Author Interview 002: María Florinda Loreto Yoris - Exploring Worlds Through Words

Meet María Florinda Loreto Yoris, a Venezuelan author with a passion for exploring the realms of fantasy and paranormal fiction. Born in Caracas in 1969, María Florinda's journey as a writer began later in life, propelled by a desire to overcome challenges and contribute to the world of literature. Her commitment to fostering a writing community is evident through her blog, "El Sello del Escritor," where she supports both emerging and established writers.

Journey into Imagination: A Conversation with María Florinda Loreto Yoris, the Fantasy Maven

In this exclusive interview, María Florinda Loreto Yoris takes us on a journey through her literary experiences, sharing insights into her background, debut in writing, exploration of fantasy and paranormal genres, favorite authors, and her dedication to supporting fellow writers. Discover the inspiration behind her blog and get a sneak peek into her upcoming project, "Disparates News."

Key Excerpts:

"From a very young age, my home library was the place that aroused the most admiration and curiosity in me."

"I felt the need to talk about subtle energies as a real plane that anyone can access."

"As a reader, I am captivated by books like 'The Neverending Story' by Michael Ende and the 'Chronicles of Narnia' by C. S Lewis."

"In this time of transition, we have to see more and more normally that this Era is based more on strategic alliances than on the old idea of competition."

"There will always be details to correct but that is not a sufficient reason to give up."

"The novelty is 'Disparates News,' a fictitious digital newspaper, exclusive to El Sello del Escritor, where stories are crazy and told as news."

Related post: Calling All Writers: Free Author Interviews! (2024)

Full Questions and Answers:

1. Can you share with us a bit about your background, growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, and how your journey as a writer began?

I come from a family of intellectuals and artists where the love of books has been a constant. From a very young age, my home library was the place that aroused the most admiration and curiosity in me. To tell the truth, it frustrated me to be “little” because at that time, we are talking about the early 70s, the conversations used to be “grown-up things” in which we children could not participate, therefore I had to keep quiet! I talk so much, I had to be silent! Furthermore, it was not to touch anything without permission. My mother told me that I could touch books when I learned to read, because they were not to be played with but to be read. That's where my fervent desire to start school began and when the time came those barriers began to fall.

Despite having lived a difficult childhood, I never lacked education, and I always maintained the desire to write, but what other writers say about those stories that keep them up at night didn't happen to me. I was completely unaware that I could write fiction. I just knew that I wanted to be a writer. and the opportunity that tested me came shortly after I turned 50.

In 2017, in Venezuela we were experiencing a very dramatic moment on a social and political level. At that time I had a part-time job at a publishing house and every morning I had to walk over the rubble left over from the previous day's protest to go to the office. It was a very difficult situation that caused me depression and, one morning, while I was alone in the office, I asked myself what would happen if I did not return home alive that day. I said to myself: “If I die today, am I going to leave frustrated? Yes. And if I survive after all this, am I going to continue living as a frustrated person? “No, I can’t afford that.” Immediately, I searched the internet for “How to be a writer” and from that day, despite what was happening at that time and everything that came after, I began to participate in writing groups for beginners and in all the activities that led me. to my main goal: to be a writer.

2. Your debut in writing stories was with "Midnight Revelation" in the work "MEDIUM, historia de un corazón sensible." Can you tell us about that experience and how it influenced your subsequent work?

In 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, I participated in the Hoja en Blanco Literary Workshop, founded and directed by the Argentine writer Sonia Pericich. Until that moment, I had not dared to write beyond a short story, but Sonia proposed a dynamic to participate in the anthology “Media Naranja Medio Limón”, regarding Valentine's Day that year, and I took the risk. Actually, my first fiction story was “The Night of the Bewitching” and it was published in that anthology. Shortly after, seeing that I had been able to write that story quite easily, I ventured to propose to Sergio Alfonso Amaya Santamaría, a member of the group of independent writers on Facebook, that we write a story together to publish it as co-author. Sonia helped us with the layout and publication because at that time we had not yet mastered the digital part.

