We’re welcoming author Layna Pimentel at Silver Phoenix Labs and she’s talking about how the dark and macabre was her entry into the world of sci-fi and all things geek.

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Thanks for hosting me Sara!

Occasionally I think back to how odd I was, in comparison to other young ladies growing up in my local Portuguese community, and believe me when I say, I was the odd duck out. I didn’t particularly care for Barbie ™, playing dress up, or talking on the phone. I preferred the solitude of staying at home reading, or losing myself in some imaginary world I’ve created. I’d save lives in this world, and travel space in whatever space craft Star Trek ™ inspired at the time. One could say I’ve been blessed with an imagination of sorts; is it any wonder how I became a romance writer? LoL I may have to revisit science fiction down the road.

As I got older, my imagination took flight, and I became interested in things like comic books and role-playing games. There was Tales From The Crypt, and then there was Vampire: The Masquerade. Oh, and I’ve always wanted to collect these, they’re super neat, especially if you aren’t into mainstream pretty dolls. Are you noticing the dark and twisted theme here? I’ve always loved the paranormal and horror aspects that these mediums offered.

But I guess with age, I’ve mellowed out somewhat. Some would say, “Welcome to married life,” but I’m lucky enough to be married to someone who understands and enables my geekiness. These days when I’m in between books, or need to vent or release, I’ll throw in an RPG on the Xbox ™ and go to town. My favorite go to games now, are The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, The Witcher, Alice: The Madness Returns, or Mass Effect. I guess it really all depends on the mood I’m in. All the above-mentioned games IMHO have great world building, and the graphics for all of them are great. Although, my husband would attest that the new BioShock game—Infinite—totally kicks ass, but we’ll see about that.

So what do you do for a release? I’m always on the hunt for a new game to try out, do you have any recommendations?