I HEART YA: Author Interview: Marilyn Almodóvar (Chronicles of the Interred Series)

Our fabulous nerd friend and author Marilyn Almodóvar drops in to chat being a nerd, her massive obsession with the show Doctor Who, how motherhood has affected her writing, and all things Interred Chronicles related!

TeamNerd Reviews: Hello my fellow Nerdian friend! What would you say qualifies you as a nerd? Do like to collect anything (outside of books) that others may find strange or nerdy?

Marilyn Almodóvar: Hello! I think my obsession with Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who qualifies me as a nerd… though I prefer to call myself a Geek.  As far as collecting things, I used to collect music boxes, most of them are boxed up in France, because I was afraid to bring them to Florida with me, so they stayed at my in-law’s.  I don’t think I collect anything that might be strange. I’m a DVD and CD hoarder. It’s not as bad as it sounds, though my husband would probably agree that I have a huge addiction to movies and music.

TeamNerd Reviews: Give us five fun random facts about you (not listed in your bio)!

Marilyn Almodóvar: This is hard.

1) When I was young and I would vanish from my mum’s side, I would always be found in the pet shop area of the store staring at the puppies.

2) I’ve chipped my right front tooth five times.

3) When I was in school, my teachers used to ask my mum whether or not I’d had my asthma meds. Most of the time when she answered yes, I was sent back home. Otherwise I would have been very disruptive in class, thanks to the meds.

4) Whilst living near Paris, I tripped and fell on my knees after dropping my son at his school, after lunch, even more embarrassing all the kids were there to see me. So to save face, I lifted my arms in the air and said; Paris, je t’aime, then I stood up quickly and ran away.

5)During my first month living in London, I wasn’t used to taking the trains. I totally forgot to double check the monitor to make sure that the train at the platform was the right one, so I hopped on the train without looking, and ended up in the country side. Far, far away from London. It was an experience, nothing says panic now, like the sight of sheep and greenery when you live in the city.

TeamNerd Reviews: What were you like when you were sixteen?

Marilyn Almodóvar: I was very insecure. My grandmother passed away four months before I turned sixteen, and I think that affected me in ways that I didn’t understand until later on.   I had nice friends, but I was slightly paranoid about people and the reasons why they wanted to be my friends. I pretty much had the same friends I had in elementary school all the way to my Senior year, mainly because we knew each other well, but mostly because I was weary of new people.

TeamNerd Reviews: What inspired the time travelling concept for Interred?

Marilyn Almodóvar: I’m a Whovian, and I grew up watching Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars. I guess there’s an influence from all three of them in my writing, though I have to say that Interred was born out of the lack of winter in Florida. I sought solace in its pages from the heat. It was my own wintery wonderland.

TeamNerd Reviews: What was one of your favorite scenes from Interred to write? What was a scene that offered a bit more difficulty?

Marilyn Almodóvar: My favorite scene to write didn’t make it into the book. The scene involved Baxter’s family playing and interacting with each other before the Interment. I’ve posted it on my blog, and you can access it through the Interred promo page on my blog.  

The most difficult scene to write was the morning after the Interment when Baxter goes to find her mum and the rest of the family.

TeamNerd Reviews: As a mother, what has motherhood taught you that has helped you in your writing? What’s some advice you can offer to other mothers who are aspiring authors trying to balance family life and finishing a book?

Marilyn Almodóvar: I think I care more about showing parents in a good light. I like my characters to have parents who are very present and involved in their lives, even if the characters don’t like that.

I think the best advice to aspiring authors is, you must write. Write whenever you can, even if it’s ten minutes. Just do it, and soon enough you’ll have written the whole book.

TeamNerd Reviews: You’re an obsessive fan of the show Doctor Who *hehe* Who is your favorite character from the show and how would your version of the TARDIS look?

Marilyn Almodóvar: Obsessive? Me? Yes, I think that’s the medical term for it. This is a very hard question. Obviously I love the doctor, even six and eight…. I think my favorite character is River Song. Moffat (the show runner) wasn’t sure what he would do with this character after she first appeared during David Tennat’s time as Ten. He just wanted, as every good author does, to see what would happen if he threw someone in the mix, who would rattle the Doctor. Then he developed her back story and brought her back during Matt Smith’s first series. I was fascinated by the twists and the many plotlines. Most importantly, because her timeline is all jumbled up, it’s been great to discuss her and the Doctor with my son, so it’s offered a lot of Mother /son bonding sessions.

As far as my version of the inside of the idyllic police box, I’m afraid my T.A.R.D.I.S. would probably look like it was designed by a three year old. I’m quite fond of the bareness of the Fifth Doctor’s T.A.R.D.I.S. so maybe it would be a blend of his T.A.R.D.I.S. and Ten’s.

TeamNerd Reviews: If you had to choose between being a Warrior, a Healer, or a Time Bender, which one would you choose to be and why?

Marilyn Almodóvar: I would love to be a Time Bender, though I don’t want to age. So I guess I would wish my husband to be my Healer. Time Bending offers an opportunity to explore the past, the future, and even the present. It would be awesome to go through time and interview all those authors that I love.

TeamNerd Reviews: Give us an inside look into what Fissure, the second book in the Chronicles of Interred Trilogy, and what fun readers can look forward to?

Marilyn Almodóvar: Fissure picks up, three weeks after Interred’s last scene. Baxter needs to learn to control her ability a bit better, and deal with the   aftermath of the battle. There’s more Time Traveling, more information about the other Councils around the world, and new twists that I hope the readers will enjoy and love. Also a lot of Jack. *grins*

TeamNerd Reviews: If you could go out on a date with Declan, what era would you want to travel to with him to have the date and why and what would you guys eat?

Marilyn Almodóvar: Well, since Declan looks like Ben Barnes in my mind, *coughs* I would love to visit Victorian London with him, though I wouldn’t probably stick around for dinner in that era. I would probably just ask him to accompany me to one of the Indian restaurants in present day London, and then have a nice walk along the Thames just as the sun sets down. 

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