Photo credits: 9699186 (pixabay), ready made (pexels) Edited by Vaishali Title: The Rose (Volume. 1) Author: PD Alleva Genre/Themes: Sci-fi Fantasy, Thriller, Dystopian Publisher: Quill and Birch Publishing Publication Date: 2020 The opening line that summarises the rundown of PD Alleva's The Rose reads 'A masterful, dystopian science fiction thriller of telepathic evil greys, mysterious rebellion, martial arts, and Alien Vampires.' If that tag line doesn't corral the dystopic intrigue of wild sci-fi fans everywhere I don't know what will. With an experimental hand, a brazenly venturesome style and a passionate proclivity for pulp genre-whisking individuality author PD Alleva promises nothing less than an original blended brio of supernatural force, fantastical invasion, terroristic evil, surrealistic milieu and conspiratorial division where lifeforms of all crud and creed are planted, plotted and manipulated against by the wash of a post-World War III setting. Where aliens have commandeered the planet and where warfare, conflict and combat paint the land in a wild epic of burning mystery, provoking curiosity, extra-terrestrial existence and diabolical horror, The Rose is as fulsome and as furiously earthbound as it sounds. And all appreciators of this compelling fusion may very well fall to the doom of this world, mount its forging artifice and swing from word to word as the mystique builds, the crypticism bites and the nodes of a running action-adventure elasticates a looping sequence of ever-moving mystery. This staging of a political smokescreen interrogates a belief that points a finger at human nescience, plays with intelligence of species and tells a story of stones unturned...in more way than one. Whether you're excited for this series, burning for the next volume or simply curious about a book that promises something a bit different, you can expect this dystopian sci-fi thriller to shape up and deliver in detail a gripping take upon a dystopic stage. And as I pull back from the creation, I refocus on the creator. A sci-fi horror writer himself who relishes in the expanse of surrealistic sci-fi mystery, psychology, speculative conspiracy and the fabric of causality, I'm delighted to bring to you a guest post by the writer of The Rose himself. PD Alleva offers a fascinating look into the inspiration that brought his taste for fiction to life, the screenplays that have taught him some lessons of value and how each and every snared takeaway through journeyed escapism has brought to life a series that bottles a gritty concoction of all that calls him to answer to his muse... Nostalgia, Pulp Fiction, and Ancient Aliens: Major Influences Behind the The Rose Series I’ve written multiple times about the influence Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, and War of the Worlds have had on my sci-fi fantasy series, The Rose, and I think it’s about high time I change gears and pay homage to a few additional influences. As a writer, there’s always a truckload of nostalgia that influences everything we do. Between writing style, narrative, specific scenes, flow, or overall feel, inspiration can come from just about anywhere. So, when I sat down to write this blog, what I did not want to do was rehash what I’ve already said over the last few years. Instead, I’ll focus on the minor influences that were in the back of my mind when writing the series, namely The Fifth Element, and John Carpenter movies They Live, and Big Trouble in Little China. But first, a brief introduction. Hello, my name is PD Alleva. I’m a writer, and when the muse comes knocking, I answer the door. I enjoy genre blending, adding a little fantasy, a tidbit of mythology, or a scientific or philosophical concept that’s far from the norm. Over the last two decades, I’ve had a private practice as a hypnotist and psychotherapist with a thirst to learn, discover, and understand the human mind, condition, and motivation to best serve my patients. I’ve always been interested in psychology and I enjoy adding a psychological component to my stories. There’s nothing better than the ability to be in the minds and hearts of every star character in the story. Plus, I’ve always cheered more for the villain than the heroes. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than a well-written villain. In my spare time I enjoy reading about quantum physics, science of mind concepts, metaphysics, spirituality, ancient wisdom, and yes I do like to indulge in ancient alien theories. Currently, I write science fiction and horror. My latest scifi fantasy series, The Rose, features a sophisticated species of alien vampires who have conspired with telepathic alien greys, and elite humans to subjugate the human population after WW3. The Rose is dystopian, action adventure, speculative fiction and borders on sci-fi horror. Reflecting the Pulp Fiction literary era, The Rose is pure gory conspiracy fun. So, let’s get to the influences. We will begin with The Fifth Element. Pacing is the first word that comes to mind when I mention The Fifth Element. The movie’s pace was fantastic, with each scene leading to the next within an exciting transfer of scenes and characters. Plus, there’s always an escalation that leads to the next scene, some dire catastrophe that pushes the narrative forward, forcing the protagonists into extreme situations. There’s never a reprieve for our heroes, never a chance to breathe and rest, only an escalating stream of chaos and insanity. It’s this cerebral pacing that I brought into The Rose series. Something always has to be happening, some detail that was left untouched or unknown that has now grown legs (sometimes literal legs) and requires attention. Add in a consistent change of view between heroes and villains and