Photography: María Jesús Romero de Ávila, Instagram.
María Jesús Romero from Ávila de Lara is from La SOlana (Ciudad Real) but already adopted from Madrid. Graduated in Hispanic Philology, her vocation was journalism and now she works as a radio host. Chained to the fear of dying is his last novel. I thank you very much for the time and kindness to dedicate this interview.
María Jesús Romero de Ávila - Interview
- ACTUALIDAD LITERATURA: The title of your latest book is Chained to the fear of dying. What do you tell us about it and where did the idea come from?
MARÍA JESÚS ROMERO DE ÁVILA: The title It is very thought because I wanted one shocking. It is a novel straddling the genres black, historical and with an erotic touch. I wanted to bring the reader closer to the subject of death, of our lightness, but with a great sense of humor and closeness. The idea arose from a crisis that I had in which I thought a lot about the death. I wanted to capture those feelings, so what started as therapy ended up turning into a novel.
- AL: Can you go back to that first book you read? And the first story you wrote?
MJRA: Well the first book I read was Heidi, that I reread it hundreds of times because my parents couldn't buy me more. Then a friend would lend them to me until I was old enough to check out the library books.
- AL: A head writer? You can choose more than one and from all eras.
MJRA: I have a few: Isabel Allende, Javier Marias, Cervantes (I reread El Quijote from time to time), Mario Benedetti, Mario Vargas LlosaBenito Perez Galdós, Dostoevsky, Arthur Conan Doyle.
- AL: What character in a book would you have liked to meet and create?
MJRA: I would have loved to meet and create the character of Sherlock Holmes, from any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, for example, The dog of the Baskervilles. I am fascinated by that character.
- AL: Any special habits or habits when it comes to writing or reading?
MJRA: At the time of write I like to be one, with no one at home. No music. Y read I love doing it at any time and any time.
- AL: And your preferred place and time to do it?
MJRA: The kitchen table for writing I'm lovin 'it. It is next to a window, where I see the trees, the sky, the landscape. To read, the bed before sleep. Also, if I don't read before, I don't fall asleep.
- AL: Are there other genres that you like?
MJRA: I like the poetry in small doses and biographies.
- AL: What are you reading now? And writing?
MJRA: I just finished a Carme Chaparro crime novel, Don't disappoint your father, which I quite liked, but the language is a bit rude at times. And now I'm with Squid a la romana, by Emilio del Río, where we see that everything is invented by the classics, in this case the Romans. Very entertaining. TO sometimes, I read the book of poems by Luis Díaz Cacho, Live each day.
- AL: How do you think the publishing scene is and what decided you to try to publish?
MJRA: Well, the panorama to publish is regular. Luckily there is desktop publishing. There are many publishers of this type that do it quite well and at an affordable price. Y I decided to publish because it was a pending issue, a dream to realize. I could have done it on Amazon for free, but I wanted a neat edition and with Ediciones Doce Calles I have achieved it.
- AL: Is the moment of crisis that we are experiencing being difficult for you or will you be able to keep something positive for future stories?
MJRA: It has been very difficult for me especially the time of confinement, having the family outside of Madrid. Has been very hard. I keep the positive part of solidarityd, of strength and struggle that the human being has, we can with everything. And it has made me value everyday things much more, health, friendship, family.
I do not think I use the pandemic itself as a subject to write, but the economic and labor crisis that we are experiencing.