An Interview with Author AA DaSilva
This month AA DaSilva joins us to discuss her current release, Periphery (The Wild Rose Press, November 20, 2024).
Born and raised in New England, AA DaSilva has a degree in clinical laboratory science and brings her love of science and writing together via science fiction.
When she’s not working in the lab or writing, AA enjoys spending precious quality time with her husband, two sons, and pup Didi (who looks suspiciously like an Ewok).
Her award-winning debut novel, Periphery, is a science fiction love story that explores fate, strength, and the choices that determine our destiny.
AA DaSilva is an active member of the Association of Rhode Island Authors, and a member of the Paranormal Romance Guild.
Book two in AA DaSilva’s Periphery series, titled The Bleed-Through Effect, is forthcoming in 2025 from The Wild Rose Press. For the latest updates on new releases and events, sign up for email updates and follow her on socials.
Please welcome AA DaSilva to the blog—and let's jump right in!
I’ve read that in addition to being a writer, you also have a degree in clinical laboratory science. How does your work in the lab influence your stories?
Working in the laboratory requires a lot of critical thinking, analytical skills, and attention to detail, and I try to incorporate those skills into my writing. Being able to inject a degree of plausibility into my speculative fiction is really important to me, and what better way to do that than point toward pre-existing theories or yet-to-be-discovered scientific or medical phenomena?
For fun: What is your favorite non-writing past-time and why?
I love hiking through the woods. Something about being in the serene quiet space between the trees feeds my creativity and helps ground me. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s so easy to lose track of the threads that connect all of us. Being in the woods helps me find my place in the world’s tapestry again.
Please tell us a little about your novel Periphery that is not included in the book blurb.
Periphery is a science-fiction romance, but not in the typical sci-fi sense—you won’t be traveling through outer space or encounter otherworldly beings… who needs those when some humans can be the real monsters anyway, right?
Periphery falls more under speculative romance than sci-fi, meaning it contemplates and explores the blurred lines between reality and supernatural in a contemporary romance plot.
Through the story you’ll follow Charlotte, a young widow whose life is thrown into chaos after an accident kills her husband and leaves her forever changed following her cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Now a savant, she must piece together what the visions she saw prior to her resuscitation mean, why a stranger that she begins to fall for seems so familiar, and what her acquired savant syndrome has to do with all of it. Connecting her late husband, her past, her new lover, and her new abilities, is an agency with motives that reach beyond our current reality. Thrown into the path of danger and impossibilities, Charlotte is faced with a series of critical choices that force her to find the strength move forward, even when the past refuses to let go.
Without giving any spoilers, can you tell us a little about Charlotte’s savant abilities and what inspired you to write a character who has them?
Absolutely, and I’m glad you asked!
I’ve always been a collector of strange facts and having worked in the medical field for more than twenty years, nothing fascinates me more than real-life medical phenomena.
Charlotte’s acquired savant abilities are actually based on a real medical phenomenon that can occur after a head injury. While traumatic brain injuries are often associated with neurological deficits, there are rare cases in which it can result in the opposite, and as the brain heals the person can acquire newfound abilities! For some, this can manifest as new-onset brilliance in mathematics and/or physics (like Charlotte), in other cases, it can manifest as musical or artistic talent as a result of neuroplasticity following brain trauma.
I was excited to develop a character that was neurodivergent, and Charlotte’s savant abilities add a layer of depth and an additional challenge that she must navigate after an accident that irrevocably changed her life.
Toward the end of the book, her acquired savant diagnosis is explained in the form of a plot twist that reinforces the idea that we’re only just beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to the knowledge we hold regarding our lives, our brains, and how it’s all connected to the universe around us.
What did you learn about yourself while writing Periphery?
I was at a very self-reflective point in my life when I began writing Periphery, and I feel like the story itself reflects that mindset. It’s important to take a moment of reflection every now and again as we examine our past and contemplate the future. So, while Periphery is a fictional story, the themes are deeply meaningful to me. The story and character arcs explore past choices, current circumstances, and all the potential that the future holds. A huge takeaway from the story arc is not letting the past define you; that every day and every new choice we make can be the beginning of a new chapter for us—at any point in our lives.
What surprised you the most about Periphery while you were writing it?
I was absolutely shocked by how much I enjoyed writing deliciously dark and morally gray characters! In fact, I enjoyed this aspect so much that I included the villain’s POV in the sequel!
For fun: If Periphery had a soundtrack, what would be the top three songs on the playlist, and how do they capture the essence of your story?
1. "Lovers in Another Life" by Matthew Perryman Jones
2. "Past Lives" by Sapientdream
3. "Daylight" by David Kushner
All three songs are love songs, but with an edge of angst and longing, which certainly capture the essence of Periphery.
What is your writing kryptonite? Is there a particular scene type or story element that always challenges you, no matter how many books you write?
Scene transitions will always be my kryptonite!! I know where we’re going, I just can’t execute a smooth ride there without tons of editing!
What’s next: Can you give us a sneak peek into your upcoming 2025 release, The Bleed-Through Effect?
I am so excited about The Bleed-Through Effect!
Periphery is a love story at its core—we’re learning about the characters, falling in love, facing shocking challenges, finding strength, and making peace with the past.
The Bleed-Through Effect picks up right where Periphery leaves off, and we’re going to get a deeper look into the characters as told through multi-POV. By adding these new perspectives, the reader will learn more than ever about each character’s inner thoughts, past, and motives—perhaps not everyone is as innocent as they seem, and perhaps each character has a motive yet to be revealed.
In The Bleed-Through Effect we’re going to get more of everything: suspense, spice, challenges, and angst. The Bleed-Through Effect does get darker and has psychological thriller undertones in addition to the speculative romance of Periphery, but a satisfying happy-ever-after is guaranteed.
What’s next: Can you share what you’re working on next, and what can readers expect from your future books?
I am currently working on book three, which is not set in the Periphery world. It’s a spicy romantic military suspense that will be part of The Wild Rose Press’ exclusive "Men and Women of Valor" series.
About Periphery
𝑨 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑨 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑨 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕. 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.
Charlotte barely survived the accident that killed her husband four years ago. Resuscitated a savant, she struggles to find meaning in her survival.
When she meets Simon, a mysteriously familiar stranger, they are drawn to each other with undeniable magnetism. But Simon is contracted to a black-ops agency.
With the agency on her heels, and Simon claiming her heart, Charlotte’s past and future collide when she’s offered a chance to reconnect with her late husband.
As secrets are revealed, motives uncovered, and alliances are formed, Charlotte must choose… between the fate of the world and the fate of her heart.
Until next time,
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About the Author
Award-winning author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and poet. She is most recently the author of The Passenger. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including mermaids and ghosts. Joie writes character-driven, emotional, atmospheric tales about heartache and hope.