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The Pilgrimage of Death
Vandella follows a young girl with cancer who exchanges her soul for her grandmother’s and takes a supernatural journey through the world of the undead. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Actually, the main inspiration for the story was a near-death experience of my grandfather. In his “dream” he traveled to the hereafter and experienced the Pilgrimage of Death I describe in the book, but a woman halted his journey alleging “his time was not due yet” but she warned him, it will, in fourteen days. And when the term fulfilled, my grandfather died. If interested, you can read the whole story in my author blog: https://yourlastdesire.com/vandella-what-the-novel-is-about/
Maia has many ups and downs in life before embarking on this adventure into the world of the undead. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
In the world of the undead, I wanted Maia to face an exponential version of her fears in real life, as a metaphor of how our subconscious perceive them. Maia’s story is not a tale of an extraordinary protagonist doing incredible things, but rather about a commoner pushing herself to overcome the extraordinary obstacles in her way. I wanted the “escapist” nature of the fantasy in Vandella to be used as a journey of introspection for Maia to find herself at the end.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Self-sacrifice as the purest form of love. Learning to find happiness despite problems, not because their absence. And the beauty found in the evanescence of life, were the main themes driving the story of the novel.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Currently I’m working in Vandella’s sequel titled “Resilience” which will hit shelves in 2023.
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¿Cuánto estás dispuesta a sacrificar por aquellos que amas?
Dejada en orfandad en medio de circunstancias misteriosas y criada por su abuela, Maia cree que ha dejado su trágico pasado atrás. Ahora, siendo una joven soñadora de diecisiete años, Maia anhela encontrar el amor verdadero con su amor platónico de la preparatoria cuando recibe la espantosa noticia de que su Cáncer, que había estado en remisión durante mucho tiempo, ha regresado, no solo para fastidiar sus planes románticos, sino para arruinar toda su vida.
Una noche, durante su estancia en el hospital, Maia recibe la visita de un peculiar joven que le confiesa que está a punto de reclamar el alma de su amada abuela. Pero Maia le ofrece su alma a cambio y se une al atractivo heraldo de la muerte en una odisea hacia el más allá. El vertiginoso viaje lleva a Maia y su cautivador acompañante de un elaborado baile a un viaje en una locomotora de vapor que surca los cielos, a una casa de campo embrujada, al fondo de un lago y otros lugares mágicos. Ambos se enfrentan a obstáculos fuera de este mundo mientras Maia intenta salvar a su único pariente y determinar si hay alguna esperanza para su alma atormentada.
LITERARY TITAN 