Q&A with Midnight Oil Anthology author, D.A. Roach
- Inquiring minds want to know what makes you tick. Tell us about your life.
I grew up in the Midwest, lived in Chicagoland area, Michigan, Texas, and settled in Indiana. I’ve tried several careers, thankfully my outgoing personality, creativity, adaptability, and smarts have helped me explore various fields. I enjoy reading, watching hockey and tennis, going to concerts, writing, and drawing. Life hasn’t always been easy, in fact, my road seems to have more bumps than most, but it makes for an interesting life!
- What was your life like before you became a writer, and how did you get your start as an author?
I have always been a story teller. Most of my tales were about real things that had happened in my life. I never considered writing the stories down, figuring they weren’t interesting enough for anyone to read about. But my dental hygienist asked why we were traveling to Tennessee for vacation and of course…there was a story behind it. When I finished telling the tale, she set down her instruments and said, “You have to write that down – write it in a book, it needs to be told!” So I gave it a try…never intended on writing more than that one story, but people started writing me via facebook messenger, asking me for more…and so I wrote again and here I am, 7 standalones and 8 anthologies later, I’m a USA Today Bestselling Author!
- Tell us about your writing process. Are you a pantser, a plotter, or something else?
I write out a rough plot, like the story summed up in 10 handwritten pages (pen and paper only to allow me the speed needed to get the ideas out). Then I build my characters, finding an image online, naming them, giving them a history…I also need to decide how they will change throughout the story and what plot points need to happen to cause those changes to happen. Once all of that is done, I powerup the laptop and begin writing. The first draft is always a bit of a mess, but then I read it through and polish it…then off to the editor it goes.
- Do you have a favorite writing project or a book that still haunts your dreams that you would like to share?
Honestly, one of my favorite writing projects was penning my first short horror story, Anesthesia in the 13, an Anthology of Horror and Dark Fiction collection. I am a huge horror fan but have never attempted to write it before and it was a challenge…a rewarding challenge. I learned a lot about varying your style and length of sentence to create tension.
- Tell us a little about your story in the Midnight Oil Anthology.
Joe King approached me and asked if I wanted to pen a tale of deception for the Anthology. I jumped at the chance to contribute to the project. Bent Bottom’s is about a relationship that has changed over time, with one partner wilting under the other’s dominance. When love has shifted into something else, it forces you to consider whether to stay in that kind of relationship or look for something different…perhaps something better.
- Do you have works in progress?
YES! I’m working on wrapping up my Demon Hunters series!
- What are your plans for your next book?
My next book is a reworking of Tethered and Inconsequential of the J+P series. It’s a YA drama and there will be at least 4 books.
- Do you have an especially interesting research experience to share?
Just my exciting google searches, like “ways to kill someone with an elevator”.
- How to you stay in touch with your muse?
My muse is on my street team. She says the craziest things and challenges me to include them in my writing. We chat on fb messenger since she lives in Colorado. We have never met but I feel like she’s like my sister. I love her to death.
- What do you think has contributed the most to your writing style?
Probably my reading – I enjoy reading character rich books so I try to write books and stories that focus on the characters and how they change.
- How can readers follow you online?
WEBPAGE: https://daroachfiction.com/
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/DARoachDA/
AMAZON AUTHOR PG: http://www.amazon.com/author/daroach
BOOK BUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/d-a-roach