the truckload. Couple good authors to look for are: Ronald Malfi, Mike Salt, John Connolly-although his books are thrillers there’s definitely a horror element to his books-Ty Tracy, Elias Witherow, Daniel Volpe, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Darcy Coates, all depending on how you like your horror novels. I like em all, splatter fest, psychological, thrillers, it’s all good to me.
Lily: I love the wide range of authors and books! What was the hardest part of writing this?
PD: Honestly, no hard parts to write. I loved every minute of it, felt like Mary Shelley was willing me on to write a new Frankenstein novel. I’ve been reading and watching horror movies since six years old and have had more than my share of a crazy life so I’m very desensitized and writing those dark scenes wasn’t difficult at all. I’d say that if it was anything, it would have been all the research on the era, although I found that fascinating but including all of it or how to introduce a small tidbit about the 40s or 50s posed a unique challenge. My goal when writing Golem was to capture the essence of the 40s and 50s along with Manhattan during that time. Definitely helped that I grew up in NY so the feel of the city still lives within. But I think it was the simple things, like what was the most popular Halloween candy or costume in 1951 or what did doctors tell pregnant women about smoking, or how they made coffee, and the most intriguing was the psychology in the culture. I’m a hypnotist and psychotherapist in private practice for the past couple of decades, so understanding the psychology behind a person or people-at least to me-is the hallmark of any good writer. You’ve got to read and understand people. What motivates them? What secrets they harbor, especially those intricate desires they refuse to talk about? If you want to know someone, and I mean really, truly know them, get to know those secrets and details, try to see the dark side, the yang to their yin, and then you’ll see more than just a keyhole sized façade. The real depth is behind the eyes, hiding in a dark closet, waiting to jump out and be noticed. Even our dark sides want recognition. Sorry, got off topic, but that happens from time to time. To answer your question, finding the most cerebral way to include all the research on the era was the most difficult part, which wasn’t that difficult, it just required a different mind.
Lily: You did an excellent job bringing the era and story overall to life. I could swear if I stepped into the pages I’d be walking into old New York. If you had to face down Golem, who would you want by your side?
PD: Wow, crazy question. Repeats question out loud. Hmm. Scratches head, thinking. Golem is a highly formidable opponent, as cerebral as he is physically strong, so I’d need at least a few people. Hannibal Lecter and the vampire Lestat come to mind. Since they were the inspiration behind the Golem character, I’d have them by my side. Lecter to plan, plot, and converse with Golem while Lestat battles him physically. Although I believe we’d lose to the demonic orphan army Golem has created. Yeah, scratch that, I think I’ll just run and hide instead.
Lily: Hehe I can totally see Hannibal Lecter and Lestat attempting to band together against Golem, although I think there’s an equal chance they’d want to join him. Are there more horror stories in the works?
PD: 100%. More than a few. I’m currently editing what I refer to as my Covid quarantine satirical cosmic grindhouse horror fantasy thriller novel, Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect. Jiggly is a four foot nine, half human, half warlock carnival clown who moonlights as an alien pimp and lackey for a demonic species from Xibalba. Because of some unforeseen circumstances, Jiggly is tasked with pulling off 2019’s Summer Solstice celebration at the prestigious Cannibal Café. No simple task considering he’s got two weeks and there’s so much to do, like preparing fresh wholesome human flesh for the dinner menu and let’s not forget all the people he needs to abduct. How else are all those Xibalba demons going to find a suitable human body to possess? Yeah, Jiggly’s got his hands full, that’s for sure.
Then there’s my horror thriller novella series, Girl on a Mission: The Dead Do Speak, and a novella I started writing a week ago, titled Grandma. All coming to a bookstore near you in the future. I enjoy taking my time with a book, between concept to writing, and then editing, cover design, formatting, and publishing, and every step is as important as the one before it and the one after. I like to take my time and do things with care, patience, and attention to fine details.
Lily: Jigglyspot sounds like the perfect comedic horror. Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. What does your writing space look like?
