Written Author Interview
- Tell me about yourself. What do you like to do outside of writing? What is a day in the life like for you?
I’m a dad of three adult children with Autism and ADD. I’ve been married for almost 30 years to the most beautiful woman in the world. And I work for a city government in their IT department. My day usually consists of drinking coffee and slaying the demons in computer software. As someone who also has a couple of chronic illnesses (mental and physical), I also live a life on the edge, never being certain how well I’m going to be able to function from day to day. And through it all, somehow I manage to write, post to social media, create podcasts, and occasionally work on other hobbies.
2. What inspired your first novel? What was the thing that got you into writing in the first place?
As a Christian, at that point in my life (18 years ago), I was reading a TON of Christian fiction. I imagined myself as the next Frank Peretti. I have also enjoyed military and fantasy fiction all my life. So, I created Archangel, a novel about an ex-Army sniper who could see demons, like you do. Around that time, I was listening to a lot of podcast fiction and had acquaintances who became friends who were podcasting novels. This was a fresh idea back then. They inspired me to write and to podcast. I’d been writing short stories before, but only semi-seriously.
3. How do you come up with characters? Are they spontaneous or meticulously planned?
I pull characters from people I know or pastiches of characters in my favorite stories (usually a mashup of a few different characters). Sometimes, they just appear in my head. If they are main characters or just important characters and it’s a novel, I will meticulously plan them to minute detail. I’ve even started creating D&D style character sheets for them.
4. What are some of your favorite genres to read? Are there any books you’d recommend to first time readers or people looking for something new?
Horror for sure is my top fave. I recommend anything by Robbie Dorman, Scott Sigler, or Paul E. Cooley. I’m also a big fan of space opera and steampunk. I read pretty broadly. Mikel Melwasul has written an excellent urban fantasy novel.
5. What’s the most difficult thing about being a writer?
Marketing, definitely. Getting the word out about your stuff, whether you’re indie published like I am or traditionally published, like I hope to one day be, is a matter of constant hustling.
6. What is your process to completing a novel from outline to final product?
I use some variation of the Snowflake model for all of my large projects. It’s free for people to use. And it starts small, with a single sentence, and gradually builds to be as granular as you want to get. The point of it is to finish with a complete outline of all of your scenes and an in-depth knowledge of your major characters.
7. What’s the most unhinged thing you’ve written in your novel? Don’t worry, we don’t judge here.
Dang. Where to start? It might be cannibalism. Or it could be having a disabled girl finding all the members of her family dead from a hemorrhagic fever and having to find out how far the disease spread. Or a boy that changes into a spider-human hybrid and uses his pet arachnids to kill his father. One of those.
8. What’s one thing about being a writer that absolutely drives you up the wall?
People DM-ing me to sell me services I don’t need or want. Just out of the blue. At least buy me dinner first.
9. What does being a successful writer look like for you? What type of life do you want to live as a writer?
I’ve met some of my success goals; getting my book onto bookshelves, doing readings and book signings, having AMAZING audiobooks created, and having fan fiction written. Money, not even necessarily enough to live a life of avarice, would be nice. Just a solid mid-list author would be good for me. There’s less pressure there.
10. Describe your writing journey. If you had to write a story centered around it, do you think you could pull it off?
There have been quite a few ups and downs. I’ve gone through dry periods where I didn’t write a word. I’ve made and lost friends. I’ve collaborated with some amazingly talented people. I’ve been proud of every word I’ve written, taking into account wherever I was in my journey at the time. I’ve been jealous of others; success, but I try not to let it get to me. Overall, if I never published another word, I’d be happy with the legacy I left. And yes, I could write that story, but there would be… embellishments. Everyone loves a good monster story.
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About
Scott Roche is an author, podcaster, and publisher. His work has been published in a number of anthologies. He’s available for birthday parties, bar-mitzvahs, quinceaneras, and anywhere else cake is served. A Christian and an avid fan of horror, he believes that there is beauty to be found everywhere.
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