we’ve got one hell of an enticing story. Throw in continuously escalating stakes for our heroes and a victory for our villains that is so close they can taste it like blood on their lips, and you’ve got yourself a book, or story, or future movie franchise. Pacing drives the narrative forward and when you’re writing an action adventure novel, the pacing needs to be spot on, intriguing, nostalgic, and intricate in its detail while adding layers of depth to the overall plot. We can’t have scenes that mean nothing to the overall arc of the story; every scene must move the narrative forward and not slow it down. When done accurately, pacing can take a simple story and turn it into an awesome ride, a lesson I learned from The Fifth Element. Now let’s get into the John Carpenter films, beginning with They Live. The film follows a down on his luck homeless man named Nada who discovers a pair of sunglasses that reveal an alien species living among us who can only be seen with these sunglasses because of a radio frequency that blinds the human eye from seeing who they really are. Not only does Nada discover aliens exist, there is also a massive subliminal ad campaign where rules and orders are handed down to the humans to keep them subjugated and easily controlled. When Nada looks at a billboard, magazine, or street sign, he sees the subliminal calling cards: Procreate, This is your God (on the dollar bill, of course), Consume, Reproduce, Conform, Work, and Obey. Carpenter made the film as a protest to the ever-growing gap between the rich and poor amid government corruption, but I took the ‘living under our noses in plain sight’ concept into new directions. In The Rose, both the alien vampires and the greys have been living in plain sight for centuries. They’ve infiltrated every aspect of human infrastructure, including the private sector, the military, and, of course, our government. The frequency concept in They Live is comparable to the ancient alien theory regarding the same frequency model used by aliens, and I happily included the theory in The Rose series. Since the universe is made of energy, vibration, and frequency, I find this concept fascinating. Different frequencies that the human eye can not see-think what life would be like if the human eye saw all things in infrared or x-ray vision are used against us in a non-stop stake of knowledge is power and when you know more than your enemy, you’ve got the upper hand. The concept lends to the theory that the human species is a devolved species compared to aliens, with little scientific knowledge in the grand scale of the universe. I enjoy toying with and manipulating theories and surreal explanations that ancient alien and science of mind concepts reveal; they make for a fascinating narrative while lending to increasing high stakes, twists, and turns. Now we have arrived at the final influence for The Rose series, John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China. The film is an over the top fantasy adventure that mixes sorcery, magic, and ancient Chinese lore to manipulate a narrative that includes monsters, telepathic communication, martial arts, and so many classic one-liners any movie quote fanatic will have a field day. The movie is pure entertainment nostalgia, a pulp fiction film that has no limits or boundaries to the imagination. Big Trouble is pure escapism entertainment; fun, exciting, and truly satisfying. This is where the pulp fiction influence surfaced from my subconscious with Big Trouble in Little China being the catalyst to The Rose escapism narrative. Kind of a ‘drop reality and spend some time in a different world’ escape. I bring up Big Trouble because of the pulp fiction influence. I remember being a young lad on the day I discovered a trove of boxes filled with pulp fiction magazines my father had been saving for some sunny day - actually he thought they would be worth a pretty penny, so he kept them. From that moment, I indulged in Amazing Stories, and Weird Tales with a fever to discover, learn, and skyrocket on so many adventures my young mind became warped with science fiction, adventure, and fantasy. Big Trouble can best be described as a true to the heart pulp fiction movie, a fantastic stretch of the imagination to elicit a pure entertainment stream of consciousness and a break from what can be the drab or harsh reality of everyday life. It is the pulp fiction escapism that I brought into The Rose series, a world where anything can happen, with secrets yet to be discovered, and mysteries yet to be revealed. So let’s discover them together. If you enjoy a fast-paced action adventure, cerebral alien vampires, telepathic evil greys, and a boatload of ancient alien conspiracies, check out The Rose. It’s like Star Wars and Ancient Aliens spawned an alien vampire. Thank you for reading. Books are a portal to another world, keep reading and enjoy. ~ PD Alleva THE BACK OF THE BOOK...
THE ROSE: VOL 1 - B Y P D A L L E V A A big thank you to Paul for getting in touch and participating in this guest post! W H E R E Y O U C A N F I N D P D A L L E V A A N D H I S W O R K ● Website: www.pdalleva.com ● Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7634126.P_D_Alleva ● Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/p-d-alleva ● Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pdallevaauthor/ ● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdalleva_author/ ● Twitter: https://twitter.com/PdallevaAuthor I love interacting with fellow readers, reviewers, bloggers and writers. Hearing about reader opinion is the fuel to my reader appetite, so get in touch and comment below! H A P P Y R E A D I N G SHARE ON FACEBOOK: Leave a comment and let's talk...
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