PD: I prefer blank walls, nothing but paint on the walls, like a blank sheet of paper waiting to be written on or a blank movie screen to project the scenes I’m writing from my brain. I purchased an English style writing desk a few years ago. It’s a part of the Ernest Hemingway collection. My desk is my pride and joy. I love my desk. Got more than a few nostalgic items on the top, including my Empire Strikes Back Yoda Puppet, a lantern I used for inspiration in my dark fiction novel Presenting the Marriage of Kelli Anne and Gerri Denemer. It’s the lantern Gerri sees outside the forest before he enters the woods to battle his past demons. I’ve got an American Flag that was offered to my grandfather when he passed away. He was a WW2 fighter pilot. Some trophies from my babies, well they’re not babies anymore. I’ve got four children ranging from 22 years old to ten. Some scattered papers, a few paperback copies of my books and my writing hat, a grey Fedora I bought in Athens during my honeymoon. My wife’s desk is behind me and I’ve got a bookshelf on my left with three good shelves filled with books and on top is my crystal bowl for meditation. On the floor-again remember I like the walls blank-is a wood framed copy of LIFE magazine with Ernest Hemingway on the cover. It’s the issue that The Old Man and the Sea was first published. At the time, people thought Hemingway’s career was over, so they published The Old Man and the Sea in LIFE magazine to gain popularity. Looks like it worked, considering he won the Nobel Prize and The Old Man and the Sea is regarded as one of his finest novels. Proof that we can age like a fine wine. Obviously, I enjoy Hemingway and this is definitely true. When I was a teenager, my family referred to me as Hemingway. And I loved it.
Lily: Sounds like you have the ideal writing spot with just the right touch of nostalgia scattered in it. Do you prefer to hand write, type, or dictate your first draft?
PD: Type, although I preferred handwriting manuscripts for a very long time. Typing took some time to get used to, but like anything else, it’s only uncomfortable for a little while.
Lily: I’m glad you were able to get used to it, I know it’s often faster to type the first draft. Is writing the first draft or editing it harder?
PD: I find editing more difficult than writing the first draft. Then again, I think everything in the process of publishing a book is more difficult than writing the first draft. The first draft is probably the easiest part of the entire process. All you’ve got to do is crack open your skull and allow your characters to vomit all over the page. Editing, on the other hand, is technical, which requires a different mindset, with attention to detail that is devoid of emotion. When I’m in editing mode, I take as much pride in slashing scenes and burdensome long-winded prose from the manuscript as I do writing them.
Lily: That’s a great way to describe it, I love it! Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. What TV or movie character would it be the most fun to change places with for a week? What would you do?
PD: Iron Man. I love that suit. It’s badass. I’d fly around the planet for a long while, then rocket into outer space and put the flat earth theory to rest with some dazzling pics.
Lily: That sounds like so much fun. What kinds of things do you like to cook or are good at cooking?
PD: I can’t cook to save my life. Trust me, I’ve tried. I was a single full-time father for a few years before meeting my current wife and cooked every day. I learned one very important lesson during that time; a family of three can survive on mac and cheese, ramen noodles and PB&J despite what anyone says.
Lily: Haha I know that’s definitely what a lot of college students survive on! What type of music do you like to listen to? Do you have a favorite artist/composer/band?
PD: Classic rock, grunge, jazz, and symphony. Bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart. Depends on the mood. Oh, and there’s always 80s cheese rock that can change-on a dime-any poor mood you’re in. I also meditate-it’s a daily practice-so meditation music too. If you’re on Pandora, I recommend 528Hz Miracle Radio. It sets the internal vibrational frequency on the right path. Also, I wrote my metaphysical family drama novel, A Billion Tiny Moments in Time, while listening to one song on continuous repeat, Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale. The book has themes associated with death, self-deception, and immortality, so the song fit perfectly with the mood. Kind of a tearjerker type of book and what I refer to as my Lifetime novel. I think Lifetime would have a field day turning that book into a movie. I use music to help set the tone I want in the story. Rolling Stones, and Janis Joplin for Golem. Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd for my scifi series, The Rose. Of course, it’s always a mixed bag of bands from the same era as those mentioned. Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart for editing. Great thing is I have an uncanny ability to completely tune out everything, including the extremely loud music blaring through my headphones. Once I’m in the story, everything else just fades away.
