The Writing Life with Western/Fantasy Author Thomas Rottinghaus
Thomas
Rottinghaus became fascinated with the written word and the power of
imagination at a very young age, reading virtually everything he could get his
hands on by authors as diverse as Jules Verne, Louis La’Mour, JRR Tolkien and
Stephen King. He went on to study literature and writing at Colorado Mesa University,
formerly known as Mesa State College, before pursuing a career in agribusiness.
His writing blends genres into an entertaining amalgam of fantasy, westerns,
science fiction and adventure. He resides in a small town in Colorado with his
wife, Lisa, a very energetic blue heeler named Jake and a herd of cats.
Check out his book Graywullf:
Book One of the Dragonspawn Trilogy.
INTERVIEW
What’s inside
the mind of a western/fantasy author?
Sand. Heat. Noise. Violence. Sweat. Mix it
all together, add in a larger than life hero or two and a villain who may not
really be so villainous.
What is so great
about being an author?
I can create anything in any world I want.
When do you hate
it?
I hate it when I have to confront the
business aspects and the fact that only a handful of writers actually make
living from writing.
What is a
regular writing day like for you?
There is no regular writing day. I write
when I have time, or when the inspiration hits me.
Do you think
authors have big egos? Do you?
Some do. I don’t
How do you
handle negative reviews?
Send the reviewer hate mail, call in the
middle of the night, egg their house, etc. I’m kidding. I look for something
constructive in a bad review, then forget about it.
How do you
handle positive reviews?
Buy the reviewer dinner with lots of
alcohol, send them cash gifts and cards on holidays. Kidding again. Take it as
encouragement and move on.
What is the
usual response when you tell a new acquaintance that you’re an author?
Disbelief.
Most people find it hard to believe that I can actually read and write.
What do you do on
those days you don’t feel like writing? Do you force it or take a break?
Take a break. I have a “real” job which
requires a great deal of time, so I just step back and walk away from writing
at times.
Any writing
quirks?
Sure, when I really want to get into it I
play AC/DC really loud and just get lost in my story.
What would you
do if people around you didn’t take your writing seriously or see it as a
hobby?
I’ve had people around who see my writing as
a hobby for most of my life. I just kept writing.
Some authors
seem to have a love-hate relationship to writing. Can you relate?
Yes. When everything is flowing smoothly I
love writing. But when I hit a snag, it becomes my enemy.
Do you think
success as an author must be linked to money?
There are only two kinds of success as an
author. Financial and critical. Some are talented enough to be both. But I
would prefer financial.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Graywullf follows the exploits of a band of gunslinging lawmen known as magii’ri Warriors
in a fictitious land called Norland. They must battle evil Wizards, Dragons and
hordes of inhuman enemies to eliminate the corruption in their homeland. But in
the end they must enlist the aid of the Dark Wizard Lynch, who is loyal to no
one but himself.
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