Happy Horrorween!

Is this an awesome cover or what? And just in time for Halloween! I'm pleased to have Robert Ropars join me on the blog today. He's the author of DARK BITES: Four Tales of Horror. We're sitting here nibbbling on skull cookies and sipping rummed-up apple cider. Robert, welcome!

Thanks, Susan. These skulls are delicious.

Here, have another and tell us how many books you've written.

I have published seven books since 2008.  These include two books of poetry, Carriage Returns in 2008 and Romantic Confessions in 2009, a four-part ebook series in 2010, including Windy City of the Dead, Like Cats and Dogs, The Red Planet, and 848, and these latter four I subsequently published as a collection called Dark Bites:  Four Tales of Horror in December 2010.

Ah, I see.

What books or authors have influenced you, Robert?

A wide variety of authors including (but certainly not limited to) Stephen King, Tim Powers, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lloyd Alexander, J.R.R. Tolkein, Neil Gaiman, Len Deighton, Robert Ludlum, etc.

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

The reaction/comments from so many people all over the world has been gratifying and encouraging.  It further fuels my desire to write and publish many more stories.

Tell us  more about Dark Bites.

After publishing two books of poetry, I sought to return to fiction, which I had previously pursued within the context of short stories.  I had researched ebooks and deciding to get going again, I felt that doing a series of shorter stories/novellas that I could then combine into a collected volume made a lot of sense.  This book contains four stories of horror with strong female protagonists.  Though they can be read on their own, they interlock in a variety of ways creating a larger world.  The women face zombies, werewolves, vampires, ghosts and the scariest monster of all-a sexual predator.  I wanted to explore these classic horror genre themes with a fresh eye creating a new look at old stories.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Dark Bites:  Four Tales of Horror is available in print via Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/dp/145361494X  and http://www.createspace.com/3459434 as well as ebook for Kindle  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004G8R0NM, and Nook  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-bites-robert-ropars/1100216190 , Kobo http://kobobooks.com/ebook/Dark-Bites-Four-Tales-Horror/book-hY4_yOhEc0uMUX7htv2vNg/page1.html , and iPad   http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-bites-four-tales-horror/id411645082?mt=11  via those individual etailers and Smashwords.com http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32178.

Boert, ...?

Whoa, Susan! I think you've had too much rummed cider. LOL.

Ahem, perhaps. Let me try that again. Were any of your books more challenging than others?

The Dark Bites series was definitely more of a challenge than the two books of poetry.  The first was a collection of poetry I had already written over a twenty-year period.  The second book of poetry was new poems and haiku written in 2009, but they were a labor of love and not a prolonged endeavor.  With Dark Bites I was creating a four-part series with stories that needed to stand on their own as well as work as a cohesive whole.

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

The challenge was to be prudent about how much/often characters and locations appeared in each story (if at all).  In other words, I wanted to ensure that any crossovers mattered and weren’t just included to artificially link unrelated stories.

How do you develop characters?

Once I have my story idea in place, the characters come to me and I mentally draw out their lifestyle, interests, tastes and name.  It’s a bit like inventing someone I’d really like to meet, have tea/coffee with and hopefully end up long-term friends with.

How do you choose your setting?

Living in the Chicago area since 1986, and loving the area as I do, I never felt that my stories would take place anywhere else.  However, I wrote the stories in such a way that if they were to be adapted for film for example, if needed they could be transplanted to London, Paris, San Francisco, etc. with only minor tweaking.

What are your protagonists' strengths? Flaws?

All four women are strong, intelligent, and largely self-sufficient.  I wanted to write the kinds of strong heroines I enjoy reading or seeing in movies.  I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from women who’ve read the stories and appreciated the main characters’ strength and courage. 

