Could you tell the readers about yourself? Hi. My name is Alaric. I’m Filipino-American, a former resident of Richmond, Virginia, and coincidentally, a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe. I currently live in Manila, Philippines. I’m an author and producer, and I might attend university again in the near future. I’m not an English major. I majored in Computer Information Systems, but I principally worked as a technical writer and editor. I’ve always wanted to be a writer; it was Poe who got me started as a horror fan. Later, I discovered the Del Ray series, which included books by Michael Arnzen, Poppy Z. Brite and Brian Hodge among others. Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life? The title story of my new book is named after the character’s nickname, Il Migliore Del Mondo, which translates to “the best in the world.” He’s a wonderful character, a gifted artist (hence the designation), but meeting him in a chance encounter also means that you’ve been sentenced to a gruesome death by Santa Muerte, the deity of death in the Caribbean. Although I love meeting talented artists, writers, and musicians, meeting the nameless entity that bears my title story’s name means a brutal reckoning and a harrowing afterlife. I’d much rather take my chances with a doggo. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? I love thrillers: serial killer stories, psychological thrillers. I also loved Ray Bradbury’s crossover dark fiction and dark fantasy classic, The October Country. It’s eerie. The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations. What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions? Horror is great entertainment for me. In terms of fiction, there’s something about the atmosphere and the imagery evoked by horror that is never unsettling. It feels like home. I’ve been reading horror for over twenty years and don’t feel I read enough. Horror movies and their jumpscares are more intimidating because there’s such a visceral impact to the blood and violence. However, when I watch with a friend, it’s a perfect opportunity to bond and have a good time. I don’t think that there’s something sinister and devious about loving horror. There’s a more pronounced negative impression of the metal genre in music, which closely resembles horror fiction and movies in imagery, too. It’s artistic expression, and it’s all fun. A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years? Horror tropes will include other elements of contemporary life. Outbreaks and pandemics have led to the evolution of the zombie movie template, for example. I think there’s going to be more inclusion and more diversity in horror as more international entities and their cultural backgrounds are exposed to other audiences. In the Philippines, ghost stories are unique to our culture and language. It will be interesting to see writers from all over the world express their unique voices. Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? It’s a fear of the unknown that leads to a fascination with it. We don’t know why we’re attracted to stories of hauntings, except that we generally do not know what is going to happen after death. We’ve been conditioned to see things like the afterlife and mundane life with a safety net and conservative outlook, so some of us tend to rebel against those viewpoints. We challenge the fear of the unknown by taking humor and entertainment value at things that are scary in reality. That would be my opinion. What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre? More diversity. There are folktales, myths, and crazy urban legends everywhere in the world that don’t get as much exposure as they should. Especially from parts of the world rarely explored by Hollywood movies and such. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? I’ve discovered books that delve into queer horror like Hailey Piper’s. We need more diversity and rarely-explored subject matter like that. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? One of my self-published books got slammed with a “If I could give it zero stars, I would,” review. It stayed with me because the reviewer claimed she speed-read through the book because she barely had time to finish it; she claimed that she didn’t want to get a DNF (Did Not Finish) from Netgalley. I think that if you don’t plan to give a book a chance, then you shouldn’t review it. I’m okay with negative reviews, though, if a reviewer states some reasons why they felt that way. Giving reasons helps other fans know whether they’ll like a book or not. What aspects of writing do you find the most difficult? Leaping metaphors. I can construct a scene with vivid detail, but those details need to be fleshed out with comparisons to similar things to make them more tangible. I need to think about just what those comparisons are and when to use them. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Something preachy based on the Bible. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? I’ve learned to take time with my process. The editing process tends to take more time for me. I’ve also learned to occasionally refresh my eyes by reading books in between shifts, watching movies at night after workdays, trying other creative things to get a fresh perspective on my work. Once you have fresh eyes, it’s easier to spot errors and things you don’t like or need to add or revise. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? More diversity. Include your unique cultural characteristics. Also, read other writers and learn from them. Which of your characters is your favourite? Hard to say. Some characters from Il Migliore Del Mondo & Other Stories will live to see a sequel or so: Alejandro del Potro, Dr. Wolfgang Schmidt, Il Migliore Del Mondo. Which of your books best represents you? Il Migliore Del Mondo & Other Stories has Basil and Evan. Those two characters have some of me in them. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? “Once an artist, always an artist, it doesn’t wash out. It flows in your veins.” It’s the same for writing. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Il Migliore Del Mondo & Other Stories was just published almost two weeks ago, and I am excited. It has horror stories as well as some thriller stories with horror elements. There are two serial killer stories in them; they’re lengthy. They’re novelettes, I think. The two stories number fourty-something to fifty pages each. There’s an overarching theme: how artists go to extreme lengths to satisfy their creative impulses. The more extreme those ambitions get, the bloodier the results. My next book is called The Last Stop. It’s a novel about a Filipino-American contract killer who has come to a sparsely-populated rural town in Northern Virginia and is killing everyone in sight. He’s the most prolific killer on record, and the FBI doesn’t know why he’s killing everyone in town. They need to know what the stipulations of his contract are to catch him. He’s slippery and is gifted with heightened senses. They send an army of state troopers and deputies to catch him. There are horror elements here, too, largely supernatural horror elements. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? The zombie craze is overrated right now. I wouldn’t erase the whole zombie cliche. It’s classic and there are great examples, but some mainstream hits, lately, have looked mediocre in terms of story line. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? I love reading horror anthologies right now. Short stories hit the spot for me. It’s been a while since I’ve read a zonk. I don’t remember. I’m pretty selective. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? I don’t really know if I’ve ever wished for a certain question. Maybe, something like, why aren’t there more horror writers from your part of the world? I can tell them that some of our writers have delved in horror. We just don’t get international exposure often. ALARIC CABILIN Alaric Cabiling is an author and producer living in Manila, Philippines. He resided in Richmond, Virginia, United States, for seventeen years, and much of his work takes place there. Cabiling loves the psychological horror, supernatural horror, thriller, and suspense genres. He uses magic realism in his work. He is disabled and identifies as gay. Twitter: @alaricpcabiling Website: alariccabiling.net IL MIGLIORE DEL MONDO & OTHER STORIES |
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