Alice Kellen: “With writing, even if you can’t do something, there will always be a lot to do”

In just a decade, Alice Kelen He managed to become a best-seller in several Spanish-speaking countries, having published around 16 titles, almost two a year, under his pseudonym.

It all started in 2013, with the release of “Take Me Anywhere”and is now completed by “The Archipelago Theory”the author’s most recent novel, published in 2022. Millions of readers have been captivated by her romantic stories and this has led her to be one of the most followed writers in Spain in recent years.

From Valencia, Alice Kelen arrived in Latin America to present “The Archipelago Theory”, on tour in several countries which brought her to meet her huge fans, because yes, Kellen is not read, but idolized. Rows and rows of readers crowd for hours into theaters and bookstores to spend a few minutes in the writer’s presence, and she’s worth it.

In this latest book, he tells the story of Martín, 72, who one day returns to the Valencian city that marked him for life 40 years ago, when he was looking for the woman who became his true love.

We are in 1980. It is summer and Martín is a young editor and illustrator of encyclopedias. Candela is his wife, but they are going through one of the most complicated times in their marriage. One day, Martín meets Isaac, a young gardener in the city, and this will be vital so that the difficult times, in the end, are not so difficult. Over the decades, Martín keeps thinking about him.

“Martín is also plagued by other doubts that always drag time, which is why he is afraid. He is so afraid that he does not know if his stiff hands are simply due to osteoarthritis. The question that floated around him throughout the journey from Madrid to Valencia is: will this heart that he misses so much continue to beat? Or did he stop one day and the bond between them fray so much that he didn’t even realize it? Perhaps he was having a coffee in the neighborhood bar or reading the news in the newspaper, unable to perceive what had happened. Either way, you need to know – (Excerpt).

The novel defends the idea that we are all islands. Martín with his problems, Candela with his business, Isaac with his charms. We come into the world alone and we leave exactly the same, underlines Alice Kelenabout the spirit of the book. “But we need other islands around us to feel happy in the middle of this sea that unites as much as it separates.”

Read and published worldwide, since its creation, Kellen he chose to post using a name different from his own, in the spirit of not mixing his private life with his professional life. His pseudonym, as he specified, comes from “Alice in Wonderland”and the surname of the Irish novelist Marianne Keyes.

The Spanish author spoke with Read and she gave us a glimpse into her literary career, a tour of the readings she cherishes most and the challenges she continues to face as a writer even today when sitting in front of the computer.

How did you read as a child? What were those crucial moments that allow you today to devote yourself to what you do?

— Both my parents were always readers and at home there were a lot of books. They read me stories when I was a child and my father, in particular, introduced me very early to the classics. He loved to read Dickens and Verne, and for my age it was perhaps not advisable to start with these authors, but seeing him motivated me a lot. I was interested in having something to share with him.

As I got older, around 16 or 17, I started reading the books sold on newsstands every week, which were mostly romance novels. There I discovered “Bridget Jones’s Diary”, For example. It was the first time I had found female stars in the works I read. It caught my attention a lot. I read a lot of those novels and then I came back, I went back to the classics. Now, when I dedicate myself to this, I read everything. I usually read three books at once and always try to keep them in different genres.

What book is grabbing your attention right now?

– Right now I’m reading Haruki Murakamithat I had not had the opportunity to read to him, and I am delighted with the strength of the voice he shows in “Tokio Blues”. The truth is that it is a very visual narrative.

— And speaking of readings, which ones do you make up?

— When I was young, the reading that I did of books of Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I was around 19 when I found out. “The Angel’s Game” It was very important, because it made me feel like the story was really my life. I completely moved on with this book. And, in this sense, I cannot fail to mention “The little Prince”I still read it. It’s my favorite book. In fact, I still have the first edition that I read, in French. Sometimes it’s not about thinking about the content itself, but about what it means to you as a reader, the emotional connection it has created.

— As of this writing, do you think of a model reader for your stories?

– Not really. Anyone can read one of these books, but it’s true that there are stories that I think are more the type of audience that would appreciate them. The normal thing is, however, that I only begin to write

— The number of books you sell is really considerable. Do you think there is a formula for all of this, or is it just random?

— I don’t think there is a formula, but there are a series of keys that I have discovered as a writer. The first is to always work on the stories with great intensity. If you are not moved by what you write, if you do not feel anything, then it will be very difficult for it to generate something in others. The second key is knowing how to find the right moment and this, ultimately, ends up being crucial for the fate of the book. This is due to several factors and, in fact, almost none depends on the writer.

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— From your first book to this one, how much have the techniques you use changed? What have you stopped doing what you were doing before?

— Before, I sat down and let out what needed to come out. Today I think a lot more, what do I want to write, why. Over time, we think more about structures, techniques, reasons for talking about this or that. The writing process changes. Today I edit a lot more than before, I go back over and over what I’ve written, until I feel it’s how I think it should be. When the novel is finished, what follows is even more important, it is more technical work. With writing, even if you can’t do something, there will always be plenty to do.

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