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

I’m currently putting the finishing touches on a new horror ebook Dead Woman’s Curve which should be available right about now.  I have at least three or four horror and thriller stories outlined ready to write.  I am planning to constantly push my boundaries and comfort zones and try other genres including western and romance.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

I Tweet a LOT so definitely consider following me on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/robertropars ).  I have a Facebook account ( http://www.facebook.com/robertropars ), but rarely use it (feel more in tune with Twitter I guess).  I blog occasionally, not often enough. ( http://robertropars.wordpress.com/ ).  In addition, I have author pages on both Smashwords.com ( http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/robertropars ) and Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Ropars/e/B004FRP8CY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 )

Grab another cookie, Robert, and have great success with your books. Maybe we can connect on Twitter and Facebook.

I'd like that, Susan. Thanks again, and a Happy Horrorween to everyone out there!

4 Crime Stories in 4 Minutes

Benjamin Sobieck is my guest today. Welcome, Ben. Please tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks, Susan. I’m an online editor/journalist by day, journalist/online editor by night and crime fiction author when I should be sleeping. At this pace, I should be incoherent by 40.

How did you get into crime fiction?

I work in non-fiction 40 hours a week. You need a break from typing reality sometimes. I’ve keyed the word “recently” so much, I forget what it means. I just throw it into what I’m doing, because it must be in there somewhere.

I got into crime fiction back when I was a cub newspaper reporter. I covered crime and government - sometimes both at once. Since I already enjoyed creative writing, crime fiction seemed like a good fit. It let me analyze the screwball degenerates I was encountering.

So crime fiction allows you to explore crime itself?

Deep down, we’re all criminals. Save for your family and friends, the rest of the world can die on a vine so long as our basic needs are met. That means putting your neighbor on a pitchfork rotisserie to feed your family.

But most people don’t do that. The fabric of society partitions “people” from “animals fighting over food.” Most stay on the former, but criminals are in tune with the latter.

That’s why crime fiction is so appealing. It allows readers to reconnect with that primal instinct without killing someone. Unless they’re looking for inspiration. But psychopaths usually stick to literature.

Crime fiction readers are killers?

Absolutely. If released into the wild, they would put the Mongol hordes to shame.

Okay, you're really stepping on my tender toes now. LOL. I've be trying to hide that instinct.

I can only hope to distract their bloodlust for a few pages. I’m a humble author. It’s the best I can do.

How would you describe your style of writing?

I like incorporating experimental concepts into what I create. But not in a gimmicky or “Look what I can do, ma!” kind of way. The experimental twist is much more subtle. It isn’t obvious the way it hits you. When it does, you’ll probably say, “That was pretty cool,” not “This author is a douche.”

What experimental crime fiction have you put out recently?

Recently. There’s that word again! Agghh, I’m off to join the Mongol hordes.

Sorry:-|

As of late (that’s better), I put together an anthology of four flash fiction pieces published previously online. It’s called 4 Killer Crime Stories in 4 Minutes. It’s available as an ebook on my website (http://www.benjaminsobieck.webs.com), Smashwords, Scribd and some other online retailers that aren’t set up as of this interview.

The collection is actually a benefit. For me. Before you say, “Don’t all books benefit the author?” allow me to explain. I received a kidney transplant earlier this year. It saved my life, for which I’m forever grateful. But the pills and procedures necessary to keep me going put me in a tough spot, especially since this economy isn’t helping my wife find work.

It’s like this. Proceeds from 4 Killer Crime Stories in 4 Minutes go toward drugs I need to keep my kidney healthy. Readers get the bonus of good juju with their crime fiction.

Outside of that, my debut crime novel, Cleansing Eden, will be published June 15, 2011, by Shadow Line Press. That seems light years away for this anxious author.

Where can people find out more about you?

My website is http://www.benjaminsobieck.webs.com. I highly recommend it as a time waster at work. I worked hard to make it that way.

And since you’re already wasting time at work on Facebook and Twitter, I’m on there, too. Plus, CrimeSpace and Book Town.

Anything else you’d like to add?

To prevent young Timmy from killing again, I had no choice but to include his letter in 4 Killer Crime Stories in 4 Minutes. The Midwest can sleep in peace again tonight.