Hello everyone.

Welcome to our Writer Wednesday segment for this week.

Just a quick note before the fun and games start – I link to a lot of other articles in my posts, so WordPress users please check your spam folders and approve any links/pingbacks that you find from me in your Setting Menus to improve the visibility of your own posts, as well as mine, it’s a win win for us both 😉

OK, let’s get cracking with the main event.

I am very excited to introduce to you all Mexican Horror writer extraordinaire Maese Delta, as he takes us on a journey into an epic fantasy world full of chills and adventure.

Thanks for reading and as always, have fun friends.

 

Hi there Maese, a real pleasure to have you over here to discuss your horror writing, along with your writing passions, influences and experiences.

Let’s start with your debut novel that you just published at the end of last year “Crimson Malice”. Congratulations for getting it out there and for giving us a hearty horror meal to sink our teeth into! Please tell us more about what type of book you have written, in terms of the story/fantasy elements, along with what perils the lead protagonists face and what is ultimately at stake for them at the core of your story.

For 15 years, I’ve created a world (Everdant) in which to develop my stories, carrying the sublime and the terrible, the epic and the wicked in the human condition.

In Crimson Malice, it’s about a girl who develops an increasing, morbid fascination with blood. its very sight impossible to look away from it. Whether by stumbling into fresh kills from the animals in the forest where she lives, or glimpsing bruises on others and even her own, they all will serve to turn it into a more dangerous habit should she fail to control the urge.

The village in where she lives has remained undisturbed for a while, despite fear and superstition lingering beyond their reach. Although they are seen and revered as healers/protectors, in neighbouring realms the presence of witches is feared, for they are not always easy to kill with mortal weapons, and given their lore in magic, they can toy with flesh, mind and nature just as easily, whether meddling in the affairs of realms or spreading terror to those who fancy themselves as the sturdiest men, bloodied yet unbowed.

That’s when the plot brings up the role of Einar, who serves as the chieftain of the village, who has been asked to keep a watch on the witches’ community, by order of king Crovan, commonly known as the Raven Lord. There has been a disturbing increase in miscarriages, and he fears it might be work of a foul curse, which he seeks to find whatever means to lift it. When he finds out that his wife is soon to give birth, he would grow even more restless to secure an heir as well as keeping his wife alive, and in the meantime, searching for those he can trust and sort out the witch who has cursed the women in his realm.

As for Omina, she vows to restrain her urges for as long as she can before letting any incident to draw any attention to her and her mother, as well as the other witches in the village. As the daughter of a healer witch, there can only be so much trust between them as the antics once done as a child become tangled with the morbid arousal for blood. And thus, from quick glimpses to cuts and bruises, to dreams of cutting herself, there might be circumstances which won’t be under her control anymore.

What is it about the Horror genre that attracts you to it the most regarding your own writing and reading habits?

An appreciation for the uncanny, the disturbing, the unnatural; the very encounter of something that defies belief and reason, not just in the rarest of circumstances, but also in the most common of places, as if it were the ripping of a veil from the common life and thus, sets a whole new situation to deal with.

If your novel was to be made into a film (or even a TV series), who would you cast in the lead roles?

For the protagonist, Omina, I think Krysten Ritter would be fine. For Einar, that would be Stellan Skarsgård, while for the Raven Lord, I’d say Rufus Sewell. Another one I’ve envisioned is Cillian Murphy as Renksen, lead physician of the Ravenheads (they’re like Plague doctors).

What do you find the most difficult thing about writing? And what do you find the easiest?

For the most difficult, pacing. Sometimes, I get past the limit of pages I might have for a chapter, and when dealing with timelines that span more stories, I need to check on them to rule out any contradictions.

As for the easiest, that would be planning out stories. In fact, it’s something I’ve been doing pretty much with almost all of my stories. First, I’ll write down all the chapter titles, just like that. That is how set my mind on finishing a tale or novel.

It’s a habit I got for recalling movies’ names, or the chapters in which they were divided in DVDs, and also, the song titles in albums. I’d say it’s like a leitmotif, picking words and turning them into chapter titles, and from there, to develop a whole story, from beginning to end.

Who are some of the authors and historical figures that inspire you?

I’d sort that answer into the following:

Epic fantasy: JRR Tolkien, George R R Martin, Andrzej Sapkowski and Kentaro Miura.

