Introduce yourself and your credits.
Armand Rosamilia, a New Jersey boy
currently living in sunny Florida. I'm into horror, heavy metal,
zombies and steampunk. I have over 40 releases to date and hope to
keep adding to them and people keep buying and reading my work.
When did you start writing and how
long was it before you were published?
I started writing when I was eleven or
twelve, but it was all rubbish. I got semi-serious in my early
twenties and had a short story or two published, but
not for any real money. I started my
own mag, Black Moon Magazine, in the mid-90's and it lasted a few
issues and a few years.
Tell us about your latest book and
what inspired it.
My very latest work is actually not a
zombie book. "Bones. Death. Cenote" is a three-story
release set in South America, featuring an unnamed reporter who finds
himself
in strange and occult settings. The
first story I wrote with him was featured in the Skeletal Remains
anthology,and then I wrote the next two because I thought he had
more to say about his adventures.
What genre do you write in, if any?
How do you feel about the genre, the future of it, and the authors in
it?
I write horror (mostly). Most of my
latest books are in the zombie subgenre, and I've written non-fiction
heavy metal books, a thriller/horror novella... I try to simply
write and then classify it later. I
think horror is a strong but smaller community, and their are some
outstanding authors putting out quality books in it, and the fanbase for horror is great. Fans of zombie
stories are a small but rabid group as well.
I read three or four books a week via
my Kindle. I have to read at least an hour before I can sleep,
sometimes two. I read horror, but I will read anything that sounds interesting. Right now I'm reading the
four books released by a local author, Tim Baker, and loving them so
far. It's a thriller set in St. Augustine, Florida (where, coincidentally, my "Dying Days"
zombie books are set), and his writing is topnotch. I hope he puts
out more of these thrillride releases.
Is writing pleasure or work for you?
Pleasure. To read along as a character
does something unexpected or tells you what they want to do is
amazing. When the story is flowing, and you finish that chapter, and can't wait to start the next one and
see what happens is pure joy.
If you had to exchange your writing
life with another writer, who would that writer be and why?
I wish I was as prolific as Scott
Nicholson, and had the respect he garnered over the years. People
consider him a horror writer, but he is so much more. he dabbles
in and out of genres (sometimes within
the samestory!) that it's hard to pigeonhole him into one thing. And
he's a great writer, always willing to help others with
writing, answers questions, and seems
like a great guy. I hope to meet him someday and personally thank him
for all he's done for me, whether he knows it or not. I'm such a fanboy, lol...
How do your friends and family cope
knowing you have such dark thoughts?
They're used to me. One of the first
times Kim and I dated we were standing on this balcony overlooking
Daytona Beach, the waves crashing and kids playing in the surf, blue skies and sailboats... in my mind,
creatures were creeping from the water and ripping people apart. She
thought I was nuts when I told her, and wasn't surprised when a scene like that showed up in a
zombie story a couple years later.
How supportive is your spouse and
your family?
Supportive within reason. I have a very
addictive personality, so when I jump into something it's 110% and I
don't care about anything else. When I'm writing I want to be left alone. Completely. I can be a jerk
at times (most times) and it's trying for others in my life. I have
kids, and I know I sometimes ignore them when I'm in the zone for six straight hours. It's stressful,
plus I hate doing housework, so I get yelled at a lot like I'm on of
the kids.
What inspires you? Or triggers a
story idea?
Anything and everything. I could be
reading a story about satanists and an idea will pop up about a
motorcycle gang for no reason. I file the thought in my head and if it was good enough it will come back to
me later. People in line in Walmart make me laugh and give me some
good characters. I'll tell Kim all the time that these people will be in the next zombie book.
What has been the most
difficult/painful/surreal story to write, and why?
Years ago I wrote an unpublished short
story based on my uncle Armand. He was my father's brother, and made
some mistakes in his life. He was a Vietnam Veteran and got hooked on drugs and was an alcoholic
who left his family and moved to Las Vegas, where he lived for years
as a pit boss in a casino until he died. I wrote a story about him as he died that night and one of
his Vietnam buddies was there as a ghost to walk him through his
life. It was emotional. I wrote it for me and never to be published, but it is a great story.
How do you see the story in your
mind as it's created? Is it like making a plan, seeing a mental
movie, or do you just write down what the voices in your head tell
you?
