We recently had the chance to connect with Mario Acevedo and have shared our conversation below.
Mario, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
This question is much like that asked of novelists: are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you plot out the story ahead of time in exacting detail? Or do you proceed by “seat of the pants,” hence “panster?” I turned 70 this year and I’m very cognizant of my expiration date. I have several projects I want to complete and pass on. So on one hand, I’m aware of the need to apply myself and not waste time. Then, occasionally, you have to stop and smell the roses. You have to allow time and space for spontaneity. Plus, life throws you curve balls that force you to drop what you’re doing and attend to the urgent matter. To answer the question: I’m a plotter who sometimes says: Jesus, take the wheel!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a writer of speculative fiction, the big “what if?” My preferred genres are crime, fantasy, and horror. So far I’ve published eight novels and over a dozen short stories under my name. While I’ve stepped away from writing-for-hire, as a ghost-writer I helped about twelve clients get their books get from initial idea to published. Every story has its unique narrative and tenor, depending on the plot, setting, and characters. In my work, the parallels between crime and horror are that in both genres, it’s about a world gone wrong. Convention and the social contract have been broken, leaving the protagonists in a very bad place. Presently, I’m have two big projects on the front burner. The first is a true-history account of the New Mexico Land Grant War of 1967: a courthouse raid in the attempted kidnapping of a state judge and a district attorney, with a shootout, death threats, bombings, the National Guard deploying tanks to rural New Mexico, the murder of a key witness. The man at the center of this mayhem was Reies Lopez Tijerina, a evangelical preacher turned activist, regarded by some as a charismatic prophet, by others as a dangerous charlatan. I’m co-writing this story with Duane Evans, an Army buddy whose father arrested Tijerina in a confrontation that ended seconds before it turned into a slaughter. My second project is a crime novel about gang violence and corruption in the city of Denver. I’m also an artist and have included a painting of my departed dog, Scout, who is waiting for me in the Cosmos. There are other projects simmering on my stove and please follow me on social media for updates.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I grew up a small, skinny kid, definitely not very strong. Going to PE used to intimidate, if not terrify me. Then in middle school, while in the Boy Scouts, I managed to complete a fifty-mile hike. At the time I weighed all of eighty pounds and trekked up and over Mogollon Baldy Peak in the Gila National Forest with a forty-five pound backpack! I also discovered that I could run long distances a lot faster than most others. In the eighth grade, I astonished myself by doing three pull-ups when before, I couldn’t do any. Within a few years, I could do twelve pull-ups and run a decent one-miler, though I didn’t push myself to compete as I didn’t regard myself as an athlete. This ability to complete grueling, endurance challenges was obviously a useful trait when I was in the infantry.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid of failure. If you fall, get back up and try again. You have it in you to do better. Don’t impose limitations upon yourself. Be a kinder person and help your mother wash the dishes. Learn how to cook and make her a great meal.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
My aunt, Tia Angelica, my mother’s younger sister and now the family matriarch. She turned 83 this year. When I was a kid, Tia Angelica used to stay at our house after crossing the US-Mexico border as an illegal alien. For the record, my mom also jumped the fence. My aunt was deported twice before being granted amnesty in 1986. After a family tragedy, during which I lost both my parents, Tia Angelica stepped forward to take care of our youngest sister, Laura, who had been left mentally disabled by childhood meningitis. Besides watching over my sister, Tia Angelica unselfishly offered refuge to many whose lives were upturned by circumstances: job loss, divorce, abandonment. When my oldest son needed a place to stay when starting school as an out-of-state-student at NMSU, my aunt offered room and board. Tia Angelica worked in hospitality for Hilton hotels while as a single mom raising two sons. One became a NM State Police officer and head of security for Governor Richardson. The other works as a radiologist in a major hospital in El Paso, Texas. More recently, Tia Angelica provided at-home hospice when Laura succumbed to breast cancer. Over the years,Tia Angelica has witnessed much, heard much, which as the family vault, because of her good character, she graciously keeps to herself. “An old broom knows where the dirt hides.” The photo is of her and me in Old Town Albuquerque.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I would love to be regarded as another Harold Robbins. Literary scoundrel. Boulevardier. Detested by intellectuals (who secretly bought my books by the crate). Obscenely wealthy. Extravagant. Morally compromised. Vilified as lacking class and scruples but a man with a heart of gold for the downtrodden and dispossessed. Alas, the best I can hope for is that future readers will say, “Mario was brilliant in the way he disguised social commentary as sketchy vampire soft-porn. He imparted so much wisdom that the world at the time chose not to see.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://marioacevedo.com
- Instagram: Real_Adelantearts
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/mario-acevedo-71b7372a
- Twitter: @AdelanteArts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mario.acevedo.754703/
