Excerpt:
Griselda grew up in Malabrava. Her family founded the town. The streets, the smells, the houses, the people, and even the squirrels with knives run through her veins. She loves Malabrava and all its quirks.
Grizzy is a Del Monstruo. Not the youngest, not the oldest. She’s the middle-aged one. The Auntie. The one who never married, never wanted to. Grizzy’s the one people call when something needs to be handled. Because that’s what Grizzy does. Grizzy handles things.
Nobody asks how. It’s understood. Grizzy is what some might call sketchy with a heart of gold. She’ll go to war for the people she loves, and she has a clean, no-fuss method of decapitation for the ones she doesn’t.
She lives in the family home, dead center in the town of Malabrava. Her parents retired to a smaller place on the outskirts, saying they needed more land for at-home burials. Her sister Gracie prefers her condo near their parents. Gracie said that the convenient burial space is a plus. Makes cleanup easier.
They left Grizzy the house. You’d expect a gothic mansion, right? This is Malabrava, where things creep in broad daylight. A home for someone called Del Monstruo should come with bats, cobwebs, a gong, a butler who only groans, and a maid with wild frizzy red hair and access to the gong.
But no.
Grizzy’s grandfather was a modernist. Way ahead of his time. He wanted to be a supervillain, and in his mind, supervillains needed sleek, sprawling homes with underground bunkers, hidden rooms, and plans for a moat.
He never made it to “super.” He was a decent villain. He refused to recycle and regularly flipped off children, but he lacked the follow-through. He couldn’t commit to one evil scheme long enough to earn the title.
Grizzy’s grandmother was the true force. A science-minded woman with dangerous ideas. She adored the modern mansion. It gave her room for her lab.
That lab became Grizzy’s favorite place in the world.
Grizzy the fixer, the inventor, the one always tinkering away in her lab is deeply loved by her family. But her mother, a devout occultist with a dramatic streak, had other hopes. She wanted Griselda to be witchy. Ideally, a Voodoo Priestess. She always said Griselda looked striking in white. Though, in the end, she would’ve settled for a kitchen witch with a solid essential oil game.
Her father, a known vampire, had his hopes too. Gracie inherited the thirst. Gracie was the one born with a taste for blood.
But not Grizzy.
Instead, she snuck into her grandmother’s lab as a child. Touched everything labeled “Do Not Touch.” Sniffed everything marked “Hazard.” Dreamed of beakers and blueprints. She ignored every warning.
At twelve, she came out to the family as a Mad Scientist.
Her parents told her they loved her. Accepted her, a little reluctantly. Gracie grinned. She had another reason to be the favorite now.
They threw a family barbecue for her official announcement. The cousins came. The uncles, the aunts, the vaguely-related lurkers. Grizzy cut a cake shaped like a beaker and declared, “I’m a Mad Scientist, like Granny.”
There was a pause.
Some awkward glances.
Then applause.
The Del Monstruos were known for monsters...being them, birthing them, bargaining with them. But Grizzy wasn’t rattled by the hesitation. She knew the truth.
What was better than being a monster?
Inventing
them.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Carol James Marshall . . .
Q: How would you describe your style of writing to someone who has never
read your work?
A: Wow, that’s a difficult question for me. It’s almost like asking someone to describe themselves. When you do that, you are describing your own perception of who you are, not necessarily who you really are.
So, I’ll answer with the word “hope.” I hope my readers will consider my work "NEW." New ideas, new concepts, and new themes. I want it to feel unpredictable, like something they have never seen or thought of before.
Q: Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
A: I am a natural storyteller. I usually have at least three stories going on in my head, notes for 20 more books, and it never ends. I love a good story whether it’s written, on television or film, or over a cocktail with a good friend. Writing for me flows easily. I always have a story to tell.
Q: Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page?
A: The answer is yes and no. I think about my upcoming characters' lives, the way they think, and who they are in relation to the story, but it never feels like preparation. I simply mull it over while washing dirty dishes or brushing my teeth.
When I sit down to write, the story usually develops in blocks, each building on the last. The characters evolve in the same way.
I had zero plans for Gracie in MalaBrava. She simply happened, and she was so much fun to write.
Q: Do you people-watch to help with character development? Or do you build upon your characters during story creation?
A: I love people-watching, but that is not how my characters develop. I like to give each of my characters a distinct “vibe.” I use my personal experiences and overactive imagination to build upon that vibe as the story develops.
Q: Do you have a character you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but that still excites you to work on the story?
A: Two of them: Manson and Letty. I have a vampire novel mapped out in my head. My two main characters are Manson, a clueless, average Joe who happens to cross paths one night with Letty, my sociopathic vampire. As you can imagine, nothing goes well for Manson.
I think about those two and their intertwining stories often, even though I am currently writing a different novel.
Q: Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so, which one(s)?
A: Maybe not bonding, but I have my favorites. I love Ella from Ella is One of Many. Matea from my Santa Muerte series and Gracie from MalaBrava. Gracie, a vampire with ADHD, was so much fun to write.
Q: Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
A: A serial killer in MalaBrava, Book 2, who is not very good at what they do. It is a concept I have been working on for a while. Think of it as gallows humor they are doing their damnedest to become a serial killer. Still, they cannot get organized enough to pull it off.
Q: Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
A: I’m currently halfway through writing my gothic horror novel, The Order of the Wicked. I read an autobiography about the life of a sequestered nun, and the concept of “evil nuns” eventually evolved into The Order of the Wicked. I plan to release it in the fall of 2028.
After that, I’ll begin writing MalaBrava, Book 2, because the MalaBrava series is such a good time to write.
Q: What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?
A: I learned long ago not to give myself strict deadlines or put too much pressure on my writing. I have a full-time day job, so I write when I can. Since I do not earn an income from my books, I write my stories for pleasure when I have the time and feel inspired. I would like to publish two books a year, but if that does not happen, I do not stress about it.
Q: If you could have dinner/dinner party with 7 fictional characters, who would they be?
A: The Weasley’s.
Q: If you could spend one week with 5 fictional characters, who would they be and where would you spend that time?
A: Not any particular character, but I would sign a lease to live in the world of The Other's by Anne Bishop. It's my favorite fantasy series. So cozy and wonderful.
Q: If you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern, and spend one full year. Where would you go and what would you do with this time?
A: I am a big fan of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. His episode on Croatia took my breath away. I'm a water person. I love everything ocean, river, lake, stream, anything water. I would spend all my time swimming and being a mermaid.
Thank you Carol James Marshall for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.
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