Friday, April 10, 2020

#Friday Author Spotlight Interview with Roy McDowell

If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
New Orleans would be my choice.

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?
The number of hours I put into writing is roughly the same a regular full-time job

How do you come up with names for your characters?
I use the 60,000 Big Book of Baby Names and look for definitions of what the names mean. Though some do just pop into my head, either partially or fully formed.

Give a shout-out to a fellow author.
Clifford Morris, He has taught my sarcastic and ornery self how to be even more sarcastic and ornery.

What is your favorite word, and why?
It would depend on if the word had to be a real-world word or if it could be a fiction word. My favorite real-world word is ironic. Because it is the opposite of appearance.
The fictional word is Zome, it is the Gaioterran word for love. By adding an O or and A and different accents to the original o or e, it defines the type of love. Be it love of a friend, a sibling, a parent, or grand/great parent as well as a lover or mate.

Describe your writing space.
It is best described as Fur-baby central. I have a smallish corner desk with a small hutch and an bigger man office chair. Typically, I have a cat either helping me type, on my lap or on the back of my chair or any combination (I have 3). Plus, a dog laying on the floor behind my chair.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I have written almost two dozen books so far, of them eight have been published in one form or another. Death Inc series and especially Mot’s Diner has become my favorite of the newer books. Of the older books it is The Breed.

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?
It shocked me that when I get into the groove of writing I can put down a large amount of words. I am not talking 180,000 over a two year period, but 80,000 in three weeks and I consider my typing speed as slow.

Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.
In the new stories it has to be Roland and Farnsworth Faustian Darkholme. They are both characters who due to how their souls were born, they are forced to be in places that truly don’t belong. Roland as a child of Death is forced to remain in the realm of the dead, even though he has progressed to the point he should be in heaven. Faust is Roland’s 2nd cousin as the grandson of Lucifer but he is good enough that he deserves to be reincarnated.

Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
Oh, plenty of secrets and hidden nods are all over Mot’s Diner, only a few are inside jokes most are pop-culture or historical references, like who Rome and Julie really are. River and Alice as well.

Does one of your main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
In Death Inc series there is Roland and Farnsworth Faustian Darkholme, both of them are forced to be something that they don’t want to be, simply because of their souls birth. Roland is Death 3rd child and Faust is one of Lucifer’s grandsons. Roland belongs in Heaven and Faust should be reincarnated but both a stuck.

If one of your books was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
Death Inc Series –
Death (Mot) would be Jared Leto (his appearance) with a backup of Adam Lavine (his personality)
Roland would be Daniel Radcliffe (his appearance), with a backup of Dylan O’Brien (his personality).
Lucifer would be Adam Lavine (his look), with a backup of Tom Ellis (his personality and he has already done it).
Farnsworth Faustian Darkholme would be Thomas Brodie-Sangster (his appearance), Dane DaHaan (also for his appearance)
Alice would be Linda Lavine (she already is)
River would be Alex Kingston (she already is).

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
I am working on two projects at present, but they are directly connected. The first is the 2nd book in the Death Inc series, “Return to Mot’s Diner” and the second which I am outlining for the April Camp NaNo is the 3rd book in the series which instead of a diner it is based in a motel.

How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?
I have a folder on OneDrive that is story ideas. I have well over a dozen in the folder.
One that might be interesting is on a nearly similar Earth to our own in which FDR was visited in a hospital years before he began president. His visitors were a group who not only told foretold him about his upcoming political life but warned him about Pearl Harbor. They eventually become a 4th branch of the government, PSION.

What are you reading now?
I am re-reading the Incarnations of Immortality series and Harry Potter series. I also have over 300 books on various subjects which are on my To Be Read list. They are all on my paper white.

What famous author do you wish would be your mentor?
I have three – Steven King, J.K Rowling and Piers Anthony all for different reasons. I have another three that would be backups for my main three.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Read, Harry Potter Fanfiction, regular stories or how-to

What is the best part of your day?
The evening or very early morning after everything else has settled down to sleep.

Would you rather be in a room full of snakes or a room full of spiders?
Snakes, I am scared of spiders.

What is your favorite word?
That depends, if it must be a real-world word or one that is in a story. Real world word would be irony. Story based word would have to Zome, it is the Breed word for love, simply by changing the accent, the portion that is stressed or adding an A or O changes the type of love. One word that can express love for siblings, parents, grand/great parents, friends and lover/mate.

What is your least favorite word?
Can’t and its variants

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
What if? I know I answered a question with a question, but that is what sparks for me, asking, what if?

What turns you off?
My own stubbornness and that of other people.

What is your favorite curse word?
Damn and all its variants.

What sound or noise do you love?
A babbling brook, well any natural sounding water.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Traffic sounds annoy the crap out of me.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Teacher, Minister and/or Councilor. The thing is I studied and am certified to be one of them. I just got burned by the people.

What profession would you not like to do?
The same answer as the previous question.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Something about being loved, otherwise being reincarnated until I did hear it.
~
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