BookView Interview with Author Amelia Estelle Dellos

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed author Amelia Estelle Dellos about her writing and her recently released, Delilah Recovered, a carefully plotted, engrossing urban fantasy with plenty of twists and turns. (Read the review here.) A writer and filmmaker, she is an MFA candidate and professor at Columbia College Chicago.

Who and what ultimately inspired you to become a writer?

I am not sure I can answer this in a few sentences. My parents, Mary and George, were both voracious readers. They were ALWAYS reading. I grew up loving to read. So, I would say that they both inspired me to love stories.

For the complete interview visit, their site BookView.

Romance, mythology, magic, and an intriguing mystery all coalesce into an exciting journey.

Dear friends,

I’m writing with news about my new book, Delilah Recovered (Atmosphere Press), which will be published on October 31st. I am grateful to all of you—for your interest and support over the LAST TEN years.

This brings me to my reason for writing to you today:

I want to let you know that the book can be ordered now from most places where books are sold. You can order directly from Amazon and other online retailers.

https://www.amazon.com/Delilah-Recovered.../dp/1639885145

Here are a few reviews:

"Romance, mythology, magic, and an intriguing mystery all coalesce into an exciting journey."

Thank you Literary Titans

"Filled with twists and turns that had me holding my breath, Delilah Recovered by Amelia Dellos fascinated me. I was hooked from the very beginning and that opening scene with Samuel had me scratching my head for all the right reasons."

Thank you Readers' Favorite

Another way you can help is to review the book on Amazon, post a picture of the book on social media, or just tell others about the book!

Thank you for being a part of this journey with me!

With gratitude,

Amelia Dellos

https://www.ameliatellsstories.com

The Polyphemus Moth Lands on Carmina Magazine

Here is an excerpt from a short story, The Polyphemus Moth, I wrote for the September 2022 issue of Carmina Magazine.

I. Portend

There it is right outside my back door. I almost don’t see it mixed in with the leaves and the bramble. It is month four of COVID, and I am unemployed. I lost my profitable PR job after months of working long hours managing crisis communications for the company. It’s a huge dead moth with eyes on its wings, both beautiful and gruesome.

“It’s a Polyphemus Moth. The Antheraea polyphemus is one of our largest and most beautiful silk moths,” I read out loud from Google.

“As a tattoo, a moth serves as a harbinger of change and an omen of regeneration." —TattooSeo.com

It is the night of the Sturgeon Moon, a signal the summer days will soon drift away, leaving us to the wintering, forcing us to go deep inside ourselves. I enter the small studio. Jared, the tattoo artist, has arresting blue eyes and salt-and-pepper hair.

For the complete short story, please go to http://carminamagazine.com/polyphemus-moth.html .

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Author's note

The day after I was laid off from my corporate job, a perfectly preserved moth found its way to my doorstep. It was a Polyphemus Moth. It had large eyes on its wings and was named after the Cyclops. In Greek mythology, the Cyclops made a deal with Hades, God of the underworld, and traded one eye for the ability to see the future. For the next year, this moth became a totem for me and all the changes that life would toss my way—a pandemic, my mother's death, and the decision to go back to grad school at the ripe old age of 49. Mythology not only gives us a blueprint for storytelling but a way to understand and make sense of our lives. I was so pleased that this piece found a home with Carmina magazine because this story helped me understand my life, my modern-day myth in the making.

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About Carmina Magazine

Named after the Latin word for "songs" or "poems", Carmina Magazine offers a place where mythology and modern creativity can come together as one.

For generations, writers, artists, and creators have turned towards mythological traditions for inspiration. Carmina Magazine aims to showcase how the stories of the past are still creatively relevant in the modern day, possessing a timeless ability to enthrall, enchant, and inspire long after their initial genesis.

Carmina Magazine is edited by Rhysling Award-nominated writer Clarabelle Miray Fields, who fell in love with ancient stories as a small child living in and traveling around Turkey. Fascinated by the myths of Troy (modern-day Hisarlık, Turkey), she went on to earn a BA in classical languages (2018, summa cum laude) and study in the U.K. as a Fulbright Summer Institute participant. An avid writer as well as reader, her work has been published over 100 times in print and online. She currently works as a web developer and system admin, with Carmina being one of several websites she maintains.

For more details, visit http://carminamagazine.com/about.html.