POÉTICAS PERSONALES: ELFORD ALLEY

Elford Alley is a horror writer from Texas. His short stories have been featured in the Campfire Macabre, A Compendium of Creeps, and Paranormal Contact. He has published four short story collections: Find Us, Ash & Bone, The Last Night in the Damned House, and We Will Find a Place for You. He also recently released a children's books, A Cemetery Stroll and A Haunted Holiday.

(Elford Alley es un escritor del género del horror, afincado en Texas. Sus cuentos han aparecido en las revistas Campfire Macabre, A Compendium of Creeps y Paranormal Contact. Tiene cuatro colecciones de cuentos publicadas: Find Us, Ash & Bone, The Last Night in the Damned House y We Will Find a Place for You. Recientemente también publicó los libros infantiles A Cemetery Stroll y A Haunted Holiday.) 

 

I discovered him after reading a review of his novel Apartment 239 and then being fortunate enough to have someone lend me their Kindle so I could read it in full. What caught my attention most was the combination of horror and humor, the almost haunted town, the ghosts and serial killers, and the mystery that unravels following the sentences. A fun, quick and compelling reading.

(A él lo descubrí tras leer una reseña sobre su novela Apartment 239 y después tener la fortuna de que alguien me prestara su kindle para leerlo completo. Lo que más me llamó la atención fue la combinación de horror y humor, el pueblo casi encantado, los fantasmas y asesinos seriales, y este misterio que uno va descubriendo con la lectura agil y contundente.)

 

I will keep looking for his writing and would recommend it to anyone interested in new horror, so I recommend you here and hopefully you will enjoy it as well. Keep on reading.

(Seguiré buscando sus escritos y lo recomendría a cualqueira que se interese en el nuevo horror, así que lo recomiendo aquí y con suerte ustedes lo apreciarán también. Sigan leyendo.) 

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How was your discovery and first approach to reading and books?

I started young, my parents read to me often. I had trouble reading actually. I was in a remedial class, but once I got the hang of it I read constantly, and I always gravitated toward the weird and creepy.

(Empecé joven, mis padres seguido me leían. Tuve problemas leyendo, estaba en una clase remedial, pero una vez que hallé el modo, leí constantemente, y siempre he gravitado hacia lo extraño y lo espeluznante). 

 

What would you consider the main reason of you becoming a reader?

 I love stories. I love escaping into another world. 

(Me gustan las historias. Me encanta escapar hacia otro mundo).

 

What was the thing/feeling/theme that provoked you to choose your first book to read?

 A great cover, one that was a little spooky, always drew me in.

(Una gran portada, una que sea un poco escalofriante, siempre me atrae).

 

Have you any ritual/preference/method specific to reading?

Not really. I tend to do most of my reading before bed, but at the same time I carry a book or my kindle everywhere I go.

(No realmente. Tiendo a leer antes de dormir, pero al mismo tiempo siempre llevo conmigo un libro o mi kindle a todos lados).

 

What are you currently reading and what lead you to this text?

I’m reading Josh Rountree’s Death Aesthetic. I love horror story collections, so I was excited to pick this one up. It’s a fantastic read.

(Estoy leyendo Death Aesthetic de Josh Rountree. Me encantan las colecciones de cuentos de horror, estaba muy emocionada de leer éste. Es una lectura fantástica). 

In your writing practice, which author/book has had the most influence in your own work and why?

Kurt Vonnegut and Katharine Dunn have always been big influences. Both balance humor with drama and horror, both can make you laugh and then hit you with a gut punch.

(Kurt Vonnegut y Katherine Dunn siempre han sido grandes influencias. Ambos equilibran bien el humor con el drama y el horror, ambos pueden hacerte llorar y después golpearte en el vientre con fuerza).

 

How do you came to choose the genre of your books and writing?

I’ve always been a huge fan of horror, so I think that has been a major influence in my style.

(Siempre fui fan del horror, así que creo ése ha sido mi mayor influencia y mi estilo).

 

Do you consider yourself a genre writer and why?

Not really, because even the stuff that is “genre” is usually a weird mashup of genres and styles. I’m my own thing, for better or worse.

(No realmente, porque incluso aquello que es de "género" es usualmente una combinación extraña de géneros y estilos. Soy mi propio género, para mejor o peor).

 

How does the writing of your first published work happened?

It started as a play, I even thought of filming it as a short. In Search of the Nobility, TX, Wildman was my first published novel, and still a favourite of mine. I went with self-publishing, and I made a lot of mistakes. But it got me where I am!

(Empezó como una pieza de teatro, incluso pensé en hacer un corto. In Search of the Nobility, TX, Wildman fue mi primera novela publicada y mi favoritoa todavía. La autopubliqué, cometí muchos errores. Pero me trajo adonde estoy).

 

If you could re-write your first published work, would you change anything in the way you wrote it?

I debate this all the time! It’s the Wildman’s tenth anniversary next year, and I’m thinking of a rewrite.

(Me debato en esto todo el tiempo. Será el aniversario de Wildman el próximo año y quizá la reescriba).

 

Do you have any ritual/preference/method specific to writing?

Not really. Between work and family, I just try to steal any moment I can to write!

(No realmente, entre el trabao y la familia, sólo trato de robar un momento para escribir).

 

How was your entry to the publishing world?

Pretty good. Like I said, I learned a lot from my mistakes so it hindered my first book, but now I’m a mix of indie publishing and self publishing. It’s worked out.

(Muy bien. Como dije, aprendí mucho de mis errores que medio dificultaron mi primer libro, pero ahora soy una mezcla entre publicación independiente y autopublicación. Está funcionando).

 

How do you imagine the publishing industry in the next years?

Total collapse. 

(Colapso total).

 

Given the future of the publishing industry, how do you think the way you write and the way your work is received will change?

Will there be a publishing industry? Will we even be here as a specie? I don’t think any further than a year ahead, we may have like a decade as a specie on this boiling planet lol.

(¿Habrá industrial editorial? ¿Estaremos aquí como especie? No pienso más allá de un año, quizá tengamos una década como especie en este planeta que hierve lol)

 

What is the legacy you are trying to achieve?

I’d like to create work that lasts beyond me, that is read and enjoyed when I’m dust. 

(Trato de crear una obra que me trascienda, que sea leída y disfrutada cuando yo sea polvo).

 

What would you advice to a brand new author that regards you as an inspiration?

Read any and everything! Don’t stick to a single genre, take it all in. Write whenever you can, but don’t burn yourself out with daily word counts. Find fellow authors who can beta read your work and offer honest (and constructive) feedback!

(¡Lean todo y de todo! No se cierren a un sólo género, tomenlo todo. Escriban cuando puedan, pero no se quemen con eso de palabras diarias. Encuentren autores similares que puedan ser sus lectores beta y les brinden crítica honesta y constructiva).

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