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- Author Interview: Alexander Marais
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Photo courtesy of Snow Leopard website |
Do you write under your real name or is this a pen name you
use?
It is my real name.
Where are you from?
San Francisco,
California.
List 3 interesting facts about yourself.
I write and direct
independent horror films
I initially
considered taking up work as a psychic before becoming a filmmaker & a
writer
I am part South
African (Afrikaans) on my father’s side and have family back in Cape Town. South African folklore and mythology play a
huge role in my work.
What was the first thing you ever had published?
Presently this
anthology and one other book, a novella titled Green Mountain. Both are coming out this summer.
Do you have a writing routine?
It’s a pretty random
process. I do a rough outline of what I
want, but I’m constantly changing it every thirty seconds. Sometimes I follow some sort of
structure. Mostly I just write
spontaneously, then during a self-editing process shape the story into a
coherent whole.
Do you have any writing rituals?
I sometimes suffer
from the inability to sleep, so in some ways this proves effective when it
comes to being in the mind set of a dark and disturbed character, which is
often what my characters are or turn out to be!
Where did the idea for your most recent book come from?
My anthology is all
about relationships and the potential corruption that can arise from human relationships. In the end we are all animals and there is
always, even in the purest of friendships, a self-satisfying reason to stick
around for somebody. I wanted to explore
that innate, selfish drive as a means to also highlight present issues, both
literal and philosophical. Abusive
psychiatric hospitals, the consequences of totalitarian regimes, the “truth”
according to what society deems to be “true,” all these things fascinate me
both professionally and personally.
Who was the first person you shared your book with?
No one. I wanted to see if it would sink or swim
before I shared it with anyone.
Do you have a current work in progress?
I’m presently at work
on several screenplays, in various stages of completion. I’m also releasing my second book, Green
Mountain, from Siento Sordida – an imprint of Caliburn Press – later this
summer.
Do you have any advice for budding authors?
It’s all about
balance. Don’t let the idea of being
“professional sounding” squander your natural, authentic voice. At the same time, be open to the fact in its
entirety your natural voice might need some tweaking if it’s going to be read
by potentially hundreds or thousands of people.
I think of it like walking the tightrope. Keep it fresh and personal, while also
following a few “rules” all writers have to follow if they want to make their
careers work.
About the Author
Alexander
Marais is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and author currently based out of San
Francisco, California and the Greater Bay Area.
Growing up around exotic cuisine, people, and cultures, it seemed a
natural fit for him to ease into writing and filmmaking as careers. He is the author of the upcoming anthology All That Glitters Is Not Gold: A Compilation
and the upcoming novella Green
Mountain, released by Snow Leopard Publishing and Siento Sordida
respectively. When he’s not writing,
he’s either directing horror films or walking the mountains nearby his
childhood home.
Author links – Visit
Alexander Marais’ website: http://alexandermarais.wix.com/alexandermarais,
follow him on Twitter at: @movieholic112, and visit his Snow Leopard Publishing
Author Page at: http://www.snowleopardpublishing.com/#!alexander-marais/n5fwa.
Book Blurb
Buy Links – Stay
tuned by visiting: http://www.snowleopardpublishing.com.
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