Interview Ask An Author #36

Ask An Author

Entry posted by Renee Stevens in Author Interviews February 3, 2016

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It's the first Wednesday of the month again (can you believe it's already February?!) which means that it's time for our monthly Ask An Author feature. A big thank you to Dark for their continued contribution to the blog with one of our most popular features. Don't forget, if you have a question you'd like Dark to cover, send a PM! Also, a reminder, the Secret Admirer Short Story contest is tomorrow at 2:00 PM EST!

Ask an Author #36

Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!

In AtA #35, we had questions for authors AC Benus, Aditus, and Mark Arbour.

In AtA #36, we hear from authors Bill W, Robert Rex, and Sasha Distan.
For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.

Our first author today inducts Signature Author Bill W into this blog series. Now Bill has been around awhile, since 2003 actually. Say hello, as Bill often has a different perspective than us younger folk who are still trying to figure things out. He’s graced us with 60-something titles, including a few poems. What with the new GA Stories transfer in 2010-2011 (has it been 5 years already? ), I don’t remember what the earliest of his stories is, but Bill is perhaps best known for his Castaway Hotel series. The first of those is the Grand Reopening, aka Castaway Hotel #1. The Castaway Hotel is an orphanage of sorts, with a jumble of different personalities and backgrounds all trying to get along in life. With Bill’s long interest in politics, it’s interesting to see how that flavoring changes over the course of the different story collections. His most recent story is Tempered by Fate, Sword of Kings #3, and with only a few chapters left, catch up quick to learn Kieran’s fate!

To Bill W: Who is your favourite character from The Castway Hotel and why?

Wow! That's a really tough question, since I'd built an empathy for and felt close to each of the boys. If I had to pick just one, it probably would have to be Ricky. Not only was he the first, but he's a fun loving little imp, even now that he's grown (although some might question if he ever grew up!) Ricky came from a horrible background, but he never lost his upbeat view of life. He always found a way to make me smile and did some really touching things, but his pranks got the entire family going.

Danny would be a close second, and he was actually the second 'new' family member, but now that he's moved back home and is taking over for Josh, he is someone I've come to admire. He also came from a rough situation, but he buckled down and did well academically and now he's using his position to help others in similar circumstances.

If it was who I felt the worst for and would have wanted to help out the most, it would have been Kevin. He seemed to go through one relationship crisis after another, as well as a health scare, so I'm glad everything worked out for him and he ended up doing well.

Next up is also new to the blog: Author Robert Rex. Now in his sixties like Bill, Robert is unstoppable! Robert has been a welcoming voice to new members since his own arrival about a year and a half ago, and he survived another birthday back in November. He’s also from New Orleans and it’s no surprise to me that his interests include food/cooking. Hard to pass up that Cajun cooking down there. Of the three stories Robert has posted here on GA, his most recent is Lion's Lair, which has generated quite the buzz across the community. Congrats, Robert! If you’ve yet to visit, Lion’s Lair is a mature story involving two very down-to-earth (but sexy!) men named Ryan and Clayton. As we’re told in the first chapter, there’s no such thing as an “ex” marine, and Ryan has his work cut out for him adjusting to life in a chair. The story is told in alternating first person, which is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s still a popular format, and the POV of each character is engaging and unique. Fall in love with someone new and go check it out!

To Robert Rex: What is the first thing you decide when you're going to create a new character?

I probably work ass-backwards on this, but I'm most comfortable when the characters are created based on the story theme/plot. (I like to think my writing tells a story--so the character's definition is driven by the plot/story requirements.). I've only once created a character, then built a plot. And introducing a new character in a story is ALWAYS plot driven for me. As a result, the story defines the character's sex, emotions, and physical description (in that order). The emotional makeup of the character is the real driver, beyond sex.

You’ve met him before, Sasha Distan returns to complete our author interviews today. Now, we haven’t seen Sasha in awhile, but at almost 12000 likes, I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping he comes write for us again soon! Sasha describes himself as “part wolf and part African Hunting Dog” but prefers to lick and say hello rather than bite. This youngish Brit is known for his stories involving shape shifters of various kinds, but he’s written other things as well, such as his series American Songbook beginning with Great-Granddaddy's Gun. That one’s a short story revolving around, you guessed it, an old twelve-gauge shotgun. One of my favorites is Six Billion Credit Rent Boy, a sci-fi gem of a tale about … a kitten? Well, no, not literally, but find out more for yourself!

To Sasha Distan: Are you a group of writers rather than an individual?

No. I am just one person, ten fingers, ten toes, and one laptop. My brain might be more than one person, but that's not really in my control. I find this question kind of funny, because for those who know me personally, I have a history of not playing well with others. I lead well, I delegate well, but I'm not so much what you might call a team player. this partly because I have no tact, and I've never been shy about telling people exactly how and why they are wrong. books which are co-authored always confuse me, because I admire other people for their ability to combine their creative outputs, but I don't understand how they can do it.

That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat!

See you next time, with authors albertnothlit, Carlos Hazday, and Julie Hayes and MA Church!

I’m always in the market for new questions! Simply PM me (Dark).

Until next time!
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