Guido Mattioni

The action of the book follows an Italian man, Alberto Landi, who at fifty has lost his way. Like Dante (of Divine Comedy fame), Alberto is having an existential crisis after the sudden death of his beloved wife, Nina. He leaves Milan, where he has always lived and worked, and escapes across the ocean to Savannah, a city both he and his wife had loved. There, in a natural paradise governed by the breath of the tides and with the help of many dear friends, he starts to rebuild his life.

Guido describes his novel as a declaration of love to the women of the world, as well as to the city of Savannah. We were intrigued by this premise, and took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his writing and life via email.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

I have no doubt: Dante Alighieri, because his Divine Comedy is the summa of everything can be written about human beings. You’ll find an answer to every question in it. For the same reason, I love Marcel Proust. His ability to distill universal lessons, even from the most apparently simple fact or behavior, is impressive. From a writing style point of view, I do love many American writers, even if they are very different from each other. Authors like John Steinbeck, John Fante, Tom Wolfe, Mark Twain, Truman Capote, Saul Bellow, William Faulkner and many others, and I always keep a special corner of my soul for my beloved Flannery O’Connor.

Do you have a favorite quote about writing or the writing process?

I do not have a quote, but I do believe that good writing has to be much more similar to the job of a cabinetmaker. I mean, a writer has to start from a raw piece of wood—the words—and then going on outlining, roughing off, refining, smoothing until the curves look like velvet and sound perfect. Maybe I will be not a bestseller, but I hate this modern and very popular syncopated writing. To me, it’s the language of a generation who grew up reading and writing short cell phone text messages. Literature is something else altogether.

Where are you from, and how does your geographic location influence your writing?

I’ve lived most of my life in Milano, a business-oriented big city in northern Italy. It’s full of history, like any other big Italian city (or small village), but it’s unfortunately always running, and it’s money-minded and polluted. It’s very different from Udine, in northeast Italy, where I was born and where I grew up. Udine is a cozy and elegant small town not far from Venice, on the border of Austria and Yugoslavia. Fortunately I can write anywhere, probably because of my former job as a professional journalist always travelling. I have a vast stock of knowledge, faces, characters, sites and places, and my memory is still good.

What’s your favorite writing fuel?

I must say I don’t need a specific “fuel” to write. Except for a good cup of coffee in the morning, what I do need is just silence. That’s why I’ve spent a hell of a lot of money on doors and windows and special glass to keep Milano’s traffic noises out of my downtown apartment!

Do you have any superstitions or writing exercises you like to use when starting a new project?

No, I have no superstitions at all—not in writing, nor in the rest of my life. I love all cats, even black ones! I’m definitely much more afraid of politicians.

What are your hobbies or interests, outside of writing?

I don’t love sports, of any kind, but I have to admit I am a definitely strange kind of Italian because on top of that, what I really hate is soccer. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know. I just hate it! But I would have loved to play golf, because I enjoy walking on the grass and under the trees. After a dozen useless lessons, years ago, I realized I was unable to coordinate my movements, and it was frustrating, so I quit. But I love cooking, and I’m an excellent chef for my wife and friends. It’s the only hobby I have. I spend a lot of money on new pots, ceramic knives, small appliances. My wife calls them my “toys.” And she’s right, they are!

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

No question: I would have been a chef! That’s probably because cooking is a creative job, just like writing.

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now?

I’m already working on another novel, also set in the United States, but it’s more of an action/adventure story. It’s an old idea that goes back to the 80s, a fiction story that has slept for decades in my handwritten reporter notebooks. I’m just updating the plot. It will not be a poetic setting, like Savannah with its idyllic sunsets on the marshes, but instead it will be set on the dusty and dangerous border between Texas and Mexico. It will be definitely a tough story, even if it’s a human one, because feelings and good sentiments can grow up even in the sand, even in the middle of the desert, just like saguaros and cactus do.

Whispering Tides is available at Amazon in English and Italian (as Ascoltavo le maree), Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and Apple’s iBookstore. You can also buy the Italian hardcover version at Lulu or read an excerpt here. Connect with Guido on Facebook, Twitter or GoodReads.

The origin of the disease remains a mystery. Ignorance of its provenance fuels a growing schism that threatens to destroy the peace that the survivors’ descendants have built. Unwilling to wait for matters to get any worse, Charlinder decides to travel to where the Plague first appeared and find out the truth—which means walking across three continents before returning home.

Charlinder has never been more than ten miles from home, has never heard anyone speak a foreign language, and he’s going it alone.

