1. Please introduce yourself so that the readers will get to know you better.
I’ve been a writer all my life. The moment I was able to hold a crayon, I’d invent pictures with stories behind them. When I was able to write, the stories just poured onto the page and never truly stopped. I wrote my first novel in high-school and eventually self-published it as my second release. I went on to study Law for two years, and then decided that I needed to nurture my passion fully and switched Majors. I graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing and English Literature. Since then, I’ve been writing non-stop, day in and day out. I make sure to try and write a minimum of 500 words per day, be it a continuation of a novel, or just a blurb of something new. I self-published my first novel of assorted works from my years at University. The novel features short stories, poems, and plays, with a few drawings I had done throughout the years as well. The more time went on, the more my writing flourished and grew to what it is today. A Truth Be Told is my most successful novel, and seeing my work on a bookshelf in an actual chain of bookstores is beyond belief, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself.
2. When did you first realize you wanted to be an author?
When I saw how easy the words flowed out of me…the bizarre and interesting things I was able to create and put onto a page, I thought ‘if I can do this, and create such stories and such worlds, people need to read them’. There is no other explanation than that. I always felt like I was born to do this.
3. From where did you have the idea/inspiration to write “A Truth Be Told”?
It started as a dream. I found myself locked in a room with a strange person I didn’t know, and their face was so blurry, but the feeling/connection to them was so strong. I remember waking up after seeing one of the creatures lunging at me, and when I woke up the clock read just passed 5:00AM. My husband was still sleeping, so was my son, and I just started writing and my fingers couldn’t stop.
4. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Aside from playing with my three-year-old son, usually I read (currently tackling IT by Stephen King), or watch movies. We’re big movie buffs in our house, only problem is our taste in movies are so entirely different. I love the thriller/horror type, my husband is more comedy/fantasy/sci-fi, and well, my son is any cartoon that makes him laugh.
5. What are grotesque creatures? Have you seen them in real?
No I haven’t seen them in real life, although while browsing the internet, I came across artist Jerad Marantz, and his artwork of the “Blind Ones” is literally what I had seen in my dream and what I had created the creatures to be. It amazed me how distinctly accurate his drawings were and how simply frightening the similarities were as well.
6. What is your favorite Quote?
It is the end line of a Stephen King story “Secret Window” (as you can see I’m a major Stephen King fan), the quote goes as such: “what happens to the wide-eyed observer when the window between reality and unreality breaks and the glass begins to fly?”
7. What are you working on next? Are you planning to release another book soon?
Yes, I have two in the works. One is to be released this fall called ARCANE, its another thriller/horror/sci-fi type novel. The other is a compilation of all the pieces I wrote during the quarantine (from novellas to short stories) and that’s called ASYLUM OF DICTION, this will be released next year.
8. What do you hope your readers take away from your books?
I love when people get a reaction from things they read. So if my work can spark anything from fear, to uneasiness, to anything in between, I know I’ve done my job and my words truly spoke to them.
9. Who is your favorite horror author?
Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.
10. Lastly, do you want to give any advice to readers and aspiring writers?
Advice I was given from many of my professors, who were also writers, was never give up. Even if you’re having an off day and you think the words you wrote are complete and utter garbage, don’t erase them, keep them and move forward. That’s what the editing process is for. Write every day, and don’t let writer’s block get you down.
Books by Alyssa Milani:
Sassy Reviews 