Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
R.J. Romero is my pen name as an independent author living my creative dreams in San Francisco, California. I have written creatively since high school, working in a wide range that includes poetry, horror, and other stories that blur the boundary between reality and possibility.
When not writing, I am Rita Romero, an award winning visual artist. I feel that the unique combination of being both a writer and a painter infuses my literary work with an uncommon artistic approach to conjure vivid images that lend both literal and symbolic meanings to my writing.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title is “An Untimely Frost”, which is set in the aftermath of World War I. Being kind of a history nerd, I was watching a lot of programs on WWI and the atrocities that were committed. Actually, this story began as a short story for the collection of short stories that I am working on, but it took on a life of its own, as did my first book “The Space Between Walls”. Some stories take a lot longer to tell it properly.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Does murdering my characters count? Since I am both a visual artist and a writer, I have found that I must focus only one creative endeavor at a time. If I am writing, I can’t even think about painting and vice-versa. When I am focused on writing, it becomes an obsession to get the darned thing written until it’s finished.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Without question, Anne Rice, H.P. Lovecraft, and Edgar Allen Poe have influenced me the most in sparking my imagination, as well as inspiring me to be a writer.
What are you working on now?
Actually, it’s the same project that spawned my two books. I am working on a unique collection of short stories that I have been developing since I was in my high school creative writing class.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot of books!! That’s the only way you can learn how good authors work their magic. I can definitely say that writing is not as easy as everyone thinks. You have to have a large vocabulary, know grammar, and be creative in how you use language. Use an editor service or at least have someone competent proof your work! It’s also important to get honest opinions about your writing, not just from your mom or friends who don’t want to hurt your feelings. You don’t want to publish something only to be embarrassed by really bad reviews that trash your work. Most of all, keep working on sharpening your craft.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just do it!
What are you reading now?
Lethal Birds by Gene O’Neill.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, since I finally have the time and opportunity to commit heinous crimes through literature, I suppose I have no choice but to keep writing stories until I run out of ideas
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Interview With The Vampire, The Collected Works of Edgar Allen Poe, and the Necronomicon. Sense a theme here?
Author Websites and Profiles
R.J. Romero Website
R.J. Romero Amazon Profile
R.J. Romero’s Social Media Links
Pinterest Account