He survives thousands of miles of everything from near-starvation to near-madness before he meets Gentiola. By then he’s so exhausted that the story she offers to tell seems like little more than a diversion… until he hears it.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he learns from her, and no one ever told him: be careful what you wish for. The world is a much bigger place than Charlinder ever knew, and his place in it is a question he’s never imagined asking.

If you’re into dystopian fiction, Charlinder’s Walk is straight up your very dark and bombed-out alley. Author Alyson Miers explores what happens after the world ends, following survivors who keep struggling for another day, as well as the questions that will inevitably arise when people find themselves in uncomfortable situations. Why did this happen? How did it happen? Did it have to happen? Charlinder is on a quest to find answers; like most young people, he’s curious and thinks he seeks the truth at all costs. But when he gets it, what will he do with it?

As part of a family of compulsive readers, Alyson eventually crossed the bridge to writing during a Peace Corps assignment in Albania. Teaching English at a high school in the small village of Kuqan, her sense of culture shock and lack of work to keep her busy led her to ponder an idea she’d had years before concerning survivors of a mysterious plague. After reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, she got a further grip on the story and began writing notes. By 2008 she had a first draft done, and in 2011 the book was finally published.

Charlinder himself undertakes two simultaneous quests. Though the first quest is obviously to find out what really happened back in 2012 when the plague first hit, the second part of the story is a coming-of-age tale, where naïve Charlinder learns that the world is a far bigger place than he ever could have imagined. Even as he discovers there’s a whole world outside of his hometown, he must deal with this new knowledge and figure out what he feels about this discovery. One could argue that his physical journey makes him a man, dealing with the hardships of life on the road. But it’s really his inner struggle to comprehend what he learns on his travels that brings the real transition from boy to man.

Charlinder’s coming of age parallels some of Alyson’s own experiences in Albania. A 25-year old woman in a foreign country learning a new language and customs will undoubtedly feel like an outsider, but like anyone in challenging situations, Alyson adapted as best she could. Writing notes toward the book that would ultimately become Charlinder’s Walk, Alyson drew upon both her own confusions and frustrations as an outsider, as well as the lives of the Albanians around her, who had been isolated from the rest of the world by a dictator named Enver Hoxha during the 1970s. Alyson imagined, through Charlinder, what life would be like for someone who had never left his own country.

In Alyson’s imaginary world, daily life as we know it has been destroyed, but the universe keeps on chugging along as it always will. The people in Charlinder’s village have reverted to a more agrarian lifestyle, keeping chickens for eggs and sheep for milk and wool, though they do not raise animals for slaughter. If they want to eat meat, they must hunt and kill it themselves. This “simpler” form of life keeps the members of his community busy for most of the day, with plenty of physical tasks that farmers have performed around the world for centuries. While this lifestyle may seem desireable, even preferable to big-city life, it is quite a lot of work—especially for people who are used to being able to use technology to get through their day. Would we big-city dwellers, indeed, be able to survive in Charlinder’s world?

The book also features some interesting discussions concerning religious beliefs, non-traditional healing methods and gender roles. Do these roles exist because we humans have created them, or are they the result of some divine plan? Is this just “nature’s way” or do men and women have choices about what they do with their lives and the people they will become? Is the work of a healer magic or science, and should we trust herbal remedies with no empirical proof that they work? These clashes of “modern” versus “traditional” ways of viewing the world appear as Charlinder learns more about how other survivors have chosen to live.

Whether you’re interested in reading more dystopian fiction or just enjoy a good story, Charlinder’s Walk is worth a read.

Connect with Alyson on her website,blog, Facebook,Twitter or GoodReads. Get Charlinder’s Walk on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

EXTRA BONUS SECTION!

Want to win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Charlinder’s Walk? There are two easy ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on my blog! One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Charlinder’s Walk  tour page.
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest! Use either the contest form below, or enter on the official Charlinder’s Walk tour page.

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Chris O’Grady’s novel The Glorieta Pass follows a tough customer, Wilder, from being a day late and a dollar short to the town of Thomaston’s most wanted criminal in just 24 hours. Originally scheduled for a bit part in a robbery, Wilder gets mixed up with the town tart—who also happens to be married to the top dog. It’s bad news for Wilder, who takes the fall on a cop killing he never committed, and at first it looks like lights out for this common criminal. But our man’s no sucker; he sniffs out what’s really happening in Thomaston to clear his own name and escape the hangman’s noose.

Great character development off the top, with a pick-up scene and some erotic dealings with little Miss Glorieta. Once Wilder shakes loose her inhibitions, the dame gets a little too cozy for a one-night stand, but I guess even tough guys can fall for that sort of thing now and again.