Horror: Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, William Hope Hodgson and Horacio Quiroga.

General fiction: John Milton, Giovanni Papini, Kurt Erich Suckert (Curzio Malaparte) and Pat Frank. As a bonus, for this one I’ll add Juan Rulfo.

(Maese Delta and other fellow authors at Fear Front Publishing)

What sort of research do you do to write your books?

Usually check on other books related to the genre I’m going to write. I’ll ready some outlines and notes when it comes to more specific themes and plots, literary devices and research about things I ought to know before using them in the story.

Why do you write? What inspired you to become a writer?

After seeing ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ back in 2001, it was like a revelation to me. Not only did it led to become a fan of epic fantasy but to appreciate the movie of story-telling in both movies and books. I began hoarding as much as I could of epic story whether Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Eastern, Fantasy and Modern ones.

To be able to portray in words the very things that define the human condition in characters I have created, for stories that stop being just a mere collection of words. Even though they might end up as mere entertainment, here and there, they are for me like an echo, a call, hints of things that are not meant to be ignored.

What keeps you motivated during creative slumps? How do you deal with Writers Block?

Most of the time I’m writing while listening to music, classical or soundtracks from movies and videogames, so it gets me in the proper mood for writing. Should that not be enough, I take a break and get to read another book or watch a movie.

However, even when I’m not fully aware that I should be finding for inspiration in everything, as if I had to force it, to struggle for it, there’s the habit of making references, wordplay, even puns…it can be triggered by certain things I get to see and/or hear.

You have access to a time machine. What advice would you give to your younger self?

Learn to appreciate the classic literature of more countries, never lose the sense of wonder, whether for the sublime and terrible that is the human condition.

How do you spend your free time when you are not writing?

Reading, playing videogames, taking care of my pet bunnies, visiting friends.

Tell us more about your upcoming projects. Are you working on anything specific or have plans in the pipeline?

Finishing half of the stories already planned, and learning to paint with watercolours to illustrate my favourite scenes from those stories.

Finally, are there any nuggets of wisdom that you can impart to other aspiring writers?

Read and write, do not lose the sense of wonder, not just at the human endeavours but at the very things already happening in nature. Like Algernon Blackwood once said, a marvel that instructs.

And that’s a wrap! Thank you for spending time with us Maese, I’m sure all the horror fans out there are really going to get a lot of thrills, chills, scares and pleasure from your writing for sure 🙂

Bio:-

Maese Delta was born in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. He began writing after seeing The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Such fascination with stories, fantastical or historical from around the world led him to quickly develop a passion and interest that enriched his imagination. And as such it helped to discover and keep other wonders like Metal music, swordmanship, history and folklore.

His main interests are Epic Fantasy and Horror, being influenced on the former by Tolkien, Martin, Miura and Sapkowski; and on the latter by Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, William Hope Hodgson and Horacio Quiroga.

Since 2001 to this present day, he has spent working on the world of Everdant, for which a two volume novel was written originally in english and then translated into spanish. In the last years of his college life, he began writing some stories ranging from fantasy to horror to submit to contests and anthologies while outlining more tales…a strife which recently came to fruition after fifteen years with the accepted submission of the book Crimson Malice.

As a personal project, he’s translating in English his favorite works of authors such Giovanni Papini and Curzio Malaparte, seeking after further completion the way to get them properly published to spread the word.

You can connect with Maese via the following Social Media channels:-

Twitter:- @LuisArturoMarn1 (Twitter)
Website:- Maese Delta’s Rampart – A place for all things geeky

You can buy his book here:-

Buy Maese Delta’s books in Canada

Buy Maese Delta’s books in the UK/Europe

Buy Maese Delta’s books in the US/Rest of the World

If you too would like to be interviewed on my blog at TooFullToWrite and you have a book or a series of books that you would like us to chat about then fill out the Contact Me form here with your details and we can arrange a future interview slot.

