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Hey, everyone! I'd love for you to meet a fantastic new author to the LGBT world! This is the handsome Rob Browatzke, hailing from Alberta, Canada! He's the author of several fabulous up & coming LGBT novels including my personal favorites, the ones centered around his stunning new version of Alice In Wonderland! Titled: Wonderland & Through The Mirror Ball, you seriously MUST check these books out! He also has two other novels out: Parallel Lives & The Holey Bible..Head to Amazon to find his work, today! Rob took a little bit of time to sit down with us & answer a few questions! I hope you'll enjoy his little Q&A! :)
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1) Why did you decide to start writing?
Who knows! I have been writing since I learned to pick up a pencil. Telling stories is what I always wanted to do. It wasn't a choice really. As I've aged, I've learned to appreciate the beauty of the words themselves and like to think I have a flair for stringing them together. Writing has pulled me out of darkness, distracted me from pain, and helped me fly. If my stories do for readers one-tenth of what they've done for me, I'll be happy.
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1) Why did you decide to start writing?
Who knows! I have been writing since I learned to pick up a pencil. Telling stories is what I always wanted to do. It wasn't a choice really. As I've aged, I've learned to appreciate the beauty of the words themselves and like to think I have a flair for stringing them together. Writing has pulled me out of darkness, distracted me from pain, and helped me fly. If my stories do for readers one-tenth of what they've done for me, I'll be happy.
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2) Do you think authors can succeed in multiple genres or should they stick with a single genre?
Authors should write what they feel passionate about. Just as your reading tastes evolve over time, so too does what you want to write.
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3) What do you feel is the biggest reward to you with writing?
There are so many. It's creation, right? It's immortality. It's giving the voices in your head flesh and blood (well, ink and page anyway). Being able to share those voices and their story with other people? That's pretty awesome. "It's why cavemen drew on walls". But the best part is the part where THEY take over the story. Where I just become an extension of their will, their wants, and the characters practically take physical form. Where even I as the writer don't know what happens next.
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4) Who are some of your favorite authors & why?
My favourite book of all time is probably Hugo's Les Miserables; it never ceases to inspire me with its beauty. I adore Christopher Rice's works (he's one of those authors that successfully jumped genre). Armistead Maupin has an exquisite mastery of language, blending drama, comedy, and heart. And I love to escape into a good epic fantasy (Tolkien, Rowling, Martin, pre-Sanderson Wheel of Time). I also have an immediate love of any Oz, Wonderland, or Neverland stories; most recently that has found me devouring Dorothy Must Die and the prequels by Danielle Paige.
Authors should write what they feel passionate about. Just as your reading tastes evolve over time, so too does what you want to write.
~~~
3) What do you feel is the biggest reward to you with writing?
There are so many. It's creation, right? It's immortality. It's giving the voices in your head flesh and blood (well, ink and page anyway). Being able to share those voices and their story with other people? That's pretty awesome. "It's why cavemen drew on walls". But the best part is the part where THEY take over the story. Where I just become an extension of their will, their wants, and the characters practically take physical form. Where even I as the writer don't know what happens next.
~~~
4) Who are some of your favorite authors & why?
My favourite book of all time is probably Hugo's Les Miserables; it never ceases to inspire me with its beauty. I adore Christopher Rice's works (he's one of those authors that successfully jumped genre). Armistead Maupin has an exquisite mastery of language, blending drama, comedy, and heart. And I love to escape into a good epic fantasy (Tolkien, Rowling, Martin, pre-Sanderson Wheel of Time). I also have an immediate love of any Oz, Wonderland, or Neverland stories; most recently that has found me devouring Dorothy Must Die and the prequels by Danielle Paige.
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5) What are the biggest hurdles to overcome as an author?
It's so easy to procrastinate. You can be writing away and OOH SOMETHING SHINY and next thing you know you've been on Facebook for twelve hours and not written a damn thing. And reviews. That is my new hurdle. A bad review can be a hard thing to overcome, but as emotionally devastating as they are, they aren't why we do what we do. We write for ourselves, and for the people who will enjoy it. Not every story will please everyone.
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6) Is there any advice that you can offer for new writers?
Write. Write often. Read. Read often. Don't be bound by rules of grammar and structure (but do keep in mind it has to be readable). Be true to your characters and their story; you might have an idea about where things are headed but if you find they go somewhere else, don't force them back to your path - let them live. It will create something more real, and readers will respond.
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7) Tell us a few random personal things about yourself, personal & professional!
I've worked the gay nightclub scene in Edmonton Alberta for fifteen+ years (So like fifty years in gay men years). I am four+ years clean and sober from drugs and alcohol. I'm an avid journalier, and have been since 1993 (no, there's no plans to publish those... yet)
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~~~CLICK HERE TO FIND ROB ON FACEBOOK~~~
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~~~CLICK HERE TO FIND ROB ON FACEBOOK~~~
