“We never want to write with the handbrake on”

We talked to the authors about a book they will present at Maestral Literature Evenings next January 12th. Those who attend the night, where the event hall will be filled to full capacity, will enjoy the menu specially prepared for this day.Inspired by the elements and gastronomy of Carmen Mola’s new novel.

Hell comes after a job like Creature this earned them the Planeta Prize and the visibility they had previously eluded. Did you approach this book differently?

With this book, we wanted to continue telling about the 19th century, which seemed to us to be full of interesting conflicts that little was known to the public. The great news is that the mix of genres we’ve already introduced Creature, we add a love story in the style of a nineteenth-century feuilleton. A love story where two genres do not clash, adding to the tension. That was the biggest challenge.

The story takes place between revolutionary Madrid and colonial Cuba and reflects the often unread slavery that existed in Spain at the time. On the other hand, we are more eager to consume content that talks about slavery in the United States. Why did you decide to focus on this phase of the 19th century?

It is true that we are tired of watching films about slavery in the cotton fields of the southern United States, but on the other hand, I cannot think of any Spanish films about the life of slaves in Cuba. When we discovered that Spain had been a slave power in the 19th century, a fact little known and not even studied in textbooks, it seemed worth stopping there and leaving Madrid to travel to the island then called the Pearl. Antilles. This name alone gives an idea about the two layers in which that society operates. On the surface there was the glow of festivities and economic prosperity, deep down was the hell of slavery.

Are Spaniards afraid to look at their belly?

I don’t know if it’s due to fear. But of course there is a lot of ignorance on this subject. There is a historical bias in everything related to Spanish colonialism that puts imperial glory before the atrocities committed there. Many of the wealthy families of the early 20th century came from slavery in Cuba, perhaps explaining the whitening of those years.

They add a new ingredient to the purity you’re used to: love. Is it possible to fall in love in the most literary way under the mentioned conditions? Hell?

It is possible to fall in love in any situation because love does not understand oppression or historical contexts. It is the most powerful and also the most democratic force in life. It can happen to the rich or the poor, to the slave owner or to the slave.

They create a work in which there is never any joy. Even the meetings between the half-doctor Mauro and the suripanta Leonor are shrouded in sadness and sorrow. Because?

It is true that the atmosphere Hell It is intense, and the characters’ lives are always enveloped in an aura of drama, partly because of the historical context in which they live and partly because they are both dragged by a fate that can be cruel. But we think there are bright moments in the novel: the relationship between Leonor and Pili, as well as Mauro’s relationship with Tomasiño or Emiliano, are stories of friendship that mean a door to hope, just like the love that drives our heroes. and it acts as a counterweight, which is why it’s worth fighting for.

They also escape the mundane and embark on a journey filled with legends and supernatural events. Was there a Santa Catalina ship or something similar?

There was no Santa Catalina, but I believe there is a connection between that ship and the Demeter ship that took Dracula to England. Likewise, the ship on which the novel begins brings the devil to Cuba. We loved that connection and also creating the image of the ghost ship; It’s something that has to do with the respect we pay, in a way, to the horror and fantasy literature of the 19th century, which is a genre that we really love. Moreover, Hell We wanted to celebrate the power of fiction, both through legends and religions, stories or games. After all, everything is fiction. It is not a coincidence that the novel begins with a play and ends with the story a mother tells her son.

If there is one thing certain in your novels, it is the murders. Now that people know you, will they put the handbrake on the path of clearly showing the reader the brutality of death?

We never want to write with the handbrake on. Not in violence, not in any other subject that comes to mind, both at the level of character, plot and style. We always write what we think the novel needs. From the beginning, we believed that one of Carmen Mola’s greatest virtues during her period of anonymity was that we wrote like snipers, without fear of what people would say. This freedom is essential for us and we do not want to lose it, even though people now know our names.

Did the criticism directed at you when it was learned that you were behind the pseudonym Carmen Mola affect you in any way?

Frankly, we think it is not. We get the feeling that as time goes on, the noise that arises on social networks, which we never see translated into real life, causes more people to talk about the Planeta award. We think it’s good in that sense, because maybe more people learned that we won the award. But book sales always depend on readers; If they like it, they buy it and recommend it. If they don’t like it they will do the opposite. In the end, the only thing that matters is the novel. Everything, including us, is an accessory.

Let’s talk about cadence broadcasting. Isn’t it negative to publish one work a year?

This is of course a challenging pace. But that’s what’s dominated the publishing world in recent years. Due to our past experience in the audiovisual world, we are accustomed to continuous delivery of materials and strict adherence to deadlines. It should be noted that many people are addicted to the work of the writer or screenwriter and are affected by the delay day by day. This means we know when it is time to think and when it is time to execute; We believe that every story we send to the editor is mature. It is true that weeks devoted to promotion are subtracted from writing time, both in Spain and other markets, but you have to adapt and meet deadlines.

They work like screenwriters, stringing together common things that will then form a narrative thread. How do you resolve inconsistencies between the three?

We try to reach unanimous agreement, discussing whatever is necessary, contributing new ideas, until all three of us are comfortable with what we are doing. There are rare times when this is impossible and we cannot reach agreement. Then we have a truly democratic system: we vote and the winning idea emerges. Since there are three, a draw is not possible.

Do you see yourself as the stars of the literary world?

No, we don’t think we are, we write workers who have achieved some success. We don’t know if stardom is possible in a small market like Spain. It is conceivable that they existed, perhaps in the Anglo-Saxon world, or in other times, such as during the rise of García Márquez and Vargas Llosa. Of course we are not. We wake up every morning and sit down in front of the computer to do our best with great effort and dedication. Success in this profession is not about being a star, but about being able to make a living from it.

Afraid Carmen Mola will eat up your personal projects?

Carmen Mola is very demanding, she demands more and more every day. It forces us to the previously mentioned publishing pace, exhausting promotional tours, over a hundred interviews a year, constant attention to readers… But each of us continues with our own readings, hobbies and lives. way of writing. When we write to Carmen Mola, we clearly see that we are writing for her, but when it comes to our own projects, Carmen Mola stays out of the office. As soon as we have time, the three of us will publish novels, and they will not be like Carmen Mola’s novels.