The ins and outs get tricky as the story moves forward, and it’s odd that Wilder trusts the word of virtually all the people he meets, despite the fact that they don’t trust him and really have no reason to tell him the truth. In a genre rife with double-crosses, the plot of this crime novel’s frame-up is strangely straightforward. It’s also a bit bizarre that a wanted man would sneak back into the very town that wants to string him up, aiming to unravel a mystery with no prior detective experience, no knowledge of the town’s layout or inhabitants, and nothing but enemies thirsty for his blood, but Wilder’s hellbent on exposing the town’s puppeteers—if only so he can spit in their faces.

In the end, it’s all about getting outta dodge, and Wilder seems to be a pro at this maneuver. Despite some unbelievable moves, he pulls it off and emerges victorious. He may not be any gal’s knight in shining armor, but he’s not such a bad guy. Wonder what kind of trouble he’ll get into next?

The Glorieta Pass
by Chris O’Grady
Twit Publishing
170 pp., $10
Also available at Amazon for 99¢

Eighty Six the Poet

Find out more about Eighty Six the Poet and get in touch with the sexy and strange side of life.

Who are your favorite authors and/or influences?

As a post-apocalyptic writer, The Stand and Earth Abides have had a strong influence on me. “What would you do after the end of the world?” is a question that intrigues me. As a poet, I love Robert Frost and Shakespeare for their ability to make form feel natural. As a cocktail writer, influences surround me daily. I include scenes and sound-bites from guests and co-workers often. In truth, I have little time to read now and count it as one of my guilty pleasures. I can read 400 pages a day but would get nothing else done. Unfortunately I must choose between reading and writing. I can’t do both.

Do you have a favorite quote about writing or the writing process?

“Write a lot about a little.” Not sure who said this first. I picked it up somewhere in college.

Where are you geographically located, and does this play any part in your writing?

I have lived in Spokane, Washington for almost four years. It was a family move. My big sister moved here first and I realized I could work at a restaurant and buy a house. A single me would have stayed in Seattle. Prior to Spokane, I lived in the Seattle area and Northern California, which are both close to my heart and writing. Inside the Skull of David Priest takes place in fictional Empire, Washington, which is a city much like Seattle and Tacoma. The Cathartes Aura series wanders from the Pacific coast of Washington through Oregon to California, without specifically saying so. I like to make up my own settings, although they are always much like real places.

How has your past influenced you as a writer?

During college, writing dialogue was my weakness. I just had not seen and heard enough of the people on this planet to be able to copy them. Years of waiting tables and tending bar have filled my ears with tons of speech and my eyes with lots of body language. I am much better at describing a character with just a few words and gestures.

Pick your poison: what’s your favorite writing fuel?

Coffee, of course. Big fan of the French press. And bourbon. Good for creativity but bad for work ethic and focus. Rarely touch that marijuana anymore, but I can’t stop writing about it. Writing about David Priest, who is ripped all the time, was a bad influence on me.

Do you have any special routines, superstitions or writing exercises you like to use when getting started with a new project?

I like using a computer for writing, but I also love the feel of old-school stuff. I still use 70-page spiral notebooks from elementary school and like the feel of a good pen. I used to love fine-point roller ball pens in any color but blue, but lately I’ve fallen for the Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen with an extra-fine point. It’s the type of pen you’d use to draw a comic book. The india ink never runs or smudges, but the tips wear out fast. I’ll need a new one soon.

I still love to brainstorm and think it’s important to fill up pages with unfiltered ideas before trying to make a polished text.

What are your hobbies or interests, outside of writing?

I love to fish. This summer I plan to get my toddler hooked on the outdoors. I play frisbee with my dog daily, otherwise he’ll chase my wife around the house all day. I love to cook.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

I’d be a bartender, of course, because the business is fun and the hourly pay is good, at the right place. As an artist, I’d be a photographer. The crusty old kind that insists on using film and dark rooms. None of this modern digital crap. That’s for vacation photos. I used to do a lot of black and white in high school and college. I would have minored in photography but my old camera kept breaking and I kept dropping classes.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?

Prague. My wife is Czech. We visited the country a few years ago and I almost didn’t come back. Before my bilingual kids get too old, they will go to school there. I could tend bar and teach English in Prague. If I can ever make a living writing, I’m moving there.

What are you working on now?

Three things:

1. Cathartes Aura 3. The first chapter is on my blog.
2. David Priest, the novel. Characters and plots are bouncing around my head, including a scene involving the “One Inch Slap.”
3. A new post-apocalyptic novel. I love the genre as a character study. I want to build a beautiful remote tropical island nation with a screwed-up government. A history of neglect and corruption has shoved the society to the brink of collapse. One more tiny push will cause the whole place to fall into disaster. Told in first person by multiple diverse characters, rather than in third person by a distant turkey vulture. Instead of destroying the whole world, which is difficult to do even fictitiously, I want to wreck an isolated community and see how the individuals respond.

