Tell us about your story appearing in the “Skeletal Remains” anthology (no spoilers, please!)
The story is about a chemistry student Jerrod Tayler who is asked to visit his eccentric and genius professor Dr. Luther at his home. In recent months, Professor Luther has come to mean more to Jerrod than his own father, who has never stopped belittling him. He is hoping his mentor has asked him over to discuss the secretive and revolutionary research he is doing at the university.
When he sees a century’s old painting of twin men standing side by side smiling in the professor’s study, he is shocked at their uncanny resemblance to Professor Luther. This is the first of many surprises in store for Jerrod at the good professor’s home. What lies waiting for him in the basement will certainly chill him to the bone.
Your thoughts on self-publishing vs. traditional publishers?
I have only published my stories in the traditional fashion, but several of my friends have tried their hands at self-publishing. Most of them have had great success with it, so I think the secret to making it either by self-publishing or via traditional publishing is just keeping in tune with what is popular and when in the industry, and keep writing. Getting a story, in a genre that is in demand, out every couple of months and keeping your productivity constant is the secret. The hard work usually pays off in the long run, no matter what venue of publishing a writer takes if he/she knows what’s in demand and focuses his/her writing to reflect the market.
What do you think of the horror story genre these days?
Like all other genres, I believe it has spread its wings and keeps evolving. It goes with the flow as is the case with all genres. Right now I’m seeing a lot of new twists to classic horror tales making their course. Some are really interesting and unique takes on these classics.
Some of your favorite authors that inspired you?
There are many, but those who inspired me the most would be Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Laurell K. Hamilton, and J K Rowling.
Each of these authors has or had his/her own unique style of writing that at one point or another took my breath away. The awe factor definitely came into play, whether via one of their characters they created, how they developed the plot, or through their narration.
What is your ultimate – realistic – goal as a writer?
My realistic and practical goal is just to become a prolific writer in diverse genres. My learning process is never-ending. I want to experiment in many genres and cross genres, using various writing techniques. There’s always a new way to tell a tale and the journey of discovering a new way to write it is so fascinating to me.
What are some of your influences?
My mood, my music, my daily experiences, my life, my interests, my favorite authors, the list is endless on what influences what and how I write. It’s the same with all writers, I think.
Give us a typical day in your writing schedule.
My day is pretty chaotic, so finding the time to write is a challenge. I try to set aside an hour a day to write, and then will chose a piece of music or album that reflects my mood and complements the genre I’m writing in. I love lighting scented candles and have them around my laptop while I write, and of course a piping hot cup (cups) of my favorite coffee handy at all times.
When the muse is kind, I can write up to 2000 words in that hour. When it’s not, then it gets frustrating and I go onto some other task hoping and waiting for the muse to return.
What story/book of yours are you most proud of, and why?
That’s an easy question. The horror novel I co-wrote with Keith Gouveia, “The Dead Speak in Riddles”. It should be coming out this year with the Library of Horror Press. I love the protagonists Keith and I created. Mine is a French Canadian ex-monk/ hoarder who has a past history with tampering with Ouija boards and the occult. Keith’s is a charismatic and cunning vampire who used to be a priest centuries ago. His character is mysterious and intriguing. He breaks all molds of what a vampire should be.
Here’s a tentative blurb on it:
Deep in the dark and cryptic catacombs of the Capuchin monastery in Palermo, Sicily evil stirs. Among the over two thousand mummified remains lies a buried secret. One about to be uncovered by a naive and stray ex monk. After channeling spirits via a Ouija Board, Gontier Tremblay is guided to the catacombs to stop this evil from rising.
Insatiable thirst for blood is a curse Father Abramo wishes on no living soul. After killing the four priests that took his true love, Ersilia, away from him, he was damned and has been roaming the world with this thirst for over two centuries. He’s been killing and feasting on blood off of the scum of the earth and ridding the world of their vileness and evil. But when the apparition of one of the priests he killed begins to haunt him, he soon uncovers the secret to resurrection. Armed with this revelation, he heads back to the catacombs to resurrect and be united with his true love and make her a powerful immortal as he.
Within the macabre crypts of the Capuchin monastery, good, evil, and the summoned undead will rise and fight, and the fate of mankind will be determined by the final outcome when the Dead Speak in Riddles.
What are you working on now?
I have a few short stories I’m fiddling with as well as a mystery/thriller novel I’m co-writing with a very good friend. We’re still working on the research on it, which is quite complicated and time consuming. But we’re having a great time with it. It’s uncanny what you can find out about history and the secrets buried in our relics. These secrets are right there in front of us, but we don’t actually see them until someone else points them out to us, which is our case right now.
Shameless plug time… where can we find your work and you?
Via my website: www.giovannalagana.com
My novels, anthologies, ezines, and magazines where my stories have been featured are listed there as well as my blog.
