Interview With Author Richard R. Becker
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an award-winning author. Two years ago, my short story collection, 50 States, landed on the Amazon bestsellers list for three consecutive months and went on to win the ABR Book Excellence Award, Spring 2022 BookFest Award, and 2023 Book Excellence Award, It was also a finalist in the IAN Book of the Year Awards.
I also put out a ten-story companion to that collection, Ten Threads, last year. This year, I’m thrilled to release my debut novel, which has already received some 5-star reviews.
Aside from writing fiction, I’ve worked as a copywriter, journalist, and strategic communicator for over 30 years and taught marketing classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas between 2000 and 2020. I’ve also contributed to five nonfiction books, mostly related to marketing, public relations, and management.
I’m married with two children. My son recently graduated from college, and my daughter is a senior student-athlete in high school.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut novel is Third Wheel. It’s a story about belonging, betrayal, and breaking away. It’s narrated by 14-year-old protagonist Brady Wilks, a Midwest transplant trying to find his way in Las Vegas in 1982. The odds aren’t in his favor. His family situation is strained. His closest friends are teenage criminals.
While the work is fiction, Brady and I share some life experiences. My family moved to Las Vegas in the 1980s. It was a difficult time for me because I had been raised by my grandparents before being reunited with my mother after she remarried and had my sister. When kids are thrust into difficult situations, they tend to turn toward anyone who will accept them, and passing around a bottle of alcohol is about as low of a bar for acceptance as you can get.
I don’t think I chose this story as my debut novel as much as it chose me. The first chapter was originally published as a short story in Ten Threads.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I was writing short stories, I was mostly a morning writer who liked to sit down at my computer in my home office with a cup of coffee and quiet. I still prefer it that way, but I’ve also found that outlines can be very important in pinning down a plot — even if you abandon the outline along the way. Right. I most certainly will abandon the outline along the way.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My reading is as eclectic as my writing, but my standby influencers remain Earnest Hemingway and John Updike. I’ve always admired their ability to write straight, honest prose about people. Along with them, I’ve taken several online classes with Joyce Carol Oates, Walter Mosley, and David Mamet.
But there are so many other people I could mention. Most recently, I’ve enjoyed Pierce Brown, Fredrick Backman, S.A. Cosby, Joe R. Lansdale, Jandy Nelson, and Haruki Murakami, to name a few.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just started a new novel. The working title is Time Capsule, which some of my readers might remember from 50 States. While most people won’t see it reading that short story, it’s a psychological thriller with a literary fiction bent.
I have a few short stories in progress. One of them will shed more light on the shortest short story that was included in 50 States. And although I see at least two more novels before tackling Brady Wilks again, I would be lying if I said there wasn’t more to that story.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I learned so much from marketing 50 States, I would have to write a book to share it all. Overall, my approach marries a traditional marketing plan with grassroots outreach.
Books are unique in that you have to generate top-down interest like editorial reviews and bottom-up interest like reader reviews at the same time. Everything else works in support of reviews: banners, book trailers, interviews, social networks, book signings, advertising, etc. Many writers don’t know that marketing a book can be more exhausting than writing a book. But you have to do it, whether your book is traditionally published or not. If you only write it, they will not come.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find your own way. The best writers reinforce this idea repeatedly, and I agree with them. What works for one writer doesn’t work for another. So pass on the book-writing formulas, marketing analysis, and the false promises of AI.
The best inspirational sparks will come to you by living your best life. If you are attuned to them and invested enough time in developing some skills, turning them into a flame will be the most rewarding thing in the world.
And then, there is book marketing. Add another six months or a year after you’ve finished your book to plan it all out. You’ll need it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Put your project first. Seriously. Distractions and excuses are the reason most books are never written.
What are you reading now?
I have four books going at any given time: one on my phone, one audiobook, one that I read with my daughter, and one nonfiction I read at lunch. These books generally toggle back and forth between classics, literary fiction, thrillers, mysteries, history, science fiction, romance, fantasy, young adult, and speculative fiction.
Keeping that in mind, my list looks like this at the moment: “Down To A Sunless Sea” by David Graham, “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingslover, “The Winners” by Fredrick Backman, and “Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson.
“Life After Life” is a stand-in for what is normally my non-fiction slot. I was so disappointed in the last non-fiction I read that I needed a break, and “Life After Life” happened to be the book my alumni association was reading.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More and more of my time is spent writing fiction. So, while I still work with several commercial clients, I’m not looking to add any more. The ones I have are amazing, especially because some of my time is spent coaching a high school softball team.
Writing short stories and novels has been the best chapter in my career as a writer. It also allowed me to meet some wonderful people along the way, especially people who share a passion for books. What’s better than that?
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?
Last time I was featured with the Awesome Gang, I think I said “Red Rising” by Pierce Brown, “Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Stand” by Steven King, and “Dune” by Frank Herbert.
Let’s change it up this time. “Rabbit, Run” by John Updike, “I’ll Give You The Sun” by Jandy Nelson, and “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving. “Dune” by Frank Herbert stays on the list. My seventh-grade reading teacher encouraged me to read it and it changed everything.
Author Websites and Profiles
Richard R. Becker Amazon Profile
Richard R. Becker’s Social Media Links