Lily: I love that mix of music – I also run the gamut of styles, eras, and artists with my music tastes. What’s your most irrational fear? Is there something people are afraid of that you aren’t?
PD: Irrational fears? I’ve got a few. Paranoia has always been lurking in my head, but to take that paranoia and ramp it into overdrive took something a bit more alarming. I once read a book titled The Adam and Eve Story: A History of Cataclysms by Chan Thomas. It was by no easy task that I came across the book as a pdf file that some good person a long time ago had taken pictures of every page in the book and later on turned those pics into a pdf. Why would someone do this to a book, you ask? Well, it’s because the CIA banned the book in the 1990s, which they released decades later with redacted black smears across just about every page. But I found the original and read the original and of course my brain went in a billion directions.
So, here’s the long and short of it: the book was written by a scientist, or as he reports in the book, a cataclysmologist. Try saying that three times fast. He spent his scientific career studying cataclysms and the history of cataclysms the earth has endured. The author discovered that every so often-in systematic alternating time patterns-the earth enters what he referred to as a null zone in the Milky Way galaxy. Earth revolves around the sun, and our solar system revolves around the center of the Milky Way and every so often, the solar system enters the null zone. Problem with the null zone is that once the earth enters the zone, the force that keeps the hot molten lava in the center of the earth dissipates; causing catastrophic cataclysm’s across the earth. In other words, the author cited the reasons for why the earth has had numerous mass extinctions, severe weather changes, and planetary catastrophes since its birth results from the solar system entering the null zone. He was also able to relate the last few cataclysms to the bible-hence the title-which he reports is a description of the survivors of the last two extinctions with the last cataclysm being Noah’s flood.
Which means the earth is spiraling towards that null zone as we speak and, considering how long it’s been since the last cataclysm, it appears we may be closer to the null zone than we know. According to the author, this can happen anytime between now and the next two hundred years. Which means it’s time to survive. Who will usher in the dawn of the new human age? Will it be the 3% of the population who control the other 97% or will the meek inherit the earth? Crazy questions to ponder and trust me, I’ve pondered. But here’s the kicker: Mr. Thomas also describes how an alien species will send telepathic messages to humans before the strike of the cataclysm with an offer to live with them on their planet. So the question is, and let’s say this is all true and not a work of fantastic fiction-it is a non-fiction book FYI-and you receive a telepathic message from an alien species, would you go with them knowing that life on earth will cease to exist?
Just a quick side note here: I am fully aware that fear and irrational thought processes are not good for anyone, be it the individual, the family, or society. I don’t fear death or cataclysms, or anything at all except not living life to the fullest every day. With that being said, I understand possibility and the nature of cause and effect. Possibility drives writer’s to imagine a new world, new society, and new rules of that society and I latch on to the most dire or surreal possibilities that exist in any situation, and allow the concept to drive imagination into the story. Just pure fun, really, but I am also not the type of person to go bonkers and start screaming at everyone that we’re all going to die. Truly, there’s a stronger possibility that humanity will perish than survive long term. It’s not a dark thought, but more of a reality. When I read or listen to a theory such as Dr. Thomas’, it confirms things I’m already aware of. I’ve been honored with a great education and if anyone ever takes a college science class, they’ll discover that climate change is inevitable and this simple fact is based on the history of our planet. One day the earth will change, it’s a part of its life cycle. Think of the floods, Pangaea, and the ice age. It’s happened before and it will happen again, and I wish people would think about how we can all survive and evolve enough to live through the next cataclysm. People may say that that’s a dark thought, but my response is simple and any spiritual guru will agree that considering your own mortality turns into a greater appreciation of life and for those you love. There’s nothing wrong with it and prevention is always the best medicine. Side note complete.
I also have a fear of heights because of a dream. Get this, in my dream I’m in outer space-yes I spend a lot of time there-watching the earth rotate in its orbit and then, suddenly, out of nowhere the earth spirals out of its orbit and I feel this dreaded sense of loss and emptiness and wake up with a sudden jerk and twist. Ever since that time, I’ve been afraid of heights. Well, not really afraid, but every time I’m somewhere high off the ground, I feel a sudden jerk as if I’m falling. It’s kind of like vertigo, but… not. Strange right? I went skydiving once and thought it may go away but no, it’s still here, but skydiving was awesome.
