Author Interview: Alexander Marais

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.