About the author

Tell us your story? What made you start writing?

I’ve been writing since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I remember writing short stories as early as second grade, and used to write fan fiction after seeing movies that I really enjoyed, like Ghostbusters, or The Goonies. Wrote my first novel at the age of twelve, so I’ve always been a writer. I’ve spent the last two decades as a hypnotist and psychotherapist specializing in treating PTSD and have had stellar success in the industry. A few years ago, I started taking a smaller role in my private practice to switch careers and live as a writer, which is the only time I seem to find peace. If I’m not writing, I notice those stories seem to spill over into my personal life, so if you ask me, I’m never more satisfied than when I’m writing. I’ve got a creative itch that drives me batty if I’m not writing. I love the creative process and there’s nothing better than putting a book together.

What do you wish other people knew about you?

I overcome depression and PTSD symptoms by using a simple behavior modification system that changes the internal default mode emotional frequency vibration. That doesn’t mean that I never feel depressed, but what it does mean is that when the depression takes hold I have the skills to transition the depression from what would be a ten on a 1-10 scale to a four, which is more easily manageable than a ten which then transfers to a shorter time frame for the depression to lift (which is always does) and the frequency in which depressive spells occur are less frequent. Know thyself is my best advice. I also have interests in and indulge regularly in science of mind concepts, ancient wisdom, quantum physics, and spiritual practices.

Would you rather be respected or loved? Why?

Respected. Love dies, respect stays, plus most people don’t understand the concept of love and loyalty.

If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce?

Do no harm to yourself, others, or society.

Who was someone who believed in you even when you had a hard time believing in yourself? How did they impact you?

My wife. Just about everyone I know took what I could offer and then walked away. She’s been the only constant, through thick and thin, sickness and in health and for richer or poorer. The impact is that I contiuously strive to be a better man.

About The Rose books

Tell us a little about the series. How did you come up with the idea behind space vampires?

The Rose series is a part of a larger universe I refer to as the Dark Veil. Vol 1 began as a short story I wanted to write in an effort to provide a bit of background for another series I was writing at the time titled, The Indigo Trials. However, I kept writing and the story kept unfolding and considering I was having so much fun with it I kept going. Now, what originally began as a short story has turned into what will take three volumes to complete. I’m a huge ancient aliens fan and I wanted to bring those theories and mythology into the series. The alien vampires were an added bonus and a concept I had been experimenting with-in my head at least-for quite some time. The original alien vampire idea came from a television show in the late 70s and early 80s, Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century, which featured a space vampire that scared the bejesus out of me at the time-I was four years old.

Obviously, the alien vampires are a featured species in the storyline and they’ve conspired with the human elite and alien greys to subjugate the human population in an effort to achieve interstellar domination. Vol 1 begins at the very end of WW3 and follows rebel freedom fighter, Phil, as he attempts to rescue a safety camp refugee, Sandy, and bring her to Atlanta to meet with Phil’s mentor, Robyn Winter. Unfortunately, he and Sandy are caught, and that is where the story truly begins, with Phil entering an underground medical complex teeming with alien vampires, greys, and the human elite. Vol 1 is a fast-paced action thriller if there ever was one. It’s like Star Wars meets Ancient Aliens with brutal, maniacal, blood thirsty alien vampires. Filled with martial arts, action, mythology, blood, and gore, and features the rose as a superpower to manipulate chemical structures, move objects with a single thought, and suspend gravity. The rose is a meditative practice used in alchemy to help ward off energy vampires. I thought it was a cool practice and wanted to include it in the series as a superpower. Hence the title. But Vol 2 is where the depth comes in, adding more to each character and the world in which the rebels and alien vampires live. Since most of Vol 1 takes place in an underground medical compound, I wanted Vol 2 to be more broad in scope, offering the reader a glimpse into war-torn earth where nothing is ever what it seems.

Which character did you enjoy writing the most and why? Did it change while writing the second book?

Definitely 100%, Sanos. I love writing villains most of all and fell in love with Sanos right off the rip with his first scene. I wanted him to be vicious, manipulative, diabolical and anarchic, and he did not disappoint. Writing his character did not change in the second book, but was more or less enhanced. IMO Sanos steals the show in Vol 2. His performance surprised even me.

