Today I would like to welcome to Novel Moments, Monica La Porta, author of The Priest.
Welcome, Monica. Please Tell us a bit about yourself
Thanks, Liz. My
name is Monica La Porta and I’m an
Italian who moved to the States several years
ago. I love to say that I found the perfect weather for writing in Washington
State, because it’s true. The green, the misty vapors, the constant drizzling
are all conducive to writing. I spend hours looking outside my window, cup of
perfumed Earl Grey tea handy, daydreaming about all the stories taking places
beyond the realm of my backyard.
What keeps you writing?
I love writing. It’s my vacation from reality. I think
about writing day and night. When I’m not writing, I’m editing or thinking
about what I want to write next.
Can you tell us a little more about your novel, The Priest? Amazing cover, by the way.
Thank you, Liz. The Priest is the first book in a trilogy, The
Ginecean Chronicles, and is set in an alternate reality where women
have absolute power over a race of enslaved men and the only socially
acceptable union is between women. Loving a man is considered a perversion. The
main character in The Priest is Mauricio, a slave resigned to a hopeless life.
One day, he hears Rosie sing and his life is changed forever. Love is born
where only hate has roots.
What inspired you to write
the novel?
Two main ideas are behind The Priest. Two years ago, I read an article about the possibility
for a woman to create life without the man’s contribution. Around the same
time, I heard about the campaign ‘It
Gets Better’ in support of kids being bullied because of their sexual
orientation or because they are different. I asked myself what would happen in
a society where everything was the other way around compared to ours? What if
we lived in a woman’s world? What if heterosexual love was a sin?
How did you come up with
the title?
Names have meanings and I
like playing with them. Almost every book I wrote has a character whose name
stands for something relative to the story. In The Priest, the title’s meaning is explained at its very end.
How long did it take you
to research and write the novel?
The Priest has an
interesting genesis. I was writing Pax in
the Land of Women, when these two characters, Mauricio and Rosie, came to
life. I thought they were too interesting to be relegated to a small part in
Pax. So, I decided to use Nanowrimo
2010 to write down the first draft of The
Priest. In one month I wrote the bulk of it, then I polished it for another
year. Finally, I went back and forth adding and erasing details to the three
books in The Ginecean Chronicles to
eliminate incongruences.
Is there a certain message
you would like readers to get out of this novel?
Acceptance. Everything is
relative. What is acceptable in a society could be taboo for another. Love is
love.
Do you experience writer’s
block? How do you deal with it?
I write every day, even
when I don’t feel to. My goal is one thousand words per day and I normally
manage to achieve that. Sometimes, it’s harder. I found that the best ideas
come in days like that, when I push myself to finish and I struggle through
every word I write.
Are you a full time writer?
If not, how do you make time to write?
I’m a full time writer and
a housekeeper in my spare time. Since I feed the family regularly, nobody has
complained so far.
How
does your daily writing schedule look like?
For
the most part, I keep office hours. During Nanowrimo, there’s no schedule; I
just write until I drop.
How
does your marketing schedule look like?
It
doesn’t. I’ve published only a few months ago and my marketing skills are
laughable. I’m on twitter, where I
like to talk with other authors. I’m on facebook, where I like to talk
with other authors. I’m on Goodreads,
where I like to talk with other authors. I’m on Kindleboards, and
you can imagine what I like to do there. If marketing has anything to do with
getting to know interesting people, I’m okay. Otherwise, I’m not.
Which
avenues do you use to market your books?
Mainly
twitter and hopefully word of mouth.
What books can we expect from you in the
future?
Pax in the Land of Women and Prince of War,
respectively second and third book in The Ginecean Chronicles, should be
published in the immediate future. Later on, I’ve some urban fantasy YA on the
way.
What was your best ever moment
as a published author?
I haven’t been in the
trade for long, but I’ve been lucky enough to inspire a teenager to write a
book report about The Priest for her
English class. It made me immensely happy.
What
other question are you dying to be asked? And the answer is?
Have
you ever been interviewed on a live radio show?
Funny you should ask, as a
matter of fact I have! Just recently, I was interviewed on a live radio
show and it was great fun. At first, I was terrified I was going to say
something silly, then I realized I was going to say something silly no matter
what and relaxed.
Do
you have a message for your readers?
Stay
tuned! Pax in the Land of Women and Prince of War are coming soon
to a Kindle near you!
Thank
you so much for telling us a little more about you and your novel. It was lovely having you here.
Mauricio is a slave. Like any man born on Ginecea, he is but a number
for the pure breed women who rule over him with cruel hands. Imprisoned
inside the Temple since birth, Mauricio has never been outside, never
felt the warmth of the sun on his skin. He lives a life devoid of hopes
and desires. Then one day, he hears Rosie sing. He risks everything for
one look at her and his life is changed, forever. An impossible
friendship blossoms into affection deemed sinful and perverted in a
society where the only rightful union is between women. Love is born
where only hate has roots and leads Mauricio to uncover a truth that
could destroy Ginecea. 
