The ironic thing about doing all this is that I’m naturally predisposed toward keeping a low profile (which, with a name like Ulises, wasn’t exactly easy to do growing up). And yet here I am, an author, now having to run around telling people how great my book is so that they take pity on me and buy a copy! Dear gods, I even had to get a URL with my name in it. Who would have guessed…So what do I do?

Writing
I know you probably wouldn’t have guessed this, but I write. A lot. I’ve been writing since I was in high school, but Solstice is my first published novel and my first real step into “serious” fiction (my ‘first’ novel having been an Anime fanfic that I will never again talk about ^_^). While I tend to gravitate toward writing about the end of the world and similarly uplifting themes, I also enjoy writing comedy.

In fact, my next novel, Inventing Vazquez, is a comedic satire about Latino/as in the film industry. Which, coming on the heels of Solstice, should be plenty fun to market...

“From the author of Solstice, the post-apocalyptic sensation of 2007 [not really], comes…a lighthearted comedy about a mousy Latina working for a major film studio!”

And if that isn’t bad enough, I’m already several chapters into my next next novel, The Mourning Syndrome, which is another fun-filled, happy story…about the end of the world.

I try not to worry too much about the fact that I have nearly schizophrenic writing tendencies. Writing is my life. It’s something I do not because I want to be famous or rich or because I’m so full of myself I just have to tell everyone about it! ^_^ I write because it’s what I enjoy doing, and because I like being able to have a voice about things that are important to me.

Music
I love music. In fact, I won’t write a word without some music playing on my headphones. My tastes have been described as eclectic. Mostly because I’ll have playlists that include Death Metal, Japanese Pop/Rock, alternative, indie rock, Chinese classical music, Lao dance music, cumbia, and Mexican trios.

I’ve been writing music for the past year, taking advantage of a brief stint I had as bassist with a local Detroit punk band in 2007 (and an even briefer stint with a blues band named Big B and the Magic Bullets, although technically we’re just on hiatus now) to write my own songs. I’m primarily a bassist, but I also play rhythm guitar and drums. In fact, considering how quickly I’ve picked up the drums (I bought my long-belated first set in January of 08), I think that’s the instrument I should probably have been playing in the first place. Oh well.

Art
Since I clearly don’t have enough to keep myself busy with, I also like to draw. My style is Anime-esque, but I draw as a way of bringing my characters to life. It’s easier for me to write my stories if I have a sense of what my characters actually look like. Please stop by the café if you’d like to meet some of my leading ladies.

So what else is there?
I was born and raised in New York City, and I now reside in Michigan, because, well, it makes natural geographic sense to move from NYC to Michigan. Given my affinity for cold weather and snow, I guess it’s equally fitting that I’ve lived in NYC, Buffalo, and now Michigan. I’m a first-generation Mexican-American, which is very important to me as a writer, and certainly influences the type of stories I tell, as well as how I choose to tell them.

I did my undergraduate work at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and my graduate work at the University of Michigan. My writing, and its deeply post-colonial slant, was inspired by the teachings of both schools, so I’m particularly proud of my alma maters, and grateful to all my former professors and mentors.

Want to drop a line?
I always welcome constructive criticism or general thoughts about my writing. If you'd like to drop me a line, my e-mail address is silvaul [at] yahoo.com.