Do you have a favorite scene from the book? What is it and why?

Favorite scenes are the endings to both Vol 1 and Vol 2. Those endings pump hard with action all the way to the last sentence, building from one scene and character to the next. I enjoy writing in multiple points of view because it allows me to be in the heads of every main character and push the narrative into an explosion of fun, action, and insanity. Endings are my favorite part of any book or movie. If the ending doesn’t rock, the story falls flat. I’ve read too many books recently that just don’t have much of a payoff at the end. It is my goal to never allow that to happen.

You’re traveling across a post-war landscape. It is likely you’ll meet some space creatures along the way. You get to choose two companions from the books and a starting point. Who’d you choose and where you’d be?

I would choose Robyn Winter and Phil and we would begin in Atlanta and then set out across the war torn desolate landscape of America.

About writing

What are your writing habits? Do you keep a schedule or is it chaotic, when inspiration hits kind of thing?

I’m usually pretty regimented when I write a novel. I wake up around 4:30 AM and begin the day with a cup of coffee and reviewing what I wrote the day before, then continue to write. Depending on the day, the scene, or the time I have on my hands, I’ll write for a few hours.

What were your expectations for writing and publishing your first book? Have they changed since then?

The first book I published was Indifference, a metaphysical coming of age story about a misdiagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who discovers he has healing powers. A few months before the book was published, I opened a substance abuse treatment center which took up most of my time and when Indifference was released, I had very little expectations at the time since my focus was on other concerns. I sold the business in 2016 and since then have opened a private practice which offers me a lot more time to focus on writing, which is a career I’ve wanted to capture since well before high school. And yes, my expectations are quite high for every book I publish.

What is one of the most interesting things you have researched while writing a book?

While researching my horror book, Golem, there were more than a few interesting tidbits I came across, especially concerning the 1950s and New York City during that era. I found it interesting that at that time, doctors would warn women against quitting smoking cigarettes while they were pregnant. The theory was that quitting would cause too much anxiety that could cause harm to the fetus.

Tell us something about your other books. What are you currently working on?

Well, I also write horror books and have more than a few that I’m currently writing. Golem is my psychological horror novel about a high society sculptor who incarnates a demon into a statue she created.

Extra question

You are the leader of vicious alien species and come across futuristic and technologically evolved Earth. You wish to gain Earth’s resources and enslave the people. How do you proceed?

Manipulation. We come in peace, then destroy all we see. First, we’d embrace the humans and offer gifts that will help them evolve as we learn just how evolved these earthlings are and determine a weakness to exploit, which usually comes from their leaders. The greatest asset we have on our side is that no matter how powerful the human mind can be, it is also as equally fragile and exploiting this weakness is paramount to subjugation.

Connect with the author

About the author

Tell us your story? What made you start writing?

I’m a musician and a computer engineer. Since I was a child, I loved art. I dreamt of being a singer and an actor. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but when I was ten years old, I suffered an accident on a small train—I was unable to walk for a year and almost lost a foot. During those months when I couldn’t even get up, I wolfed down dozens of books by Agatha Christie and other authors. I also wrote my first short story. It was in the horror genre, and I always pictured the main character running away from a horde of zombies with the first part of the song “Magnetic Fields I” by Jean Michel Jarré playing as a background music.

What are you passionate about?

Oh, my passion is music, cosmos, literature, and philosophy.

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

Hehe, this is fun!

Right, my warning label. Let’s see, let’s see!

There, I got it.

“No banality, at least today.”

What’s your go-to guilty pleasure?

Oh, this one is easy.

Eating too many snacks, especially under stress.

Would you rather cook or order in?

Cook, and if it is pizza, even better. I love to fix pizza from scratch (attempting to cook it like pizzaioli masters) and enjoy it with other people.

If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce?

Hehe. Great question.

Well, it’s impossible for me to picture myself in a situation like that, especially because I believe Sapiens Status Quo is a colossal disaster. Let’s see, my laws would be things like this:

1.- Cannibalism towards any earthling (with the exception of some insects) is forbidden.

2.- Let’s reset the cumbersome and incomprehensible economic, political, and social system.

