Greetings to all of Jon’s readers and friends!
I haven’t been here for a while as something that Jon and I have discovered is the more we write, the more administrative work we have to do, and that stuff piles up! Marketing, website maintenance, newsletters, social media, interviews…it all adds up to a time-consuming schedule. But I have missed everyone here and am very happy to be back for this guest appearance!
Speaking of interviews, I had the opportunity recently to talk to author Steve Ross about his books, his path to publishing, and what makes him tick creatively. This was a really fun conversation, and I thought I’d come over here to share it with y’all. You’ll find Steve’s links at the end of the interview, so be sure to give him a follow on his socials and pick up his books on Amazon!
Let’s start in the beginning! When did you realize you have a talent for writing? What sparked it? All that good initial discovery stuff!
I was an avid reader as a child. I spent much of my time alone in my head, dreaming of other worlds than this. I needed it to escape.
When I was in the fifth grade, I wrote my first actual poem. I can’t remember the wording – my memory of my childhood is spotty at best – but I do recall that it was about the moon, and I referred to it as an “obelisk in the sky.” From there, I would write the occasional poem, but I didn’t start seriously writing again until high school. I had grand visions of becoming a novelist at that time. Unfortunately, I lost focus in my late teens, becoming wrapped up in a life of substance abuse and depression.
I didn’t write again for about a quarter century.
How much writing did you do before you decided to finish and publish a novel? Were there a lot of short stories and partial ideas before Love of the Hunt came along?
In the Spring of 2021, after years of avoiding social media like the plague, through a combination of boredom and dissatisfaction with my life, I decided to start using the Twitter account I had opened several months previously. I quickly discovered the writing community there and decided to try my hand at the various writing prompts. That was the spark. The fuel was the feedback. (One person in particular gave me the confidence, the belief in myself, that I needed. They know who they are.) My passion for words was reborn. From there, I wrote the first short story of my new writing life, a sci-fi/horror entitled “Silicone Sleeper” (it’s currently a free read on my website).
At around the same time, I had an idea for a short story – a dark love story/tragedy where the main characters would be a couple who had been changed – essentially vampires, insatiably hungry, yet retaining some semblance of their humanity and love for one another. It was supposed to be a neat little 6k-12K word story, but it morphed as I began writing into something much larger, eventually becoming Love of the Hunt.
You have a unique blend of genres in what you’ve published so far. Love of the Hunt has a whole horror-post-apocalyptic-sci-fi vibe going on. Would you say that’s accurate? And can readers expect more of this type of writing from you in the future?
It certainly fits neatly into that genre, I would agree. It’s also a dark romance/love story/tragedy. What I hope for more than anything with my writing is to evoke an emotional response. I want them to feel empathy for the characters and their plight. I want them to care.
In addition to your first novel, you also have two published books of poetry—Lines of Light and Night and The Sound of Silent Screams. These works also have your individual stamp of blending various subjects as you cover both love and hate with an erotic twist. Did you set out to become both author and poet? And will we be seeing more published poetry?
As poetry was the first thing I had written, it will always hold a special place in my heart. To be able to bleed my pain/loss/loves/hopes/dreams in a few hopefully impactful lines…to be able to expose my soul to the world and say when I am gone from this world, leaving nothing behind but memories: This was me. I was here. I was me.
I am absolutely planning on releasing more poetry collections in the future.
What are you working on now? Any upcoming release dates?
My current novel WIP stalled about 30K in as I was dealing with some personal issues, but I’m steaming forward with it again, and plan on releasing this summer. Concurrently, as mentioned previously, I am always working on my poetry collections, and have collaborated with another author on a children’s book (I did the illustrations) that we are currently querying.
Along with all of that, I’m co-hosting a podcast (TalkWordy2Me – on Spotify and YouTube) and trying to break into audiobook narration/voice acting.
Speaking of release dates, how do you feel about the world of indie publishing? Is traditional publishing something you considered along the way?
I think that indie publishing will become the norm in the near future – trad publishing is on the way out. Unless a major publishing house is willing to fork over a substantial, life-changing amount of money, why would an author sacrifice creative control/ownership/royalties just in order to be able to say they were traditionally published?
The cons, of course, are that it’s extremely difficult to get noticed amongst the millions upon millions of indie published works. Marketing has been, for me, the most difficult aspect – it doesn’t matter how good you think your book is if no one bothers to buy/read it. It’s something I’m working on, though, and hopefully my work will bear fruit.
We want to know more about you! What would you like to share with your readers about your personal interests, hobbies, and life in general?
Me…hmm, I always hate answering that question – always feels like a bit like self-fellatio, haha! But since you asked nice: I’m a bit of a film buff, particularly 80’s horror – it’s a form of escapism for me. I like open spaces and travel when I can and would love the opportunity someday to see more of the world.
I’ve had a colourful life, ofttimes painful and difficult (as I mentioned earlier, I had a serious substance abuse issue through my 20s), and I’ve had many struggles with clinical depression, but I am, as always, my own work in progress.
Tell us a secret about Steve Ross!
I am good, I am bad. I am smart, I am stupid. I am wise, I am foolish. I am strong, I am weak.
I am all things and nothing. But I am always me.
Also, I’m a wizard. *shhhhhhh*
Steve’s links:
