Interview with Dianne Hartsock, Author of Alex - Page 2

With Alex, I wanted to take a different approach than the usual serial killer/psychic story. This is a story of a young man able to experience other people’s emotions and sometimes see their thoughts. The story is told from Alex’s unique perspective, revealing how he deals with his ‘gift’ in a doubting world. I wanted to show the vulnerability and insecurities of the typical twenty year old, plus the added stress and confusion caused by his abilities. Alex is a young man whose mind has slipped beyond the common boundaries of life. Only the love and support of his friends brings him through the summer safely, with his mind whole.

What inspired you to write it?

Alex is the story of an unwilling psychic. I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal and wanted to create a character who, by his very nature, could suspend disbelief for the duration of a novel. I wondered what extreme circumstances could lead to his ‘gift’. I decided it would have to start with his childhood. Alone and isolated, living with the anguish of abuse, perhaps a person’s mind would expand, seeking escape from the sadness and loneliness of life.

I believed Alex’s isolation would also make him hypersensitive to the people around him. He’d be empathetic to the point where he could sense and sometimes see the emotions of others. Their thoughts would leap to him in a wave of sympathetic connection.

I put Alex in a small town with a few friends who knew him and still liked him. There would be someone to love him. But what would Alex do with this gift of his? It seems to me that in extreme duress, a person will call out for help. I wanted Alex to pick up on these calls. I threw in the serial killer, police and detectives, all the usual suspects. But I tried to keep the story all in Alex’s perspective. He’s just a 20-year-old boy trying to make a life for himself.

What is one thing you hope readers will take away from this book?

One reviewer summed Alex up for me very nicely. "Overall, I am left with a new definition of what love is: an emotion that can endure through life and death. Love isn't over-romanticized as something that will conquer all, but love makes life worth living."

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

Article Author: Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Cheryl Malandrinos is a book reviewer, blogger, freelance writer and editor. Her first children's book, Little Shepherd, was published by Guardian Angel Publishing in 2010. She is also a member of the SCBWI. Ms. Malandrinos lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two children. …

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