After “Medium, story of a sensitive heart”, I wrote a couple of short novels, but I consider that I really started when I wrote “Journey to the World of Fairies”, published in August 2023, of which we even made the audiobook in Spanish, my dad Félix Loreto and me. Since then, I have not stopped writing because I finally have a working method, which was difficult for me to find, and I feel comfortable with what I do, although I am aware that there are always details and that the only way they can be correcting is with continuous practice.

3. You've ventured into the fantasy genre with the Fairy World series and the paranormal fantasy series about the mysterious disappearance of Sarah Whitman. What draws you to these genres, and how do you approach weaving fantastical elements into your stories?

I felt the need to talk about subtle energies as a real plane that anyone can access. I have always been fascinated by everything related to the Afterlife and I wanted to try recreating that theme in short stories. In my stories, the fairy figures represent the voice of one's own conscience, in its different attributes. In the case of Sarah Whitman, I addressed the issue of parallel dimensions and the nonexistence of death. I have a long way to go, this is just the beginning and that's why I write short fiction, I still have a lot to learn

4. As a fantasy fan and reader, I'm curious to know who your favorite fantasy authors are. Can you share some writers and books in the fantasy genre that have inspired and influenced your work? 

As a writer, I am very far from the authors who have touched my soul the most. However, as a reader, I can tell you that I am captivated by books like The Neverending Story, the children's novel by German writer Michael Ende. Likewise, a saga that I love is Chronicles of Narnia, by the Anglo-Irish writer C. S Lewis. Naming them all would represent a very big commitment, but I would say that, in terms of my tastes, I aim for the classics of that type.

Related post: 30 best fantasy books, novels, and book series of all time

5. Your blog, "El Sello del Escritor," seems to be a space dedicated to fostering writing and supporting both beginners and established writers. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind creating this platform and your goals for it?

In this digital age, one of the first recommendations that those of us who intend to make a career in writing receive is to have an author page. In my time in so many writing groups, I saw that we writers tend to have many insecurities and, in addition, there is a general feeling that we are ignored. I also observed that, most of the time, those who dare to have an author page use it to publish only their own texts, from time to time. Likewise, literary blogs are often used to review books. Since I am a Publicist by profession, I thought about creating a space in which there was variety, with frequent publications, and that would contribute to strengthening our image as writers, not just mine. In this time of transition in which the old schemes began to disintegrate, we have to see more and more normally that this Era is based more on strategic alliances than on the old idea of competition. That is an elementary principle of the new leadership of the 21st century.

Initially, I published texts by guest writers and did a season of interviews with independent Latin American writers. At the suggestion of a colleague in the Facebook group, I joined the writing community on X. That's an idea I've just started working on and I have more surprises!

6. I enjoy exploring literature from different countries and cultures. In Latin America, my favorite writers are Marquez and Borges. Given your Venezuelan roots, who do you consider to be some of the best Venezuelan writers, and could you recommend any must-read Venezuelan literary works?

Just like I told you before, mentioning them all is a very big commitment. However, there is a writer that I love and to whom I feel I must make a special mention: Ana Teresa de la Parra, considered, along with Rómulo Gallegos, the most important novelist of the first half of the 20th century, in Venezuela. She is considered a precursor of feminist literature in America and a renewer of literature in the Spanish language. She only published two works because she died young: “Ifigenia”, which was translated into French, and “Memorias de Mamá Blanca” (“Memories of Mama Blanca”) which has been translated into more than twenty languages. The novel “Ifigenia” tells the story of a young Venezuelan woman who returns to her country after studying in Europe. It is a work that breaks the stereotypes of the time, and that presents a strong and independent female protagonist. In the case of ¨Memorias de Mamá Blanca”(Memories of Mama Blanca), the novel tells the story of a Venezuelan family of the oligarchy during the 19th century. It is a work that combines elements of the historical novel, the family novel and the autobiographical novel because it offers a vision of Venezuelan society in the 19th century, and explores themes such as slavery, racial discrimination and social inequality. As we can see, times pass, fashions change, but the problems seem to persist through the ages.