Here’s a brief sample from the book, featuring Mr. Priest getting pumped for a night at the bar:

When they drew me from the deck, they pulled the ace. I am the trump, the wild card, the read ‘em and weep. Want to step to my bar? Better bring two stomachs, two livers. Best bring four kidneys. Come with your rugby team because I’m ready.

I am the spigot and the pump. The muddle and the anvil. Lemons and limes tell their kids campfire stories, flashlights under dimpled faces: “David Priest will smash you for his drinks if you’re naughty.”

Grab a copy of Inside the Skull of David Priest at Smashwords or Amazon, and find out more about Eighty Six the Poet on his blog, Eighty Six the Poet.

Seumas Gallacher

We discovered his work through a chance encounter on Twitter, and thought the U.S. could use an introduction to this rising indie star.

Who are your favorite authors and/or influences?

On the writing scene, I discovered Stuart McBride’s crime noir stuff a couple of years back, he’s got gritty quirky characters that leap out at you, coupled with the Scots dry wit. For solid storytelling I like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, who never goes to the toilet or farts or anything really except mow down all the bad guys. About a hundred years ago I read How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, which I found an amazing read.

Outside of writing, my life long hero has been the late Winston Churchill, apart from his prodigious literary contribution, I relate to his maverick style, taking on of the rest of the world, and try to adhere to his motto, NEVER, EVER, GIVE UP on anything you believe in.

Does geography play any part in your writing?

I’ve had the privilege of working all over the world: the Far East, Australia, and now in Abu Dhabi in the Gulf, which has led to a realization that the world is just one huge village. The cultures, styles, attitudes and experiences that stick along the way get selected directly and indirectly into what and how I write, particularly people (character) descriptions. All of my characters, goodies and nasties, are composites of people I have met.

How has your past influenced you as a writer?

As a 15-year-old brought up in the then-slums of dockside Glasgow, I did the usual Glasgow mandatory thing of punching out my father and leaving home to seek my fortune elsewhere. At the time it was terrifying, but looking back, I know it was the ultimate making of me. All the experiences along the way have added to any colour I have in my writing.

Pick your poison: what’s your favorite writing fuel?

Food: Scottish brand Tunnock’s Caramel Chocolate Caramel Wafer biscuits. Drink: Diet Coke by the case.

How do you deal with negative reviews?

Interestingly, the first negative review gave only two stars out of five, but when I looked at the only other review that reviewer had posted, I saw that he had given John Grisham one star out of five, so I guess it should ALL be taken with a pinch of salt. A positive review I enjoyed said “this book gets you in from the first shock in Chapter One and then you can’t put it down. Tightly written, with lots of connections throughout to keep you thinking. Very clever. Let’s hope Gallacher brings out a sequel soon…” Thanks, Mum!

What are your hobbies or interests, outside of writing?

I am a devoted couch potato weekend soccer TV freak, I watch all of the English Premier League games which we get live here in the Middle East. I mess around with a recently acquired electric guitar, and produce (really!) weird noises on that.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

I dabbled variously along the way as lead singer in a band, played a reasonable level of football (soccer), and even thought of teaching other people about how business REALLY works at Harvard, any of which I would have happily pursued.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?

On a space vehicle circling the planet just to see what it looks like from up there… it must be awesome.

Do you have any special routines, superstitions or writing exercise you like to use when starting a new project?

Before I get into any project, I need to have a clear idea in my head of the ending. I then go walking for several evenings in a row, letting my mind play with some of the structure… all of this before typing the first word. That way, I get a flyer at it, and hopefully that impetus starts to feed on itself.

What’s next? What are you currently working on? Is there a sequel or prequel in the works?

I am working on the second book now, which is well advanced, with another three in concept (just today, another series of ideas has begun mentally, so probably up to four more after this current WIP). These will be not so much sequels as a series of stories centered round the same basic characters, with some fresh ones to keep it from getting boring or formulaic (which I detest). I have also produced a couple of short stories for competitions just to keep me on my mettle, and to add some frisson to it all.

Here’s a brief sample from the book, to whet your whistle:

On either side of him, one man each took hold of an arm… two others stepped forward swiftly and acted in concert… two meat cleavers flashed and thudded through the flesh of each arm. As the dying triad was folded into the tarpaulin, the man in the middle seat spoke, very quietly.

“Remove this scum and park it with the fishes. The hands that have been stealing my money will be taken and shown round the streets to the rest of our people. Remind them all how much I value their honesty.”

Hooked yet? You can read more or grab a copy of Gallacher’s book, The Violin Man’s Legacy, at Amazon.com.