Still want more? Well, as writers we are constantly striving to create the best illusions possible, weaving our written magic to transport readers to epic fantasy lands, just like Maese has done in his outstanding debut novel. For more articles on the theme of ‘Illusion’ then check out the links below:-

1. Copper Cranes – Trace Elements
2. The Romantic Quill – Wednesday Reflections #22 – The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn
3. Arrival – E. Denise Billups, Writer
4. sisters divided… – the Lamp, the Teacup and some Chaotic Overthinking
5. Scaredy Bird – Pictured
6. Scaredy Bird – Cam Closer
7. Scaredy Bird – Coffer
8. Sunway Lagoon Theme Park (Honest Review) – Zeckrombryan
9. Painting Rainbows – Positively Un-broken
10. THE TRUTH will set you FREE – Sweet Tea with a Slice of Faith
11. The Best Laid Plans……. – The Chicken Grandma
12. iLlUsIoN – Naema
13. logicaldreams – Short Story: Not Today
14. Joys of Joel – Instagram and My Apple Juice
15. Business of an Adult World – Debbie Gravett
16. Illusion – Dance of the Soulful Words
17. Illusion – all life is yoga
18. Sexy Robot – Nes Felicio Photography
19. Feedback – MAG Stories
20. A Diary of A Single Man: This Bleeding Heart – Harlem Cafe
21. The Brown Session… – The thought of the night
22. Cookies & Moo – Searching
23. 10 Healthy-ish Sweet & Salty Snacks – Whole, Hearty, Happy
24. Riding his white stallion through the haze – Sarahs Crazy Mind
25. shame – Of sunsets and pain in paradise
26. Experienced Magician – Girl Writing
27. Wrongly perceived Illusions – elynnantoine
28. New Ideas And Inspirations – Cringe (Illusion; Commit; Paper)
29. Deluded – Stories from A Closet of Errors
30. Poetry Out West – The Joker
31. Behind The Masks – Leigha Robbins
32. Illusion (Tanka) – Uniquesus
33. Illusion – Dirty Little Daydreams
34. Make A Date Right – Start Social Dating Via Socialites
35. Live Free 2 Sail Fast – LF 2 SF- What the hell does this mean?
36. Nan’s Farm-Inside Out – Fear is not an illusion – Part One
37. Bonkers Away! – Illusion
38. From the Sea – a moment teller’s
39. Swell Time – Control
40. Out in the open – The Chaos Within
41. Bittersweet Sensations – Achromatic
42. Authentic Travel Expectations Crushed – mokita dreams
43. Social Media Marketing Strategy Vs. Content Marketing Strategy! – Marketing Singh
44. Old But Not Quite – The Drama Queen Can Tell Stories
45. Monarch in the Garden – Melinda J. Irvine
46. Vaidus World – Audio Blog (Hindi Kavitayein)
47. A Diary of A Single Man: A Father’s Day After Thought – Harlem Cafe
48. Magic to get rid of the Illusionist? – Lady Loner & Dog
49. Guest post: Who’s the one who is rescued? – lifestyle design
50. #Poetry: Life With You #MPBooks – My Peacock Books
51. An Illusion of Rust and Decay – Aspiring To Ordinary
52. Feed me some good news – Illusion
53. The Lost Brother – Gossip Shack of Stories
54. Stop, breath and look past the illusion – abbisoul
55. Success Inspirers World – Illusion
56. Illusionist – Quiver and Quill
57. Silver Heat – Embracing Life
58. Illusion – calliemm
59. Poesies and Things – Illusion
60. sonja benskin mesher – . were we dreaming?
61. A Blur – BraveSmartBold
62. Cheers… – Mum’s the Word Blog
63. $$H2O$$ – Bad Dad Cartoons 101
64. Sascha Darlington’s Microcosm Explored – Both Sides Now #amwriting
65. The Shower of Blessings – Tunnel Vision
66. Illusion – Saige’s Stories
67. Sascha Darlington’s Microcosm Explored – I Want a Little Sugar #amwriting
68. y – we are always an
69. Abracadabra – Compass & Quill
70. Keeping Up Appearances – The Hockey Mom Fit Life
71. GOD’S CHAIR – No Illusion
72. Stop A While – By Sarah
73. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly! – BeCre8ive’s Blog
74. Illusion – Allison’s Written Words
75. Netdancer’s Musings – Daily Prompts-Illusion
76. An illusion of – Inner Whispers
