Interview with Mario
Acevedo, author of Nymphos of Rocky Flats and X-Rated
Blood Suckers, conducted by reviewer Sabrina Williams
You are
an artist as well as an author. Do you
find any similarities between the process of writing and the process of
painting?
They tap
complementary creative recesses in my brain.
One day soon, I’d like to devote time to a project involving
both.
What are
the titles of some of the books on your own bookshelf?
Who Are You
People? (Caudron), The Watchman (Crais), The Lincoln Lawyer (Connelly),
Shooting Gallery (Lind), Wicked Break (Shelby), The Becoming (Stein),
Hammerhead Ranch Motel (Dorsey), My Backwards Life (Myers), Riding With
The
Queen (Shortridge), Flight to Arras (Saint Exupéry). Some art books to include: Pulp Art (Lesser),
Visions of Adventure (Dell)
Is there
a particular genre you prefer to read?
Since I
write mystery and humor, I like to read other writers’ work so I can
burn with
jealousy at how good they are.
What
influenced you to begin writing?
I convinced
myself that I could write and publish a novel.
Seventeen short years later I was able to do it.
In The
Nymphos of Rocky Flats, Felix solved the mystery of a community of
sex-crazed
nymphomaniacs. In X-Rated Blood Suckers,
his primary case involves workers in the porn industry. Will
Felix’ cases always possess a sexual
overtone?
Always, and
more. In future books I plan to add
scratch-n-sniff inserts.
Why did
you choose to begin Felix’s story as a soldier in present day Iraq as
opposed
to the historically cliched image of a cape clad, castle dwelling
vampire?
I know
about soldiers. I don’t know much about
castles.
Felix
seems to long for companionship, whether it is from a romantic interest
like
Veronica or an eccentric friend like Coyote.
Being that this seems to be more characteristic of a human than a
vampire, do you think Felix is content as a vampire or would he take
the
opportunity to become human again if it was presented to him?
In my story
world, a vampire can never be a human again.
One of the drawbacks of immortality is that you outlive your
family and
friends and that you’re doomed to be alone.
Even God felt this, which is why he created Adam.
Did your
own military service influence your decision to portray Felix as a
soldier?
Yes, but
Felix was a hard-working enlisted man while I was an officer. We ate bonbons and sipped brandy while the
soldiers filled sandbags and strung up the barbed wire.
I read on
your blog that there is a third and possibly fourth Felix Gomez novel
in the
works. Do you think you will eventually
create a finale for Felix or will Felix survive as long as readers
demand him?
Book three,
Kama Sutra for the Undead, is with my editor.
I’m working on book four and hoping it’ll find a good home. As long as Felix is willing to work, I’ll
cash the checks he brings home.
If you
could give one person your book to read, who would it be and why?
There are
two, both of whom will never read my books as they passed on before I
was
published. I inherited my love of
reading from my dad and he would’ve been thrilled to see me in print. The second is Jad Duwaik, to whose memory I
dedicated X-Rated Bloodsuckers. He and I
talked a lot about writing and he passed away a couple of months before
my
first book came out.
Thank you
again!