Bobby Nash returns

 

Bobby Nash has been on the blog before and it's a pleasure to have him back.

Bobby, welcome back. You've been busy since last we spoke. Please give readers a brief bio and tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

Susan, it's always great to visit your blog. 

Readers might be surprised to learn that I started out wanting to be a comic book artist, not a writer. The writing came about because I started writing stories for myself to draw. Eventually, I realized I was a much better writer than artist and started to focus my efforts on writing.

Here’s my bio:

From his secret lair in the wilds of Bethlehem, Georgia, Bobby Nash writes. A multitasker, Bobby is certain that he doesn’t suffer from ADD, but instead he... ooh, shiny.

When he finally manages to put fingers to the keyboard, Bobby writes novels (Evil Ways; Fantastix; Deadly Games!), comic books (Fuzzy Bunnies From Hell; Demonslayer; Domino Lady vs. The Mummy; Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot”), short prose (A Fistful of Legends; Full Throttle Space Tales: Space Sirens; Green Hornet Case Files; Tales of The Rook; Zombies vs. Robots), novellas (Lance Star: Sky Ranger; Ravenwood: Stepson of Mystery; Nightbeat; Blackthorn: Thunder on Mars), graphic novels (Yin Yang; I Am Googol: The Great Invasion; Bloody Olde Englund), and even a little pulp fiction (Domino Lady; Secret Agent X; The Avenger; The Spider) just for good measure.  And despite what his brother says, Bobby swears he is not addicted to buying DVD box sets and can quit anytime he wants to. Really.

When not writing fiction, Bobby attends conventions and writers conferences, promotes his books, teaches writing courses and panels, and is a part-time extra in movies and television. Bobby is also the co-host of the weekly Earth Station One podcast (www.esopodcast.com) and writes for New Pulp (www.newpulpfiction.com) and All Pulp (http://allpulp.blogspot.com) news sites.

For more information on Bobby Nash please visit him at www.bobbynash.com, www.facebook.com/bobbyenash, www.twitter.com/bobbynash, www.lance-star.com, and http://BEN-Books.blogspot.com among other places across the web.

How many books have you written?

 14 published Short Stories/Anthologies
 29 finished and in the hands of editors awaiting publication
 3 published novels
 2 finished and in the hands of editors awaiting publication
29 published Comic Books/Graphic Novels
6 finished and in the hands of editors awaiting publication

Of course, this doesn’t take into account the projects that are in process and not yet completed.

ARE YOU SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME?

Holy crap! I didn’t expect this number to be quite this high.

I'm almost afraid to ask you to give a short synop of each book.

With there being 83 stories to choose from I will save you some space and point you toward www.bobbynash.com where there is information on most of these projects available. Some have not yet been announced by the publisher officially, even though they are completed so those are still hush-hush at the moment.

Whew! Thanks. My blog can't handle all of that:-)

How do you motivate your protagonist—with fear, desire, both or something else?

It varies depending on the book, the theme, and the characters. There is not a specific motivating factor that I use all the time.

What elements are important to include in your plot?

The most important element for me is well-rounded characters. If I have defined the character and he or she feels real to me then all I have to do is insert them into the story and follow the character’s reactions to the plot. Cohesiveness is also important. I want to make sure the plot holds together. I hope it makes sense to the readers.

How do you make certain that you’ve included all necessary elements in the book? Do you use specific techniques like maps or timelines?

Sometimes. I have been known to make notes and graphs, especially if there is a mystery involved so I can track the clues I’ve placed throughout the story. I’m fortunate that I’m somehow able to keep the plots straight in my head. Not sure how I do it, but I do. For the shorter works I usually put a brief plot in the manuscript so it is easily accessible as I go along, leaving little notes, hints, character names, etc. so they are there if needed.

What sets your books apart from others?

I’d like to think that I have a unique voice that makes my books stand out. I have been told by people who have met me in person that they can hear my voice in their head when reading the story. I don’t try to emulate any particular style of storytelling. I write the story the way that I would like to read it. Fortunately for me my readers and publishers seem to like my style.

Are all of them available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes. All of my books are available in print (although some have gone out of print at this time). Most, but not all are available digitally. I am working with various publishers to get more of the books out there for electronic devices. Hopefully, that will happen. You can check the digital edition tab at
www.bobbynash.com to see which books are available as ebooks.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

There is a moment when writing where suddenly everything makes perfect sense and you get into the writing zone. It’s almost like a literary epiphany and the words just flow out of you as if a creative dam has burst. I love that feeling.

Me too, Bobby.

One of the most rewarding moments is when someone comes up to me and wants me to sign a copy of my book for them. Very humbling and flattering.

Yes, indeed, it is.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others? 

Oh, sure. Working on anthologies, I often find myself writing characters that I did not create and might not be as familiar with. As a result, sometimes it is more of a challenge to get into that character’s head than others are so the challenge is to connect with that character and tell a good story. And usually I have to do it quickly to meet the deadline.

When writing, how do you determine when enough is enough?

Usually, it’s based on the word count limit given to me by my publishers. On the novels that I write then shop around I write until the story is done, although I know what publishers are generally looking for length-wise so I try to stick close to that.

Bobby, we all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

Promotion is very important and I spend a good deal of time doing promotional work. I have a website (several, actually) and I try to update them regularly, especially www.bobbynash.com as it gets a good bit of traffic. I also use social media. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, writing forums and message boards, comic book forums, and the like. Wherever I am allowed to post, I do.

Off line I visit stores, make and pass out promotional postcards and flyers, attend conventions, set up book signings and other appearances, and always have copies of my books on hand because you never know when someone will be curious about what you write when you talk to them.

The trick is to balance promotion with other things. I see some writers who only post “Buy My Book” posts. I find myself ignoring those posts. I mix in updates about books I’m reading, what other writer friends are doing, convention, favorite movies and TV shows, etc. in addition to information about my books. Promotion is selling your books and yourself.

Can you tell us your writing goals for 2012 or beyond?

2012 is already shaping up to be a busy year and I have deadlines stacking up around me. So far this year I have 13 short stories/novellas to write, 5 comic books/graphic novels in productions, 5 novels I need to write or finish writing (3 are already in progress), 1 novel that is being re-issued by a new publisher so there will be a small amount of work there, and 1 completed novel that I will be releasing through my publishing imprint, BEN Books so I have to do design and layout work on that. Definitely a busy year.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

You can always find information about me, my books, and my appearances at www.bobbynash.com. I’m also at www.facebook.com/bobbyenash, www.twitter.com/bobbynash, www.lance-star.com, and http://BEN-Books.blogspot.com, www.esopodcast.com, www.newpulpfiction.com, and http://allpulp.blogspot.com on a fairly regular basis.

Well, Bobby, you've probably missed out on at least one book by taking the time to answer these questions, but I'm glad you did. I hope you get all of that done. Continued success with all endeavors.

Thank you, Susan. The same to you.