Over at The Millions I did an interview with Daniel Olivas where I discuss THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU. I also talk about Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, pictured here. Altamirano was a writer who created what is considered the first modern Mexican novel. "The other thing is that I was not just looking at Wells—I was also very interested in the work of Ignacio Manuel Altamirano and his 1869 novel Clemencia. This is what might have been termed a “sentimental” novel, a mix between historical and romance. Altamirano wanted to create a new type of national literature, one that was in some sense free of foreign influence. Ironically, Clemencia is very much influenced by Dickens, Scott, and French literature—the book even opens with epigraphs by E.T.A Hoffmann. Still, Altamirano and other Latin American writers were trying to create a different kind of book at this time, something that blends European Romanticism with Latin American specificities. I was looking back at Altamirano as much as I was looking at Wells when I was considering how to build this book. That is why Clemencia is mentioned in the book."