When it's working, I see it like a
movie and it flows. Sometimes a certain look to it, like a scene,
will emerge. Then I know I'm onto something.
Now that traditional publishing vs
digital publishing has taken really different turns lately, how do
you feel about authors going the small press or traditonal publishing
route over the digital route? Indie or Traditional for you or both
and why?
I think each author has their own
goals, and we all now have the means to do it, which is great. I've
never been one of those writers who wanted a huge contract, book
tours, awards, and all that. Call me stupid,
but I just wanted to write. Digital publishing gave me the means to
release my work, when I wanted, how I wanted, and let people judge my work and see if they wanted to read
more of it. So far, most people want to read more of it. But authors
who sign with traditional publishers are following their dreams and their own paths, and I applaud
them.
What's the best book you ever read?
As a kid (eleven or twelve) Phantoms
from Dean Koontz scared me, especially the beginning. As I got older,
an author named Phil Rickman (Curfew, December, Candlenight) was amazing. I just started talking on
goodreads to another person who was a huge Rickman fan, and that was
neat.
Who are your influences in
literature?
I grew up on Koontz (not King too
much), R.E. Howard, and a ton of dog-eared paperback horror books my
mom read and let me read.
Do you feel traditional publishing
may become a niche? Is digital publishing going to reach a bubble
stage that could burst, much to the detriment of authors?
There's always a ceiling. With the
changes in the last year and a half, who knows what the next year or
even six months will have for us? Amazon could pull out a completely
new game-changer again. I don't think
traditional publishing will ever go away, but it needs to change to
survive. So far I don't see it.
What is your education and job,
other than writing?
High school diploma, did amazing on my
SAT's and then... nothing. I wasted my intelligence, I was a slacker
who just got by instead of getting straight A's and doing something. I had a change to go to
Seton Hall University but opted for the easier community college
instead. I got bored and dropped out, never to return. Instead I took a twenty year journey into the horrors
of retail. My last job was as a retail store manager. When that ended
in September 2011 I decided to take a serious shot at writing full-time. So far it's the best
job I ever had, but it doesn't pay as much!
Do you ever, like Truman Capote
confessed doing, take from real life, friends, and family situations
or characters to use in your fiction? If so, do you tell them or keep
it secret?
I take and let them know. I've written
several people into the "Dying Days" series, I even have an
indigogo setup right now where, for a donation to me, you become a character in the next book. I think
it's fun, it helps with fresh ideas, and people get a kick out of
seeing themselves in these situations.
Do you belong to any writer's
organizations? If so, which ones, and how do you feel about
professional organizations?
I belong to a loose collective known as
Florida Horror Writers. We don't have meetings, dues or anything, we
just help one another out on facebook, if anyone has a book signing, or stuff like that. Jeff Strand,
Richard Lee Byers, and Bruce Boston are the better-known members. We
used to gather at Florida conventions just to chat, but never organized. Hopefully this summer
something can get put together, even a picnic and we can all sit and
chat.
Do you think networking on social
sites has helped your career and sales?
Tremendously. Twitter has been a great
thing for me, with so many readers retweeting my posts and my blog
(http://armandrosamilia.com) getting hits all day. Facebook is fun but it's more casual, so I tend to
meet people there and if they really want to buy a book or learn more
about me, I push them to Twitter or the blog.
What is the hardest thing you've
ever had to do concerning your work as a writer?
I had a publisher like my novel but
want a complete change in the second act of it. He wanted a rewrite
in five days. 25,000 words. I did it but it wasn't fun with such
a crazy deadline. And the book is still
sitting on his desk four months later.
What/who do you read for pleasure?
I read anything and everything I can
get my hands on. I'm a big believer in reading other indie author's
works and reviewing it and helping the community grow.
I love pointing out new author's I've
found and helping them out, and hoping they do the same.
Writing fiction is important to all
authors, but how much does it mean to you? If there were no outlets
for fiction of any kind, how would that feel? If for some reason you
could not write anymore, what would you do instead?
Writing is a huge part of my life. I
get antsy when I'm not writing or at least jotting down notes. I
can't imagine not writing. I always have several ideas and stories in
my head at the same time, and need to get them
out.
What three things should our world
have that would make it a better place?
More book readers, more tolerance/less
racism, and everyone should have a pair of comfortable shoes.
BONES. DEATH. CENOTE.
HIGHWAY TO HELL
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