Meet the Reader

Hi! Thanks for stopping by!

Allow me to introduce myself:

My name is Dalia Elvira and I’m an NYC girl through and through. 

I started reading at a pretty young age as I’d always seen my mom reading her Daniel Steele novels and Oprah Winfrey books. She’d also encouraged me to read books like “Bodega Dreams” and “Down These Mean Streets” by Latino authors. She’s a very proud Nuyorican and so am I. I also grew very interested in Poetry and she took me to see shows like “Def Poetry Jam” and to the Nuyorican cafe. But the one book she read that really got my attention was “A Child Called It”. I remember being so absolutely destroyed by this book at around age 12 that I wanted MORE. Which led me to reading memoirs about abuse victims and true crime novels. The more disturbing, the “better”. 

During my teenage years, I branched out to reading Urban novels by Zane and Noire which were more on the erotic side. 

I spent a huge amount of time in bookstores as a teen and young adult. There was a Barnes and Noble I used to go to after school and stayed until my mom would pick me up when she got out of work. It was the only BN in the Bronx and unfortunately, it closed down some years ago. But it was my haven. 

Later on, when I got work in the city, I’d stop by BN and borders to browse and read almost everyday.

Now we know I love reading disturbing books, but how did I get into horror books specifically? Well… that’s where my dad comes in. His mother (my grandma) was very into horror and passed that interest along to him, which naturally, he passed along to me. As a little kid, my parents would sit me down in front of the TV with a bowl of shredded cheese, pop in “Nightmare on Elm Street” and I’d be quietly entertained the entire time. I remember family time was us gathering to watch “Tales From The Crypt” and “Tales From The Darkside”. My father took pleasure in pranking and scaring the shit out of us every chance he got. I loved it. Needless to say, horror was the main genre I watched and (still) love today. Side note: my dad is a huge movie buff, so I got exposed to many different genres and some of my favorite movies, ironically, do not all fall into the horror genre.

Couple my interest for the disturbing with my love for horror and that’s how I got here! And I’m so happy to have found a community who shares the same interests as me.

Other things to know about me: 

-Music is also a big part of my life. Both my parents took part in introducing me to all different kinds, so my playlists are often a mix of tunes dating back decades to stuff that’s out now. This includes English as well as Spanish (language) music. 

-I’m a boy mom

-I’m a full time student and employee

-I can’t stand slow drivers and walkers

-I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018 (with treatment and therapy, I am highly functional)

-I love iced coffee (even in the winter)

-I have no patience (it’s an NYC thing)

-The more exclusive and rare something is, the more I want it

Aaaand I love exploring new places and bookstores!

If you’ve come this far - Thanks for taking the time to get to know me a little. 

Until next time,

D. E.