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Terrible Journey Towards Emotional Hell
He Count’s their Tears is a about a psychotic killer preying on unsuspecting women. How do you capture the thoughts and emotions of a serial killer?
Wouldn’t it be lovely if I had an answer to this question? The simple truth of it is that I have no idea how I did this. I simply did. I never meant to write a book. I am a Lawyer, not a writer (or so I thought!!). One day I sat down and started writing. I kept writing, and there, on the page, was Aaron, on the ledge, which of course is how the book begins. The character simply unfolded before my eyes.
The writing in your story is very artful and creative, where as other books in this same genre use a language that is succinct, bare, and matter-of-fact. Was it a conscious effort to create a story in this fashion or is this style of writing reflective of your writing style in general?
Once again, if only I had something substantial to say about “my writing style” or “how I conceptualized the book”. This is how it happened; I sat there in front of my computer and typed. The end result was this book.
I thought that you did a great job in creating a genuine connection between the characters. With Aaron being a psychopath do you think he would ever be able to have a meaningful relationship with his cousin Constance?
Hmmm. Your question is answered in the Sequel! Even so, I will say this: Do you remember what Constance whispered to Aaron the day he was born? They were the same words that ruined her life in so many ways. “I will always protect you.” The irony of it is that the psychopath’s victim has no one to protect them during the “relationship” and the terrible journey towards emotional hell. The readers will learn more (much more) about the Aaron/Constance situation in the Sequel, which in itself will explain the very nature of how destructive (and incurable) this personality disorder actually is.
What was one of the hardest parts in He Count’s their Tears for you to write?
The hardest part was finding the time to write! I work full time, and I have a family to take care of. The laundry does not do itself, nor do the dishes! Carving out time to write required making some significant adjustments. My golf clubs have not left the trunk of my car since I put pen to paper, and gone are the days that I can curl up with a good movie on a Sunday afternoon. Even train rides to and from work became “writing time”, and yes I have missed my stop on more than several occasions!
What is the next book that you’re working on and when can your fans expect it to come out?
I am presently at work on the sequel to He Counts Their Tears. The Suffering Room picks up exactly where the first book left off. It explores the lives of the women Aaron targeted and discarded in the first book. The horrors of “life after the psychopath” (including trauma bonding, post traumatic stress syndrome, depression, suicide, and “overcoming pain”) are explored, as are the ways in which Aaron (here, in the typical fashion of the psychopath) seeks to maintain some connection with the women he has abandoned (purportedly just to “say hi” but in reality to see if he still has power over them). There are some surprising twists in the sequel, which I think will shock some people. I plan to release “The Suffering Room” in 2017. It will be followed by the last in this trilogy, The Parade to Hell, which will tie things up nicely (and yes, I do know what happens to Aaron at the end of the third book, but I’m not telling!).
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A handsome, successful, charming man. Healer. Miracle maker. Aaron Stein is all those things. Behind the benevolent facade, however, hides a monster: a destroyer of souls who lusts after power and control. Aaron plays his ruse again and again with unsuspecting women who genuinely believe that they have met their new “best friend,” their “soul mate.” Covert hypnosis, edgy trysts, psychological warfare – they’re all part of the sick game he plays “to have all the power”
He Count’s Their Tears
In this gripping psychological thriller, author Mary Ann D’Alto tells the story of a man who looks perfect on the outside but is pure evil on the inside. Aaron Stein is an incredibly successful fertility specialist, and using his unique skill set of medical knowledge and his easy access to insecure and frightened women, he is able to serially psychologically manipulate and physically harm. But his sin doesn’t come without a price: we first meet Stein while he literally stands on the edge of suicide, prompted by his guilt and shame. When Aaron’s latest victimization takes an unexpected turn, will his sweet cousin Constance be able to get him through? Or will his crimes catch up to him?
Personally, I had a very hard time putting this down. I started out thinking I’d just a read a little before bed, and before I knew it, it was four a.m. and I was finished. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the lack of complexity in Aaron’s Stein’s character: the clean-cut, successful psychopath is such a trope at this point that Aaron’s movements at times were a little predictable. Things that were maybe supposed to shock, like his callous responses to the pleading of his victims, his incredible success as a doctor and external perfection, and his internal turmoil over whether or not he’s actually evil, have all been done in Patrick Bateman, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and tons of other “perfect psychopath” roles. But while this irked me a little, it may be an attractive quality for other people. After all, tropes are tropes because they resonate with readers on some level.
What redeemed this book from a potentially predictable route was the quality of the writing and the uniqueness of Mary Ann D’Alto’s voice. Typically, literature that features the “perfect psychopath”—The Silence of the Lambs, American Psycho, etc.—tends to have the same very succinct, bare, and matter-of-fact tone that reflects how an actual sociopath thinks. Writing in those types of books tends to stay away from too much internal doubt, expanded description, or floweriness. He Counts Their Tears is a rare exception, with D’Alto sparing no ornate description: “the dark brown coffee made a huge puddle on the pale grey rug. Aaron stared at it, and in his mind it was the [spoiler!]’s blood, and he was sixteen again. Instinctively, he wiped his hands on the tablecloth, and in doing so caused the cloth to move. As it moved, one of the glass candlesticks fell onto the table, its flame creating a small bonfire in the pinecone centerpiece” (Page 51).
D’Alto is also extremely skilled at creating genuine connections between her characters, and, unlike many other psychological thriller authors, keeps her list of connections short and meaningful. Without going into too much detail, the relationship between Stein and his cousin Constance is masterfully drawn out from childhood until the end, and we are provided just enough detail to fill in the meaningful gaps ourselves.
Overall, I can’t recommend this one enough. Whether you’re a regular reader of psychological thrillers, fascinated with psychopaths, or just looking for an addictive read, this is definitely the novel for you.
Pages: 196 | ISBN: 1457541858
LITERARY TITAN 