I’ve been reading and writing since I can remember and I have always have a love for the written word. My favorite subject is literature, and I’ve indulged in just about every genre that exists, from classic literature to modern fantasy, books about philosophy and quantum physics to psychological thrillers to romance (I refuse to limit myself to one particular genre. I refuse to limit myself at all). I love how literature takes us to new worlds and into the minds of people we wouldn’t normally meet. I enjoy the psychology, the themes, and the reflection of society that exists inside of literature. The written word can be a truly powerful medium. What I enjoy most about fiction is an intelligent story, a plotline that delves deep into an unknown theory, conspiracy, or that sheds light on a particular subject or societal norm, with character development that reaches into the trenches of the human psyche to uncover the layers of the human condition. These are the reasons I enjoy penning a scifi or horror story; both genres allow for a stretch of the imagination, depths of understanding, and a course of action towards the human condition. I’ve also spent the last fifteen years as a psychologist and hypnotist, and in turn, bring this expertise into the minds of my characters, no matter if they’re human, alien, demon, or vampire.

Some authors whom I feel have a love for the written word and have been able to reach inside the human heart and pull it out include: The Bronte Sisters, Poe, Mary Shelley, Hemingway, Bradbury, Lovecraft, Clive Barker, Blake Crouch, John Connolly, VE Schwab, Dan Brown, Dickens, Twain, Whitman, Thoreau, and Stephen King, to name a few and that list doesn’t even give justice to the cause, there are so many outstanding authors. If you want to get to know a particular era in human history, read the era’s literature and you’ll begin to understand the many themes, trials, and tribulations of that particular age. When I started writing The Rose (my most recent dystopian scifi series) I wanted more for my villains than just a plain old “this is the antagonist so be done with it,” philosophy. I wanted to go deep, to dig and claw at the soul and thought processes a species of alien vampires and grey aliens would embody. The task was then set, and the psychology a roller coaster of emotions: primal, anarchic, and satisfying. I got to be an alien vampire for a while, greys too, and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the result.

I’ve often asked myself ‘what truly makes for great literature (or any artistic medium for that matter)?’ And my undying conclusion has always unearthed one simple fact: Impact! Stirring an emotional cord in the reader while completely satisfying a greater itch for incredible storytelling. I enjoy it when a reader completes a book and the story and characters stay with them long after that last page is read. But its not enough for just one reader to be satisfied, any great impactful story slithers across society and engrains itself into the fabric of memory, never to be forgotten. This is immortality, a staple in time that reflects the larger society, its minds and hearts. History steamrolls across time but what remains is the artistry, and of course, the literature. From the first time a cave man chiseled a story into the wall of a cave, to The Odyssey, Inferno, Faust, Shakespeare. Hunchbacks, Counts, Monsters, Devils, Vampires, Rising Suns, Dystopias, and thrillers, literature marks the time. 

In a world where programming occurs every time we pick up our cell phones, literature provides a means towards escape, allowing the brain to optimize, and the mind to flow freely with ideas. It’s the kind of programming we can choose for ourselves (choosing which book to read) without some algorithm tossing its conclusion on our lives for our eyes to salivate over based on something we may or may not have been that interested in. I am a proud author, hoping to do my part in the greater ether that is the literary world. To give life to books and show the reader new worlds while uncovering the nature of the human condition, and to live multiple lives. I think George RR Martin penned it perfectly in A Dance with Dragons, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

A big THANK YOU to the Readers Magnet and the authors lounge for allowing me to write this blog and share a love for the written word many readers and writers have, take it as you will, but understand the message: Don’t limit yourself, read books, your soul will thank you, your mind too.

~ PD Alleva (Dec. 2020)

Amazon Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089JTPJ8G

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