Red City Review: “a style reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s magical realism”
I’m delighted to welcome, author, Mark Giglio, from across the water. Mark has come here today to discuss imagination and writing, but before that, let’s find out a little about him.
Mark Giglio is a writer, artist and award-winning furniture maker with a degree in creative writing from San Diego State University. He lives in Escondido, CA in San Diego County. He has written novels in Historical Romance “Alchemist Gift”, and a Romantic Thriller “The Patròn’s Wife”. The second volume of “Alchemist Gift”, “Curious Journey” with the main character of Count Emilio is in the works. His short stories are in the Horror and Science Fiction genres.
Reading with Your Imagination
by
Mark Giglio
The wonderful thing about your imagination is that you bring all of your experiences to a scene in a story or novel. Sometimes a written description can spark a different and more focused experience as compared to a video. A video can be very well done and can certainly tell a story. But we are limited to what our eyes can take in and the score to elicit the proper emotion or reaction. With a video, we are truly witnesses. With literature, we are more participants. I hope I did that in my description of Emilio’s trip down the Rio Oscuro in my latest novel, ‘The Patròn’s Wife’. Many moons ago, I was stationed in the Florida Keys and at Homestead Air Base, which was very near to the Everglades. Both places were hot and sticky and buggy. In the summer you could just about set your watch to the time of the daily thunderstorm. Those were the experiences I drew from for the opening description.
“The dull pulse of the boat motor echoed back from the dense wall of tangled greenery that crowded its way to the edge of the river bank. The chirps and clicks from a thousand insects set an unearthly cadence that was palpable. Mist swirled overhead, opening now and again to let the sun’s rays play off the living pearls of dew that rolled down from leaf to quivering leaf back into the brown waters of the Rio Oscuro.
“My clothing was always damp with sweat. The heat and humidity made the trip unbearable. Even the breeze coming off the water was warm and fetid. The chatter of monkeys was tiresome; the biting insects were bothersome and painful. The occasional shadowy animal, drawn undoubtedly by the sound of the motor, would stalk us, making its way through the undergrowth that grew along the riverbank. The relentless heat, discomfort, and unpredictability reached out like a smothering and heavy hand from the jungle and kept its dank grip on me and the boat.”
Another scene has to do with the protagonist Emilio being driven up from the Rio Oscuro to El Paradiso, the name of the plantation where the greater part of the story takes place.
“The road was rutted and bumpy. Branches and fronds reached out and clawed and scratched at all sides of the Land Rover as if trying to pull us into the undergrowth. There was no view to speak of, only a twinkling tunnel made through the tangle of low brush, large green leaves and overhead vines and flowering creepers and still higher the canopies of the great trees.
“We travelled inland for maybe twelve kilometers. I heard birds and the chatter of monkeys, but I saw no animals. Leòn came to a jarring stop. A jaguar appeared out of the brush and stopped on the road. Its golden eyes burned into mine. Leòn looked away from the animal; he even held his hand up to shield his face and gave the big cat a wide berth. I expected him to say something, but he did not. He did not even look at me. We drove off in silence.”
In The Patrons Wife the scenes are to do with the jungle and by reading the words the reader becomes part of the story. The reader becomes an active participant by reliving their own set of experiences and memories. A video can never do that.
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Thank you, Mark for popping over today and sharing your very informative article.
Where can readers purchase Alchemist Gift and The Patron’s Wife?
Where can you find Mark Giglio?
Facebook Alchemist Gift Inspiration Group
Patricia M Osborne 