7. Beyond Venezuela, which global authors and literary works have left a lasting impact on you?

Among the books that I can read over and over again because I always find something else, I can mention: all the  Caballo de Troya Trojan Horse books, by J.J. Benitez; all Dan Brown books: Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Inferno, Inception, The Lost Symbol. A novel that was a resounding success in its time: The Ninth Revelation, by James Redfield. From the Agatha Christie collection: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I would also have to mention “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruíz Zafón.

8. Your commitment to supporting novice writers is evident. How do you believe fostering a writing community can positively impact the development of emerging writers, and what advice do you have for those who are just starting their journey in writing?

When I began to investigate the craft of writing, I began to follow some writers on social media who taught creative writing seminars and courses. It didn't take long until I realized that those limitations, fears and mental barriers that I suffered from were common to all of us. I understood that those were characteristic traits and that that was the profile of a writer. The next step was to let go of what was already known to be what held us all back at some point in our careers, especially at the beginning.

I also realized very early on that the typical writer is introverted and shy, that's why he writes! and most of them are having a hard time with this issue of having to expose themselves and do daily marketing work on social networks. Although I don't have that problem because the truth is that I talk a lot and it's not difficult for me to socialize at all, I understand the need for isolation because we think a lot and the people around us disturb us. I have both traits and those who know me know that I am telling the truth. We need time for ourselves and to empty everything we have in our heads, that is something that our immediate environment must understand and accept so that our relationships flow better. On the other hand, we had to develop this professional aspect in a time that requires us to leave the bubble. Therefore, seeing the immense difficulty of the majority in communicating, I took the initiative to create El Sello del Escritor (The Writer's Seal) and join the English writing community to expand my range of action and be able to help my colleagues more effectively.

I can advise writers who are starting out to dare to take the step; there will always be details to correct but that is not a sufficient reason to give up. Nowadays there are fabulous tools with which we can help ourselves and it is important to always be open to learning, but we must be careful not to stay in the initial phases for fear of moving to the next level. At first it feels like a leap into the void, but the satisfaction of having faced that fear and having achieved what we wanted, despite the greatest difficulties, is much greater and is forever captured in what we did: our books.

9. Can you give us a glimpse into any upcoming projects or future works you're currently working on or planning? 

At this moment the novelty is “Disparates News”, a fictitious digital newspaper, exclusive to El Sello del Escritor because I write it and publish it on the blog. I decided to turn it into a series and just published the first book. The stories are crazy and told as news, but the newspaper also has its own story, which is what I am going to develop through the series of books. I am also going to publish it in English, so very soon it will be available to all my friends and followers of the X writing community. In that same order of ideas, I am going to integrate some new features into the blog to give the newspaper its own life. In 2024 there is a lot to do!

Thank you very much for this interview.

Conclusion:

Thank you, María Florinda Loreto Yoris, for this insightful interview. Your journey as a writer, dedication to supporting fellow authors, and exciting upcoming projects have undoubtedly left readers eager to explore the worlds you create through your words. We look forward to more literary adventures on El Sello del Escritor.

About María Florinda Loreto Yoris

María Florinda Loreto Yoris, born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1969, is a storyteller who discovered her passion for writing amidst the pages of her family's home library. Despite a challenging childhood, María Florinda's pursuit of education and a dream to become a writer persisted. In 2017, amid Venezuela's social and political turmoil, she embraced her calling, delving into the realms of fantasy and paranormal fiction. María Florinda is also the creative force behind "El Sello del Escritor," a platform dedicated to fostering a supportive writing community.

With a profound appreciation for classic fantasy literature, María Florinda draws inspiration from luminaries like Michael Ende and C. S Lewis. Her commitment to uplifting emerging writers is reflected in her insightful advice and initiatives aimed at creating a collaborative space for writers to thrive.