Author Bio:
I am the author of the novels Patches of Grey and Matters of Convenience, along with the novella Feeding the Squirrels. Currently I am working on my third novel (working title is Brothers) and am also approaching the publication date (Fall or early Winter of 2020) for my debut children’s book. With the target audience for The Absolutely Amazing Adventures of Ava Appelsawse being
7 – 10 year olds, it is a significant departure from my previous writing. This book, which is the first in a planned series, is a collaborative effort with my talented wife Erin who provides the illustrations. Anthologies that house my short stories include Proverbs for the People, Role Call, The Game: Short Stories About the Life, Prose to be Read Aloud and Forever Travels. My blog
A Line A Day often features content about literary matters and the publishing world, and just as often delves into other areas of interest. I am also trying my hand at being a booktuber. At Roy’s Book Reviews on YouTube I can be found sharing my thoughts about various novels, and recorded readings of children’s books are also featured there.
What inspires you to write?
I have been writing since my early teens and inspiration of course came from great books. The earliest novels I read after graduating from chapter books written for children were Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. By the time I was done with them I had decided that coming up with stories of my own for the entertainment of others was what I wanted to do with my life some day. I have been writing steadily ever since, whether it be in the form of novels, novella, short stories, freelance articles or think pieces written for my blog.
Inspiration for my work in progress (a novel with the working title Brothers) came from recent headlines that fall under the banner of the Black Lives Matter movement. I wanted to write about policing and the thin line between operating by the book and misconduct. I wanted to write about the gun control debate. And about the correlation between mental imbalance and violence. And about the accelerative effect that social media can have on the impact and resolution of events which garner a great deal of attention, even if it is fleeting attention as we quickly move from one tragedy to the next. With these topics in mind I came up with a story that has allowed me to explore their conflicting sides.
I am also near ready (Fall or early Winter 2020 release date is planned) to publish my debut children's book – The Absolutely Amazing Adventures of Ava Appelsase. My talented wife Erin is the illustrator. Inspiration for it came from our daughter, and for what I saw as a need to diversify the children's literature landscape.
Tell us about your writing process.
Up until the novel I'm working on now, I have been a plotter. In addition to coming up with the overall story arc I would create
chapter outlines. This is a useful tool as it informs me on what to write as I get started on each chapter. But this time around I am
trying out a different approach. Rather than chapters it is broken up into sections of varying lengths. The order in which the scenes
are being written is not necessarily the order that they will appear in the final draft. They can be moved around later as I see fit
since the story is not being told to the reader or written by me in chronological order. I decide what a scene will be about and write it. I may have no idea what will happen in the following scene until I get around to writing it. I know how it is all going to end, but the journey to get there is definitely being taken by the seat of my pants. This way of writing, being such a departure from how I have written in the past, has been both challenging and liberating.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I would say that my characters talk through me, and I through them. I don't quite sit down for a chat with them. The writing process (or my particular process anyway) is similar to what an actor goes through when preparing to inhabit a character for a performance. I try to immerse myself in the head space of the character, yet also need to maintain distance as the omnipotent, omniscient author who is setting the scene with strategic intent. Simultaneously being the creator and the created is a fascinating tightrope to walk.
Who are your favorite authors?
Pretty much anything by Toni Morrison. Same for Gabriel García Márquez. Many books by John Irving and Philip Roth and Richard Ford and Richard Russo and Tom Robbins. I loved The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz and The Life and Loves of a She-Devil by Fay Weldon and Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. The more I think about this question the more answers I will come with. I have no doubt inadvertently left some amazing authors and books out.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I am a self-published/Indie author when it comes to my novels. And the plan for The Absolutely Amazing Adventures of Ava
Appelsawse is also to publish it myself. I have not decided yet which avenue I will choose to pursue once my third novel is ready.
That bridge will be crossed when I get to it. It's a book by book process. Self publishing gives me control over the timetable that I would not otherwise enjoy, but of course there are various advantages to having a major publishing house behind you that I would not mind experiencing in the future.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
As long as people are born with the urge to be storytellers, they will need a vehicle to get their works out into the world. So the future of book publishing should be a long one even as it is affected by various detrimental factors. Perhaps the Big 5 will shrink even further, or maybe it will be expanded by a new player. Self publishing will surely continue to flourish even if the majority of individual authors are making less than a fortune from it. In some regards print and electronic books are competing with each other, but I have never believed that e-books would cause print to go extinct. Once the initial excitement over deciding whether to go with the Kindle or the Nook or some other platform dwindled down, I expected e-book sales to stabilize and for print to have a resurgence and for a balance to be established in which there is a place for both of them. Audio books have also developed a strong following so I am looking for the best way for me to enter that market.
What genres do you write?
Literary fiction, upmarket commercial fiction, New Adult, Children's
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Roy L. Pickering Jr. Home Page Link
Follow Roy L. Pickering Jr. On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
