Meet Alan Udai Dalloul Dalul

We recently connected with Alan Udai Dalloul Dalul and have shared our conversation below.

Alan Udai, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I was 12 years old when artist and art critic Ofelia Soto visited our home to meet with my dad. She saw me writing in the computer, just chatting and talking with friends and told me “Oh my, you write so fast! You should be a writer!” I never once before thought about it, but she encouraged me to write a short story, something simple, so I decided to give it a try and wrote something. She liked a lot, and for years I worked on different stories, poems, and ideas that I would share with her for feedback. In writing, I found solace, refuge, haven, hope, and a calling to express myself, help others, and give a voice to those who haven’t found theirs.
When I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull, I knew I wanted to be a writer. When I read La Emperatriz de los Etéreos, I knew I wanted to do fantasy. And when I read Twilight, I knew I wanted to work with romance and paranormal elements as well.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m focusing on my career as a writer right now.

A few months ago, I started reediting the books I’ve published so far and translating them into English, with the main project being “Reflections”, the first book in a queer, dark fantasy, fairy tale retelling trilogy; this one started 10 years ago, and it almost got published. Almost! But I decided to pull it out and resign from the contract for several reasons. Now I’m polishing it again, making sure it is everything I’ve ever dreamed it would be, so I can submit it again. Now, there is a non-fiction book coming with Moon Books called “Pagan Portals – Venezuelan Folklore” on December 10, and I’m equally nervous, excited, scared, and proud of it!

Even though I love entertainment, and I believe books should be entertaining, I also believe in elevating voices, sharing experiences, talking about social issues, and that’s what I aim to do with my books. Reflections is a reflection (pun intended) of my experiences with depression, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, and suicidal thoughts. Venezuelan Folklore is the result of several years writing as a columnist on the topic, sharing the cultural heritage of being born and raised in Venezuela within a Syrian family.

On the side, I’m also a professional witch and a case manager, but my heart and my voice have always been in the letters.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Ever since I can remember, I was interested in folklore and legends. My mom is a lover of all things Egypt, and so I learned a lot of the myths and cosmology. I then rotated towards the Celts, then the Greeks, then Venezuela, and now I’m exploring Syria and the world of fairy tales.

However, learning about mental health was also fundamental for me. Discovering more about my autism, about Asperger’s Syndrome, more specifically, has allowed me to explore those issues in both my fiction and non-fiction writing. Topics such as bullying, depression, anxiety, self-harming, and similar shave also been a strong base for me to work on.

And this one should be an obvious one, but writing has been the most helpful. Not only that, but also discovering myself as a writer. There has been such a big discussion about the fear towards the blank page, writer’s block, strategies, timelines, schedules, that I inevitably internalized those ideas and started to struggle. A lot. A couple of years ago, however, I realized that I never once had any problems when I was younger, and got rid of those beliefs. Now I just sit down and start writing. I can edit, plan, and revisit, but I have never again suffered from a block or struggled to find the ideas.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I have always loved the idea of working with someone else to create something new! I am extremely protective of the ideas I get on my own, but brainstorming and doing something completely new with another person sounds amazing to me, especially when it comes to comic books and graphic novels. Working a social commentary project with fantasy and horror elements, with Arab characters, queer characters, senior characters, black characters, and so on, would be a dream come true! My email and social media are always open to comments, ideas, feedback, and anything else people want to share.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All photographs are mine.
The red book covers were done by Christopher Freeman. @qafwarlock on Instagram
Cover of Venezuelan Folklore is from Moon Books.

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Is the public version of you the real you?

We all think we’re being real—whether in public or in private—but the deeper challenge is

Highlighter Series
Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?

We asked some of the most interesting entrepreneurs and creatives to open up about recent

Highlighter Series
Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?

We have had the good fortunate of connecting with Nobel Laureates, titans of industry, rockstars