Welcome to our new "behind the scenes" segment. Every so often, we'll invite one of our authors to answer the hard questions about their latest work, such as their inspirations, their feelings when writing it, what they liked most and what they felt was most challenging while writing. First up: our Head Acquisitions Editor, Ramiro Perez de Pereda. He'll be discussing his story, Bernadette, featured in Shadows And Teeth, Volume 3. Mr. Pereda is also the editor of our award-winning Shadows And Teeth horror series.
| Ramiro's Thoughts On: Bernadette If there's anything you come to appreciate as you grow old, it's history. Young folks study it to see where they're headed (because history repeats, you know); whereas for old folks like me, it's more a matter of keeping track of where you've been. I guess I'm an old soul then, as I've always been a history buff, particularly when it comes to medieval Spain. It was a time of religious and political tension the likes of which society today can surely relate to, and it lays the perfect foundation for a historically accurate horror tale. The story, Bernadette, for me represents what happens when moral duties clash. When people are willing to circumvent what is right to correct a perceived wrong, sometimes, the solution turns out worse than the problem, as was the case for our protagonist. The story is in the form of a letter. What I like best about it is that the protagonist wrote this missive in the hopes that his brother has safely returned home from a voyage to read it. Neither the protagonist nor the audience will ever know if the letter was read, and this adds a certain desperation and gloom to the narrative. In a way, too, the style makes you, the reader, a character in the story—you're holding the letter outlining the protagonist's thoughts; how did you come into possession of it? All things considered, I hope you enjoyed my story, and had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Until next time, adios. About The Author Born in Cuba in 1941, Ramiro Perez de Pereda has seen it all. Growing up in a time when then-democratic Cuba was experiencing unprecedented foreign investment, he was exposed to the U.S. pop culture items of the day. Among them: pulp fiction magazines, which young Ramiro avidly read and collected. Far and away, his favorites were the Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard. Ramiro, now retired from the corporate life, is a grandfather of five. He devotes himself to his family, his writing, and the occasional pen-and-ink sketch. He writes poetry and short fiction under the name R. Perez de Pereda. He serves Darkwater Syndicate as its Head Acquisitions Editor—he heads the department, he does not collect heads, which is a point he has grown quite fond of making. Indeed, it’s one reason he likes his job so much. |  R. Perez de Pereda  Shadows & Teeth #3  Chasing Blood |