A.R. Von DreamZ of Dragons : Interview with Alexander Beresford Author of Charla

A.R.- Hello Alex, do you mind if I call you Alex or do you prefer Alexander?

Alex: My friends call me Alex. You can call me Alex.

A.R.- It’s a pleasure to have you as a guest on DoD’s. I’d like to start off by getting to know a little bit about you as a person.

Alex: Well, I grew up in California, Los Angeles to be exact, and part of the time in Maryland and Dallas. My dad (now retired) was the manager of an international bank and every few years we were moved to another location. My love for books began at an early age, my mother used to read to me, and I've been reading for as long as I can remember. In high school, the writing bug bit me hard after I watched Stephen R. Donaldson do a book reading for The One Tree at the library of my high school. I don't remember what he told us exactly, but ever since, I've wanted to become a writer. I recently got in touch with him to thank him for inspiring me. I have a lot of interests and hobbies, I had a career in radio as an on air "personality" and as a studio/live musician. I play bass, piano/keyboards, blues harmonica, and some guitar. My passion for the horror genre began early. My best friend's older brother had horror comics like Nightmare, Eerie, and Vampirella, and I used to LOVE reading those! I'm not into terribly violent and gory, bloody horror, For the most part I prefer more of a paranormal, psychological kind of terror. I do like weird.

A.R.- If you had to describe yourself using three words, they would be…

Alex: A loyal friend, a good father (single father since my daughter was 4), and fairly creative (my fuel).

A.R.- Name one funny trait you have, that you would like others to know.

Alex: I can move my ears, independently, too!

A.R.- What's your motto in life?

Alex: Trying to live the moment as much as possible instead of allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by what hasn't happened yet.

A.R.- Do you have any pets?

Alex: Three cats: Harry, Kwai Chang Caine, and Seamus. One dog named Oliver. All rescues. All boys.

A.R.- What’s your favorite food to order in a restaurant?

Alex: I love pasta, Carbonara specifically. All kinds of Chinese, Thai, and Indian foods, particularly curry. Whenever in England, I hit the curry houses hard!

A.R.- If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Alex: Even though I have tinnitus I also have heightened hearing, it's weird, but I can hear tiny noises most people can't. Because of my tinnitus I've been to tons of doctors, so this has been tested. It's a blessing and a curse, because sometimes little noises bother me, I ask if anyone can hear the buzz, or beeping, and they can't, so I have to track it down, and it's always something in a drawer, or some kind of malfunctioning electronic device. My dog Oliver ran away once and we were out looking for him, and just as we were about to give up, I heard his dog tag in the distance, no one else heard it, so we started heading in that direction, found him, and brought him home. So if I could have ANY super power, I'd like to be Super Handsome! Because I'm only extremely handsome. Anyway … I'd like to be able to fly. This is a very serious reoccurring dream I've had my entire life, and in some kind of alternate reality, I believe I can fly.

A.R.- Have you ever had the feeling you were being watched?

Alex: Yes on occasion. And sometimes I'm right, too.

A.R.- Now on to your current release. Why the name Charla for both your book title and character name? Is there meaning behind it?

Alex: No deep meaning, I just felt the book should be named after her since she's the powerhouse in it. My next novel out this Fall will be called "Doll Face", and I have a short coming out on Kindle soon, tentatively titled "Tiny Thing" (or just "Sandra") Maybe all my books will have names or nicknames for titles. You can see a very early cover of "Doll Face" on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/alexandertberesford You're all welcome to join me there.

A.R.- How long did it take you to complete writing Charla?

Alex: It took me four months to write a first draft, then another three or four months to rewrite it. My first drafts end up needing a lot of work, but without question they are the most fun for me. I don't enjoy rewriting nearly as much.

A.R.- Is there anything you’d like us all to know about Charla?

Alex: She's deeply misunderstood :) Her personality is loosely based on people I've known in my life, one of which is still close to me. I know that sounds frightening, but people much worse than Charla are out there. In case you're wondering, it's not my mother who still is a wonderful, loving mother, and one of the kindest people walking this earth.

A.R.- What's your next project?

Alex: The most exciting thing going on right now is the movie version of Charla. I can't talk about it much right now, but it's been keeping me busy since I've been helping with casting and preproduction. We're right in the middle of all that actually and this is the first time I've mentioned it publicly. For now it's an independent production to be tentatively released in 2014, but in the film business anything can happen. We will be shooting a teaser trailer within the next couple of months. More to come. Coincidentally, I already have a director interest in my next novel "Doll Face" (coming this Fall) which I've been told will make a great horror picture. We'll see. Maybe there's a pattern being developed here with Alexander Beresford novels. I can only hope so. I love the movies.

A.R.- Thank you so much for being here. I hope you’ll come back again for a visit or too chat some more!

Alex: I really appreciate this opportunity to share with readers, writers, new friends. Thank you very much.