Featured Interview With Jorge Alejandro Paez
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a Venezuelan-American, born in Caracas, Venezuela, raised in New York City, and currently living in Florida. I have an aquarium at the moment but grew up with a cat.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I loved reading since I was little. My mom made sure of that by reading to me as much as possible, anything from fiction to non-fiction to the Bible. I started writing short stories when I was 11, in 4th grade. I would write tons of these for school assignments but also just loved to do it on my own. I didn’t really start dreaming of it as a career until 6th grade when I read The Kite Runner though.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genre is apparently known as Literary Fiction, though I refer to it more as realistic fiction. I would say that my favorite author of all time is Jodi Picoult. My best friend in high school recommended their novel House Rules which captivated me, and I read Nineteen Minutes after that. It became impossible for me to read any other works though since Nineteen Minutes is such an absolutely devastating read. Don’t get me wrong it’s great from a writer’s standpoint but the story itself is heartbreaking. Those 2 books though were what planted the seed to write in the style I do now. I love the rawness of authors who explore the human condition. Another author who I love to read though I haven’t read in a while is Khaled Hosseini. It was the discovery of his novel The Kite Runner, combined with my love for Star Wars at the time, which inspired me to write. His other 2 novels, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And The Mountains Echoed were wonderful as well. Collectively the styles of Jodi Picoult and Khaled Hosseini are my biggest inspirations. Their techniques for exploring the human condition, where no one is fully good or fully evil but simply a byproduct of society, as well as the demons they deal with internally, sometimes caused by that very society and sometimes not, inspired my writing style since high school. Before that it was all about scifi since Star Wars had been my main inspiration for creativity before that point. Another few authors that left clues for me to unravel later and became someone I learned a lot from though not necessarily an influence directly would be Suzanne Collins, Stephenie Meyer and J. K. Rowling. Their ability to create worlds with captivating plots and characters while hiding in their symbolism and messages that would make the book enjoyable to adults is amazing. It’s the kind of story that is evergreen and that you can read no matter your age. I hope I am able to create at that level with my own stories.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book The Garden of Grace was born from a ton of different sources. For one thing I used to do this thing when I was younger where I’d write letters to someone on my computer who I was either mad at, or who I wanted to say sorry to but who for whatever reason was no longer in my life. I would simply let it all out and then close the window without saving, and it was really helpful. Along the same lines though there are times when I wish I could’ve shown that to the individual in question and I would imagine that conversation. The other part of it is I know how hard it is to carry guilt for something you think you did, and you’re unable to apologize for because the other person isn’t around. Even if other people brush it off or keep telling you it wasn’t your fault, it’s hard to brush off. The story basically takes this to a conclusion where Alan, who always blamed himself for his best friend’s death who committed suicide because of the bullying in her school, eventually dies and he gets to go to Heaven and reconnect with his best friend. He gets to have the conversation he’s been wanting to and dreading to have all his life. He wanted to ask for her forgiveness but at the same time he’s always felt responsible for what she did so of course he thinks she thinks the same as he does because that’s the way guilt works. Guilty or not, you’re so afraid of what you think the outcome will be that you’re afraid to face that outcome. So the story explores that conversation and how that develops.
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