Zealot Script

I was born in the shadows of the rubber factory smokestacks in Akron, Ohio. Back then, pollution control was unheard of, so I credit the five tire manufacturers in the city for spewing the noxious fumes that no doubt played a pivotal role in the development of my warped sense of humor and equally warped imagination. Thanks, guys!

I’ve always been drawn to the dark, the fantastic, and the just plain weird. As a child, I was forever on the lookout for ways to divorce myself from the dreariness of living in a world where there were no dragons to play with. Today, I’m happy to say not much has changed.

What’s your favourite part of the lifestyle of an Author?

Coming up with story ideas. Being able to daydream and get away with it. In truth, there are stories all around us, every minute of the day. Listen and look around you, catch a snippet of conversation or a sight that piques your interest, and take flight. Or don’t listen and look around you and trip over that toy someone’s spawn carelessly left out on the walkway and fall flat on your face. That’s a story, too. I also love not having to do the daily grind. Being out of the rat race.

What made you start writing?

Honestly, I was bored with what the market had to offer back then. I wanted to read books that made me sit up and take notice. So, I started writing them. Toni Morrison once said, “if there is a book you want to read, and no one has yet written it, then you must write it.” I took that to heart. Thank goodness the market isn’t the same these days. The diversity of books and the authors who wrote them sometimes feels overwhelming. Like a smorgasbord. And as the food keeps coming, my waistline keeps expanding.

Is there an Author that you consider your inspiration?

All authors I read are my inspiration. A twist on the story idea, a turn of phrase that intrigues me. That goes for non-fiction, too. Stephen Hawking, Kip Thorne, Brian Green, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Murray Gell-Mann… Hmm, I think I’m seeing a pattern, here. But my favorite is Edgar Allan Poe. He inspires me to go as far down that dark path as I dare.

What’s your number one tip for an aspiring Author?

If writing is your dream, you feel it in your bones, then don’t give up.

What type of book do you like to read and does this differ from the genre that you prefer to write?

I read in and out of my genres. I say genres because I mix the genres and subgenres sheltered under the umbrella of speculative fiction. Mysteries and thrillers. I don’t discriminate. Except romance. Don’t read a lot of that. Unless it’s erotica or dark.

Which one of your characters would you most like to spend time with?

All. I love all my children equally.

Which book do you consider a must-read?

Just one? Why are you making my life so difficult? I’ll give you two. The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers. An extraordinary story that made me sit up and take notice. The Eight, by Katherine Neville. Another extraordinary story that made me sit up and take notice. Both are complicated and oh, so twisty! Never know what’s coming next. Now that I think about it, authors like those two are inspiration to me, too.

What’s been the hardest edit that you’ve had to make? Why did you want to keep the material in?

None were hard. Sometimes a scene just doesn’t fit the storyline. If I can’t make it work, it has to go and that’s that. But I don’t throw it out. I keep a file of deleted scenes that invariably find their way into another book in one form or another.

If you could live in a book, which one would it be?

Mine, of course. The Underground, specifically. A world very much like our own, where entire communities face marginalization, oppression, persecution, and execution. Yet despite the dangers, there is love, laughter, and pratfalls are inevitable. And aliens. It has aliens, too.

If you could pick an Author to write your biography, who would it be?

Alexander King. An artist and raconteur who lived in the early to mid-20th century. Had an unbelievable life. A bohemian, the kind of life that nowadays, you can have only if you’re very rich. Or an exceptionally skilled criminal. Extraordinary things happened to him. I’d love for him to write it, but I do fear he’d find me incredibly dull.

Is there any conflict between what you want to write and what you think your readers will like?

None at all. I write what I want to read, whatever it turns out to be. Fortunately, there are people out there who want to read what I want to read. They’re not the same audience, though. My audience is fragmented, just like my mind and personality.

What effect can a review have on you, if you read them at all? Both the good and the bad.

It’s always lovely to get a review where the reader enjoyed your work. If the review is not so good, the constructive criticism is appreciated and seriously considered. If the review is of the “you suck!” variety, it goes in the trash and is immediately forgotten. The thing to remember, though, is a reader relates to a book through the lens of their own knowledge and experience. If those are limited with regards to what you write, their feelings are valid but their criticism is not. Another thing to remember is no matter what you write, no matter how brilliant, someone, somewhere, is going to hate it and will have no qualms about saying so.

Can you sum up your life story in ten words or less?

I’m a fugitive from reality. That’s five.

What’s exciting you about your next project?

Completing the last book in my current series. Then on to the next series. Honestly, I have so many books in the pipeline, I hope I live long enough to write them all.

And finally, you have one quote to be remembered by, what is it?

Reality is highly overrated, so dive into your dreams.

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You can find out more about Roxanne and her works on her website or by dropping her an email directly!