Author Interview with Mariano Duque

1. A Dance of Black & White explores love, loss, and the fine line between reality and illusion. What inspired you to write this story?

The inspiration basically came through very vivid dreams and nightmares at the time the story was written I had lost my grandmother who was in the motherland to a terrible embolism that took her quite rapidly we said goodbye on Tuesday afternoon by Wednesday 3am she had left this world. These dreams and nightmares manifested before I turned over to Christianity.

2. The main character, Jenny, struggles to accept the loss of her partner and experiences vivid dreams and visions. Did any personal experiences or emotions shape this aspect of the story?

My life was filled with hardships from family members passing and from knowing there is an illness that can be either passed down or developed. In my case it comes down to all the different factors that played out in my life specifically from being the first born.

3. Your book blends mystery with supernatural elements. How did you approach balancing these themes while keeping the emotional depth intact?

It was complicated to do so specifically wanting to focus on one over the other, I decided to focus on the despair aspect using Jenny as the lens from which to see as we are more empathetic to female characters than male.

4. The story is described as fast-paced yet emotionally rich. What was your writing process like in maintaining this balance?

I had decided to focus on the action elements and draw out the here and now while using flashbacks for context as the story would of become dull if I dwelled too long on emotional baggage and not address the other characters and use them as mirrors to draw from.

5. You've gone through brain surgery and medical procedures, which must have been life-altering experiences. How have these challenges influenced your perspective on life and writing?

Do to my faith I always draw from God and I maintain subservient to his will as everything occurs for a reason and we must accept and obey as he always has greater plans than those we could ever have for ourselves. Learning to accept what is rather than what if and what should be. The writing process just is as I write then I expand as I see during revisions and explore aspects in a way it doesn’t drag out I prefer quality over quantity.

6. Did your recovery process impact the way you develop characters and themes, especially in dealing with loss, resilience, or the unknown?

This story was published by the time all my medical issues had began back in July of last year so they didn’t really shape anything on this story but will defensively affect the next one.

7. What was the most challenging part of writing this book, and how did you overcome it?

It was being clear from who’s perspective I wanted to draw out from I overcame it by using Jenny as our narrator the story needed someone imperfect and as a human that made her the better to use while daemon is technically not human it would be unfair as his mental state is much deeper than a normal person could comprehend.

8. If readers could take away one key message or emotion from A Dance of Black & White, what would you hope it to be?

We all comprehend pain and sorrow differently so all we can do is help those who experience it by being at their side when need it and not judge on how they go through the process.

9. Are there any authors, books, or personal experiences that deeply influenced your storytelling style?

I do my best to not allow others to influence me rather I try to use my own style and do a narrative the draws more from human emotions and that could be relatable in some way shape or form. As for experience I have many but I use them in the shape of symbols and personify them through specific characters.

10. Can you give us a glimpse into what’s next for you as an author? Are there any upcoming projects or stories you’re excited to share?

Is project I am working on is book two which I am still deciding on the main character and story line as I have two different scenarios to play with.i am also intent on furthering my education so I’m thinking on going back to university.