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Date: 10/16/2019
EAST LONGMEADOW – Former East Longmeadow resident Darlene Longo, writing under the pen name D.M. Siciliano, published her book, “Inside,” on Oct. 15. The book is fitting for this spooky time of year, as Longo’s book is set in a haunted house.
Reminder Publishing was able to conduct a Q&A interview with Longo, who now lives in California. She moved in 2000 after her father passed away, noting that “life is short,” and she felt that she had an obligation to him and to herself to pursue her dreams.
Reminder Publishing: Is this your first book?
Longo: “This is my first book being published, but not the first completed. My first novel, “Under Another Sun,” is currently waiting for representation. My third novel, “In Between” is in the works.”
Reminder Publishing: What made you decide that you wanted to be an author, what drove you to put pen to paper?
Longo: “I don’t think, as an artist, you ever ‘decide’ to be an artist. It’s in you. It drives you. I used to sing semi-professionally, and when I put down the microphone, I found a pen in my hand and an urge to continue my storytelling, just in a different way.”
Reminder Publishing: Give me a brief synopsis of how you’d describe your book to someone who’s picking it up for the first time?
Longo: “In 1987, Massachusetts, five friends invade a haunted house under the cover of night. From the moment they enter, things go horribly wrong.
A Shadow lurks in the darkness, and the front door disappears, leaving them trapped. Hunted by the Shadow, they flee through the one-roomed house that somehow changes and reshapes itself, forcing them into new rooms and corridors that don’t exist.
When the first friend is marked by the Shadow, they realize they may not make it out alive.
Can they band together and find a way out? Will someone have to make the ultimate sacrifice?”
Reminder Publishing: What was your inspiration?
Longo: “There’s not one single thing that inspired “Inside,” but a few things that nudged me were a story a friend told me about a haunted and abandoned house in CA where sometimes at night one can see a fire from within. The song Hotel California’ by the Eagles, particularly the line, ‘you can check out any time you like but you can never leave’ nagged at me until I realized, hey this would be a great concept for a horror novel. And just growing up in Massachusetts, there are so many old houses, and even older stories about hauntings and ghosts and other paranormal things.”
Reminder Publishing: How long did the process of when you first came up with the idea for your book up until the date the book was published take?
Longo: “I’d say just over 4 years. The actual editing and rewrites was the bulk of the time.”
Reminder Publishing: Did you feel that it was a long process, or fairly smooth sailing?
Longo: “I don’t think any book can be ‘smooth sailing’ but this story really demanded to be written. The characters were strong and clear in my mind, and the story and setting fascinating to me.”
Reminder Publishing: What was your favorite and least favorite part of writing the book?
“Oh that’s a tough question. Favorite part might be that as I wrote, the characters really came to life with a depth and resonance that I hadn’t anticipated. It became more than a horror novel, it became a book about friendships, family, abuse, real life struggles tucked inside a paranormal adventure. My least favorite part of writing might have been when I realized, thanks to my editor, that I needed to rewrite the story from another point of view. It was a lot of work, but was absolutely the right choice in the end.”
When Longo isn’t writing or working as a bartender at a popular Napa Valley restaurant, she also enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and exploring the beaches. She also enjoys cooking and singing, and says that doing “both at the same time is pure joy.”
“Inside” can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookselling locations near you.