Author Interview: Suspense/Mystery Author Richard Roach

Suspense/Mystery author Richard Roach was born in 1931 in Galveston, Texas. Short stories of his have been published in Man’s Story 2, Happy 2007, Vol. 20 and Bibliophilos 2006, Vol. 42. His first novel, Scattered Leaves, hit the book stores on September 1, ’08, and his second novel, Scattered Money, will be published in 2009. You can visit his website at www.richarderoach.com.

Welcome to The Writer's Life, Richard. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

Yes, thank you for asking. I started writing one foggy night back in 1957. The rig was making a trip (changing the drill bit) and I sat alone in a lab filled with gas detection equipment that was so small you had to turn sideways to enter. I decided to pass the time by writing a western. Since then short stories of mine have been published in Man’s Story 2, Happy 2007 volume 20, page 58, Iconoclast 2006 volume 91, page 73, and Bibliophilos 2006 volume 42, page 54. My first novel, Scattered Leaves, is available on Amazon and other fine book stores. My second novel, Scattered Money, will be published in 2009.

Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

Scattered Leaves is the book currently published and available. The protagonist is Ben McCord. He’s an oilfield worker who comes home to find his wife raped and murdered. McCord is not the brightest penny on hand but he’s long on perseverance. He thinks might is right and his thoughts are simplistic. Protect the women and children and don’t lie. The men are on their own!

Scattered Leaves is a wonderful book combining suspense, mystery and romance. From the descriptive writing, I could visualize the characters and surroundings. You could feel the emotions of the main character Ben - from the loss of his love and really the only family he had to finding her murderer and finding love again. I look forward to reading more of this author's books. Trish Tuesburg

What kind of research was involved in writing Scattered Leaves?

Very little. It came from my imagination.

How much input did you have into the design of your book cover?

Multi-Media listened to my suggestion and designed it.

Has it been a bumpy ride to becoming a published author or has it been pretty well smooth sailing?

The main thing I would say is it takes time. It is difficult to write day after day when you see no results.

For this particular book, how long did it take from the time you signed the contract to its release?

About two years.

Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/is is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

No. I have had two agents but they didn’t sell my work. Yes, I feel all writers need an agent.

Do you plan subsequent books?

SCATTERED MONEY is written and will be published in 2009.

Are you a morning writer or a night writer?

Daytime only.

If money was no object, what would be the first thing you would invest in to promote your book?

Take a full page ad in The New York Times.

How important do you think self-promotion is and in what ways have you been promoting your book offline and online?

I do what Irene Watson tells me to do. You don’t hire someone to promote your book and disobey them.

Any final words of wisdom for those of us who would like to be published?

You must have patience and be willing to work without recognition for months, maybe years.

Thank you for coming, Richard. Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?