But snakes, on the other hand, I am not afraid of, not since I made peace with them through a telepathic message. Another dream I had as a child-I only slept one hour a night from the age of 1 to 2 and then after that only four to five hours a night until I was well into my twenties-was me in my bedroom and the house was full of snakes. Snakes on the wall, on the floor, and on the ceiling. Huge snakes too. I was afraid of snakes after that dream, but I had a funny situation a few years ago where this damn snake was in my backyard and wouldn’t leave me alone. Every time I went outside, he slithered his way over to me. I think he was messing with me or just liked to watch the big man jump ten feet and run for cover. I’d be on my bed reading and look through the sliding glass doors and he’d be watching me, head up, erect, and pointed directly at me. Very creepy. However, I love animals, even snakes, and discovered the reason he was in my backyard is that there were a ton of frogs living in my overgrown bushes and shrubbery. One day, my wife and I decide to hire a landscaper to completely rip that overgrown area to shreds. But this also meant the snake would lose a home and may even get hurt. So, I’m outside and the snake is there and I start talking to the snake. Well, not talking but thinking the conversation and what I want to say to the snake to get him or her to leave. I let the snake know the yard was going to be torn apart and he may get hurt and that the landscapers were coming in a few days and that I think it would be safe if he found a new home. And wouldn’t you know it? The next day, the snake wasn’t there, nor the next day or the day after that. He’d been there every day for a month and then gone. I looked for him when the landscapers arrived and he still wasn’t there. Strange yes, very strange and do I believe the snake heard my thoughts? Well, high probability is no, but then again, he did leave.
Lily: I’m absolutely fascinated by the premise of that book, and what a wild way to develop a fear of heights! I love how you overcame your fear of snakes, I don’t know how many people can claim the same method for overcoming any fear. Would you rather be able to control animals (but not humans) with your mind or control electronics with your mind?
PD: Well, I’m the animal whisperer, so I think I’ve got that part down already, so I’ll choose to control electronics with my mind. Yeah, what could go wrong other than summoning demons from other planets?
Lily: It would definitely make life interesting, at least. If you could only eat one thing for dinner for a month, what would it be?
PD: Imported Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and black pepper on Bronx, NY-Arthur Avenue to be precise-Italian bread. Oh, and throw in a Manhattan Special coffee soda and I’m the happiest SOB on the planet.
Lily: That sounds absolutely delicious! I miss a lot of the food from the city. Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?
PD: Yes, if you want that Adam and Eve Cataclysm book just use the contact form on my website and I’ll email the pdf. But also thank you for the interview; this has been a lot of fun. And to all the readers who took some time to read through this interview, an enormous thank you to you as well. Hope you were entertained.
Lily: It was wonderful having you here! How can readers discover more about you and your work?
PD: Best way to stay in touch is to join my Newsletter. I send that puppy out once a quarter unless I’ve got a book coming out. Of course I’m on social media too, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and BookBub. But the best way to discover more about my work is to head over to my Website and join my newsletter. There are always giveaways, contests, ARC opportunities, book promos, and yes, even some freebies. Plus, I’m about to begin a blog series or journal. Many years ago when I wrote A Billion Tiny Moments, I had planned to write a journal about my writing journey but unfortunately it never happened, but I still enjoyed the idea. Now that I’m writing, editing, and writing some more stories, I’ve been keeping a journal of thoughts that are kind of like a story about the writer creating his characters. Yeah, that’s the best way to describe it. Blog title is Jiggly and the Vampire: a writer’s journey. I mentioned Jiggly previously, but the vampire part of the blog is from my alien vampire dystopian scifi series titled The Rose. No sparkly vampires in that series, just anarchic, cerebral and blood crazed alien vampires. I’m writing Vol 3 at the moment, so Sanos, the main alien vampire, is a part of the blog series, along with a few surprises.
Blog series should kick off in about a month, although there are a host of blogs on the site from the past few years including book excerpts, character introductions, live readings, and a bunch more, so sign up for that newsletter. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
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