3.- Let’s base our existence on ethics and respect of other beings, on seeking to understand through science and the cosmos why the hell (or Slapher, to put it in Astralvo) are we on this insignificant but precious planet.

4.- It is forbidden to award and encourage bad taste in art, food, music, whatnot.

What a disastrous of a government, right? It would kindle the apocalypse of the Sapiens. So, answering your excellent question, here is my single and definite law:

“Emergency elections. Tomorrow, everyone must vote me out of office. Anyone who doesn’t will lose a lot of money in their bank account.”

What do you think? Everyone would comply, wouldn’t they? 😉

About Pulstarverse

Tell us about the books. How did you come up with the idea behind the story?

During my teenage years, at my sister’s birthdays, a party guest talked about an intrinsic and mysterious subject. That’s where the idea for Pulstar came from. I felt I had to write about it somehow, heavily influenced by Blade Runner and my favorite books. I published the novels Astralvia I and II in Spanish in early 2000. Then I stopped writing and focused fully on my band Fractaler until 2012.

Today, the concepts raised in the Pulstar trilogy and Nerve are my belief and my way of understanding the cosmos and existence. Also, the social, economic, and political disaster in my country, Venezuela, influenced those works.

At any point in the (re)writing process did you feel discouraged? If so, what made you keep going?

I love this interview. Thank you, Victoria.

Since the process of rewriting the Pulstarverse has been ongoing for over ten years (not counting the books Astralvia I and Astralvia II that I published decades ago), I’ve felt discouraged every day. There have been too many sacrifices, some of them even extreme. The most difficult was the translation from Spanish to English.

Nevertheless, there are two things that were my main driving force to complete this project: The promise to a special person who is no longer on this planet and the final part of Pulstar III.

Without knowing anything about Winston Follver’s origin would you strive to work for him should you live in the universe you’ve created?

Please, excellent question, how about answering it after we find out the end of the trilogy?

Victoria: I suppose I’ll have to wait until then!

Who was your favourite character to write and why?

Now, this is straightforward.

My favorite character was Jeral. However, the least complicated to write was Esther because I wanted a sort of carefree POV.

Victoria: I enjoyed Jeral’s point of view. I can see now where her character comes from and the interest in cosmos originates from. However, my favourite POV to read is undoubtedly Aris!

About writing

What is one of the most interesting things you have researched while writing a book?

I did most of my research on the cosmos. Every single thing about the universe is mind-blowing. Now, the most interesting and tricky part is quantum mechanics. Let’s see, particle connection at distances of billions of light years? The Uncertainty Principle? But especially: What’s really out there? That’s why I wanted the first sentence of the book to be related to the secrets of the cosmos. Also, the first line Jeral says in the book is: “There is something out there.” Yes, for me there’s nothing more fascinating than discovering the mysteries of the universe.

What were your expectations for writing and publishing your first book? Have they changed since then?

What I want the most with the Pulstarverse (including its soundtracks) is to connect with readers, to invite them to take part of this journey and discuss my humble theory of what may be an answer to our existence, even if it is not the most positive one.

How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?

I am still learning this craft. The little thing I know I learned it writing and rewriting, but above all, thanks to so many great authors and my editors.

What are you currently working on?

I’m finishing editing Pulstar II and Pulstar III, plus the prequel Marlenh (an erotic thriller whose story takes place 30 years before the Pulstar trilogy). I’m also completing the production of the soundtracks for Nerve, Pulstar I, and Marlenh.

Special question:

You are trying to convince your disbelieving colleagues that aliens exist an you’re one of them. There are no visual signs of your story being true. How do you go about it?

Hehe. I’m an alien, Victoria. Haven’t I told you? You don’t believe me? 😉

I have hundreds of thousands of trillions of dollars. Yes, I am the wealthiest being in the world. And all my fortune is being spent on bringing the most important earthlings to my home hundreds of light years away. Homo Sapiens are not included in my list; sorry. People may think I’m crazy, stupid, but when there are only humans, insects, most reptiles and fish, and one or two other mammals left on Earth, then …

Victoria: Oh no, are you Winston Follver?

Connect with the author