77. The Foggy Path – My World With Words
78. Blossom with Pride! – Karuchan
79. What Rhymes with Stanza? – Illusion
80. the moment just before hello – themanbehindtheglass
81. Hot White Snow – The Illusion of Control
82. tylershepard1991 – Word of the day – Illusion
83. Life’s Illusions – This, That, and The Other
84. Mainline_Matter – No Illusion
85. Life On The Skinny Branches – Life by Blanche
86. Illusion – Bedoor Bluemoon
87. VirtuousParagon
88. Cage Dunn: Writer Author Collaborator – A Mirage
89. Illusion – Kerrstee
90. Night Owl Poetry – As Night Falls ~ #TheDailyPost #illusion
91. Telling the Truth – On being married to D
92. Exploring the World around us – Illusion
93. Making it write – Chocolate
94. Faceless shadow.. – stoneronarollercoaster
95. Illusion Time – thehouseofbailey
96. Mommy’s a Magician! – Adventures of a Busy Mom
97. Fluffy Pool – T-bob
98. Just Wandering… – Nomadchasingwaterfalls
99. You Are Not Illusion – Dream Desire Achieve
100. ILLUSION – Mick E Talbot Poems
101. The Business of Traveling… – Success Strategies
102. Illusion – Image & Word
103. The illusion of introverts – In my world
104. Illusion: The Daily Prompt – Hashtag Handsome
105. Saudi Arabia donates to end Yemen cholera outbreak it helped start – America For Yemen
106. Sandmanjazz – Illusion
107. If you’re happy in a dream, does that count? – Life’s Fine W(h)ine – served with cheese
108. Giggles & Tales – The Daily Prompt – Illusion!
109. slideaways – it was an illusion
110. Karen Lynne Beads – Illusion
111. Thinking in the Shadows – Wind Rush
112. Sara Ackerman, author – In the Stars/en las estrellas
113. Just Smile – Smell The Coffee
114. Illusion – Pam’s Blog
115. Site Title – Ghosts- An illusion?
116. Sometimes there has to be a foggy day. – kindergartenknowledge.com
117. Covert Novelist – Illusion
118. Guard Your Heart – Kristy Writing
119. HALF STORY – Rainbow
120. The illusive world – My little storybook
121. HoPe&AnChOr – The Subconscious Influence
122. Urban Poetry Where Legends Live in Words. A Digital Art & Poetry WordPress By Linda J. Wolff Poetry – Unearthing One’s Roots
123. Uncharted Illusion – ENIGMA
124. Illusion – wordsareallihavesite
125. Illusion – The Bag Lady
126. illusion – awonderingsoulsblog
127. Making it write – Both Sour and Sweet
128. The Further Adventures of a Fake Bitch – Resting Bitch Personality
129. Illusion – Dark Side of the Moon
130. Committed! – Pebbles
131. Love – An Illusion – Some More Fiction
132. The illusion of a sibling – Motherish Childish
133. Turn Your Passion into Profit – Is Blogging A Realistic Business For You?
134. To Wear A Rainbow – illusion
135. A shadow, an illusion – iball round the world
136. I, Me &… – Thoughts of Words
137. lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown – Travel Illusions
138. It’s raining woes! – The Flittering Soul
139. Illusions are best maintained when they are closer to home. – Karyn’s Domain
140. Illusions Unlimited – Revolving Around Life
141. Another Remarkable Day – Sitting Inside Illusion
142. juantetcts – Daily Post
143. Bedtime Realities – LiveFree & LoveOnPurpose
144. Fairytales, fables, and mysterious creatures are illusions, God has the real hook in His book… – cries from an unkempt garden
145. Wake up! – stoneronarollercoaster
146. Life is an Illusion (Daily Word Prompt is Illusion) – My Loud Bipolar Whispers
147. mylocalweb – Should a working woman marry?
148. Above n Beyond the illusion… – ANAND’S Blog
149. The Illusion I love – arpi3site
150. Life with Jess – By All Means, Paint!
151. Another Type of Illusion – Living, Learning and Letting Go
152. “Yeah, We’re Doing it Right!” – Classic Cars of Palm Beach
153. Light Words – Which Way Photo Challenge On A Rocky Road and Daily Post Illusion
154. Musings of a Random Mind – The Dance of Life
155. Zombie Flamingos – The Caturday before Vacay!
156. Job – Journey
