Darryl Mallard

I was born in Colorado but grew up in Connecticut. I've been drawing my whole life, but I didn't begin writing until 2007. Growing up I dreamed of illustrating books and comics. Unfortunately, like all too many young people, I fooled around and got sidetracked, so that didn't happen.

In my novels I've drawn from many things I've personally enjoyed in my life. Namely, art, martial arts, and even history.

Social and environmental issues feature strongly in my Mutant Saga series. The old story of natives having to deal with prudish invaders trying to force their cultures, politics, and religions on them is played out here as well. I was able to really have fun with this series. Racial discrimination is replaced by specie discrimination. Illegal genetic experimentation, genetic engineering, and slavery are a big part of this series. As is the cultures and natures of the mutants birthed because of them. Gender issues are fun and appear often as well. Female ruled societies are not perfect and in some ways just as bad as male dominated ones. Men learn that certain situations are more fun when fantasized about than actually living in them. There's a lot of action, humor, and sex in these stories.

The Harada series. Why Japan?

1. I didn't want to be seen as a black author who only wrote for and about black people. I wanted to write stories black people and everyone else could enjoy... and I wanted it to be unique.

2. I like the culture.

3. Black people are in the series. Indeed, they appear more and more in each book and are soon major characters. The Dellroys are even the focus of the final book with the Japanese relatives now in the reverse situation of secondary players.

Book one of the series, One Foolish Mistake, is about adultery, blackmail, and people following their baser instincts... and paying the price for it. A lot of people have that 'Inner Freak' that even they don't know about. And all they need is the right circumstances, and (in this case) wrong person to bring it out. There is a lot of sex in the book because the book is about sex. None of the other books are that explicit because the focus of them are now on other things. There's still sex, but sex is not what the books are mostly about.

One of the things people asked me was why couldn't I give the characters English names? No, I'm serious. Because they had trouble with some of the name pronunciation they felt the stories would have been easier for them to read if the names were in English, even though pronunciations were given in the books. The best way to address this without sounding rude is by the example of the story of Aladdin. That story actually takes place in China. EVERYONE in that story (except one) is Chinese. No one thinks of China when thinking of Aladdin. Every movie and cartoon ever made of this story, with one very recent exception, is located in the Middle East. Everyone looks Arab. Why? Shahrazad, the Arab woman who wrote Aladdin had clearly heard of China, but NEVER been to China. She didn't know a thing about Chinese culture, much less Chinese names. So, she gave everyone Arab names (like Aladdin) and everyone today thinks 'Arab' and 'Arabia' when Aladdin comes up.

Now, I am by no means an expert on Japanese culture. There are people who've lived in Japan for decades and they just barely understand the culture. However, I think most of you will agree that giving Japanese people IN Japan English names is stupid!

As for the black characters in the novels, I stayed as far away from the usual stereotypes as possible. And I made sure they were the kind of people who wouldn't tolerate anyone trying to BE one of those stereotypes in their family! I threw the drug gangster crap right out of the window. Just because a black man has money, power, and is dangerous enough to enforce the moral values of his family (not to mention wage war against gangsters) doesn't mean that this money and power comes from drugs or had roots from this source... or any other illegal source. If you're curious about that, read the books. The Dellroys first appear in book two of the series, Family, Fools, and Folly.

Anyway, writing is another form of art, and like painting and drawing, people will spend a lifetime perfecting it if they really love it. I'm just happy knowing people are reading and (hopefully) enjoying my work. Every cover of my Mutant Saga series except one was illustrated by me, by the way.

Again, I hope all my friends out there enjoy my work. Of course I can't please everyone, but if you like my stories please leave a review. You can also follow and contact me on Facebook and Twitter. Oh, if anyone has left a review and it hasn't been posted you can send an Email to community-help@amazon.com.

Thanks and good reading.