Welcome back to novelist M. Laszlo! He’s here today to chat about his new visionary & metaphysical novel, On the Threshold.
During his virtual book tour, M. will be giving away a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn participant. To be entered for your chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
M. Laszlo is an aging recluse who lives in Ohio. Rumor holds that his pen name was inspired by the Victor Laszlo character in the classic film Casablanca.
Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, M! Please tell us about your newest release.
On the Threshold is a tale about a person who unleashes an avatar of his innate knowledge in order to interrogate the creature and to learn, once and for all, the origins of the universe, the meaning of life, and the purpose of civilization. Alas, the creature does not comply. Even worse, the creature imperils others.
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always wanted to write a book that shows the greatest things the human mind can be capable of achieving because I’ve always been flummoxed by the evil things the sociopathic mind does.
Excerpt from On the Threshold:
Fräulein Wunderwaffe did not return the smile. Hand on heart, the little girl drew a bit closer. Then, as the hot, animalistic presence undulated all across Fingal’s body, the little girl’s eyes grew wide. Until the little girl’s expression turned to that of a vacant stare.
A moment later, her feet pointed inwards, she removed her hat and undid her long, flaxen hair.
Again, he cringed. “If you’ve noticed something, ignore all. This hasn’t got anything to do with you.” A third time, he cringed.
A most ethereal, lyrical, incomprehensible hiss commenced then: from the other end of the winding, decorative-brick driveway, each clay block shining the color of blue Welsh stone, a sleek Siamese cat with a coat of chocolate-spotted ivory had just appeared. And now the creature raced toward his shadow.
As he looked into the animal’s big, searching, blue eyes, the chocolate Siamese studied the off-center tip of his nose. Then the animal turned away, as if to compare the peculiarity with that of some disembodied visage hovering in the distance.
Out upon the loch, meanwhile, a miraculous rogue wave suddenly arose—and now the swell crashed against the pebbly strand.
Not a moment later, a cool flame crawled across Fingal’s throat. The strange fire rattled, too—not unlike the sound of fallen juniper leaves caught up in the current and dancing against the surface of a stone walkway.
Crivens. By now, the alien, pulsating presence held him so tight that he could barely breathe. Before long, he fell to the earth, and as the dreamlike flame continued to move across his throat, he rolled all about—until the illusory sensation of cool warmth wriggled and twisted and dropped into his neck dimple.
What’s the next writing project?
Soon, I’ll be releasing Anastasia’s Midnight Song. It’s a dark-obsession psychological drama/coming-of-age tale about a depressed British youth living in WW-I era Egypt. He enters into an illusory-love relationship with a beautiful Russian woman.
What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
The biggest challenge is the question of how to publicize and to market a work in an age of abundance. It’s hard to get noticed!
If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
It’s always best to do some of the research beforehand. That said, the characters will ask for changes, and one must keep an open mind and do additional research whilst writing.
What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I have a big empty room with a computer and not much of anything else. There’s plenty of natural light, though. And the room has a big hardwood floor. It’s lovely, and my cat often sits in the window and lets the breeze blow through her whiskers.
What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
Within my genre, I love Robert Heinlein, Aldous Huxley, and Ray Bradbury. Outside my genre, I’ve always loved Terry Southern and Ian Fleming. I like John Scalzi, too. He lampoons Ian Fleming.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
I just want to say thank you for visiting Lisa’s blog and take care, everyone.
Links:
Website | Twitter/X | Buy link
Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This looks like a fantastic read. Thanks for sharing.
I’m looking forward to reading this.