Author Spotlight: Alexandre A. Loch

Introducing author Alexandre A. Loch and his dystopian science fiction novel, Laplatia, Or, The City That Could Not Dream.

How would it be to live in a city where no one was allowed to use his imagination freely? Where dreams and fantasy had to be used for socioeconomic purposes? Laplatia is a dystopian city in the near future where natural resources for the production of electrical power on Earth have been depleted. With increasing chaos due to this shortage, civilization invented the Extractors, machines capable of extracting human imagination and turning it into Fos, electricity's raw material. Consequently, citizens were prohibited to "spend useless thoughts," such as those provided by imagination, dreams, and fantasy, unless they were destined to the Extractors.

In this city, we follow the story of seven characters, their anguishes, their relationships, and their solitude. Laplatia is an erratic story that emotionally moves the reader and urges him to reflect about himself and the society. After all, who said one's thought is free?

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Laplatia is available at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

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About the Author:
Alexandre A. Loch is a psychiatrist who graduated from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, obtaining a PhD degree by studying the stigma of mental illnesses. He also holds a bachelor degree in philosophy, and in 2014, he started his career as a writer. Besides writing, he currently acts as a researcher, having authored many scientific articles published in international journals, and being the associate editor of Frontiers in Public Mental Health.

Alexandre always liked to read. Early in his childhood, he read several best-sellers and classics of international literature. His favorite authors are Hemmingway, Dostoievski, Lee Harper, Virginia Woolf, Jose Saramago, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Alexandre also appreciates contemporary literature in Portuguese and in English.

His first released book, Bile Negra (Black Bile), is an introspective psychological fiction about Iago and his soul's journey through a big city. The book was well received by the Brazilian critic. In 2016, he releases Laplatia (The City that Could Not Dream), by Black Rose Writing (TX, USA).

With a shrill style, the aim of the author is to make people reflect upon the ideas presented in his books. His concept of art, which encompasses the art of writing, includes the idea that books should change people.

"I like to make people think with my fictions. A book should provoke catharsis; induce the reader to reflect about himself, his life, and the society he is living in. For that, I usually use a sharp style that touches directly the reader's soul."

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