157. Charmed Chaos – Rock Star
158. Phantom Mourning – Staci Trolio
159. Martha L Shaw – FREEDOM IS AN ILLUSION
160. Fear – CD-W, Author Flawed to Perfection
161. Are you seeing the real? – XDrive
162. Illusion in Quantity – One Stone Away…
163. Piper’s Adventures – Sunset Illusions
164. Maya – I’m a Writer, Yes, I Am!
165. Walk with God – The Illusion of Flight
166. Cyranny’s Jukebox… – Cyranny’s cove
167. Grammy Writes – Illusions
168. First Impression – Poetry, Fiction, Politics (PFP)
169. “Though You’re Lying Next To Me We Might As Well Be Strangers…” – Rear View Muse
170. An Illusion is Not What It Seems – Blissfully Bianca
171. Illusion – Ripples N Reflections
172. Watching an Illusion – Love it Now
173. kaitie’s wings – It’s an illusion that you could hurt each me.
174. The Noodler – 6.24.17 – Mah Butt Itches
175. A Homily Affair – Jajabor, The Nomad
176. ILLUSION – MistryLand
177. The Magic Kingdom? – Wind Kisses
178. Walk with God – The Illusion of More Time
179. Not a Real Boy – The Mind of Nox
180. What Might Have Been Adventure Can Show the Rust – findingenvirons
181. A Three Line Short Horror Story- Chapter 12 (A Crystal Ball) – Jajabor, The Nomad
182. Notes to Women – The Deception
183. Dronstad – Battle formations
184. Southern By Design – Is It All An Illusion?
185. An Illusion of Healthcare – A lot from Lydia
186. No Illusion – emotionsoflife2016
187. Illusion in Memory – The Introspection Connection
188. A Three Line Short Horror Story- Chapter 21(A Carnivore) – Jajabor, The Nomad
189. Curious Hart – Satisfactory Non-Illusion
190. viewpoint – Inherently Whimsical
191. Keeping This Real – Disillusionment
192. The grand illusion ⋆ Obsolete Childhood
193. Fool’s Paradise – epiphanyofsumi
194. Life is an Illusion – Espiritu en Fuego/A Fiery Spirit
195. The Cat Chronicles – Daily Feline Prompt: Feline Illusion
196. Flip Flops Every day – Leave something to the imagination
197. Illusional rain – Jalapeno Girl
198. DCMontreal: Blowing the Whistle on Society – Expo 67’s Lack of Corporate Branding
199. Piper’s Adventures – Kudzu in the Mountains
200. The scintillator – A known stranger
201. 1 haiku/1 tanka/illusion – 25more
202. Illusion – World Imagined
203. When Darkness Ruled – Site Title
204. Illusion?!?!? – THEGIRLVERSUSWORLD
205. Here – Joan Hall
206. Flowers and Breezes – Illusion
207. Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss – It is not an illusion
208. The Sprite of Shindiggery – Kuma House
209. ILLUSION: GRANDMOTHER ‘S TALL TALES – IDLE BRAIN
210. Illusion – Site Title
211. Piper’s Adventures – Life’s Winding Road
212. Arise, O Daughter – Live Out the Word
213. Illusion – All About Writing and more
214. Reality an Illusion – Around the World
215. caramel – Life After Fifty
216. Lost in the Beans – As I was saying…
217. Muse of the Day – Everyday Strange
218. On criticism – Wells Baum
219. Dragonfly Tea – S. Thomas Summers
220. Cottage Notebook – Illusion of a Life
221. Daily Veneer – Monkebus
222. Illusion – Mere Thoughts
223. “In Crowd” Illusion (dinning with snobs) – The Jittery Goat
224. The Grandest Trick – The Versed Writer
225. thelonerose – Eating together
226. Pulling Back the Veil on Illusions, Denial, & Narcissism – Jacki Kellum
227. Illusions – aroused
228. Ride Hard: Morning Call – Redux Of Rex
229. Buried Alive – Live life; make meaning.
230. Post the Twenty Sixth – Inprovisus
231. This Moment – So what about THIS moment?
232. Frank Prem – truck canyon alarm clock (good morning)
233. The Illusion of Spinning – Living, Learning and Letting Go
234. Frank Prem – summer parchment
235. the15thday – “magic” is meh. a(n) haiku!
236. Story – Journey
237. Frank Prem – Cleansing Salted Water
238. Charron’s Chatter – 988 shiny pieces
239. My decision: Your loss! Leaping over Illusion! – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!