Rick Gualtieri is the indie writer of The Tome of Bill series
starring Bill Ryder: programmer, gamer geek, and hopeless dweeb. Bill also
happens to be a vampire. With three books already published in the series, Rick
is hard at work on the fourth. Let’s get to know a little more about Rick…
Q: How long have you been writing and when did you decide to
indie publish? What was the biggest hurdle in going it alone?
A: I’ve been writing short stories ever since High School, so
that’s nothing new; however, I didn’t decide to actually pursue it until about
2 years back. That’s about the time I noticed a lot of new authors available
for Amazon’s Kindle and realized that many were self-published. My reasoning
behind choosing it was simple: it was a chance for me to see if I had/have what
it takes to make it as a writer.
As for hurdles, the biggest issue in going it alone was in
having to figure out everything on my own as I went...meaning I made a lot of
stupid mistakes. Heck, I’m probably still making them. Regardless, I’ve learned
a lot about this business via trial by fire and believe I’m a far better person
because of it. I also think it has helped improve my craft considerably.
Q: You’ve published three books in The Tome of Bill series. Can
you explain the idea behind the series? Where did the inspiration come from?
A: I have always loved horror comedy...Ghostbusters, Army of
Darkness, you name it. It’s a genre that, when done right, works well together.
There are a lot of horror novels out there with some funny scenes, but very few
that put an equal emphasis on the humor. My goal was to fix that...create a
world where the laughs lived along with the screams.
As for inspiration, well let’s just say that Bill
and his friends have their various origins in a lot of people I know.
Q: Tell us more about Bill. Who he is and how has he progressed
over the series?
A: Bill is a twenty-something year old geek. He works as a
programmer, likes games, and has friends of similar caliber. Outside of his own
circle, though, he’s kind of socially awkward, a situation not helped by the
fact that he’s basically a smart-ass.
He’s definitely matured as the series has progressed, but
not too much (and probably not as much as some of my readers would prefer). It
is a humor series after all and part of the fun is in his cluelessness. That
being said, he’ll definitely be maturing a bit more in book 4.
Q: Can you tell us about Bill’s love interests?
A: Bill is hopelessly in love with Sheila, a girl from his workplace.
He’s somehow convinced himself that she’s his soul mate. Unfortunately, this
has completely psyched him out with regards to her...often resulting in him
being far braver facing down the forces of darkness than he is talking to her. As
for her, while she’s definitely fond of him, so far it’s unclear if she’s ever
going to reciprocate his fanatical feelings.
Q: You’re currently working on the fourth Bill book. When is
its expected release date? Also how many books do you envision in the series?
A: Holier Than Thou, the Tome of Bill part 4, is in final
editing as we speak...or type. I’m hoping to have it out by the end of March,
but ultimately the answer is “when it’s ready”.
I envision about 7 to 10 books in the series. I definitely
have a finite ending in mind, although it’s always possible there may be some extra
tie-in stories. Someone suggested to me a book about James, a 600 year old
vampire and one of the regulars in the series, might be fun. I tend to agree.
Q: In 2012, you published the horror adventure, Bigfoot Hunters. Can you explain the book’s premise and the main character Harrison?
A: The book’s premise is basically your typical horror movie
fare...teenagers being hunted by a monster, with a few fun twists thrown in to
change things up a bit. I’m not a big fan of horror where everyone plays the
victim. I like when it’s a standoff of hero vs. villain, and Bigfoot Hunters definitely
plays to that.
Harrison Kent
is, I’d say, your classic hero. He’s brave and caring, but still human in that
he has fears and doubts. That being said, I like to think of Bigfoot Hunters as more of an ensemble piece. Harrison
is one of the main characters, but not the only one. There are definitely a few
surprises in store for the reader there.
Q: What drew you to horror as a genre? Do you plan to branch
out to other genres as your career progresses?
A: I am a huge Crytozoology nerd. Bigfoot Hunters started out
as a movie script, basically my answer to all of the lousy Sasquatch movies that
the SyFy channel seems to like replaying. Eventually, though, I realized it had
a better chance of finding an audience as a novel.
As for genres, I pretty much write whatever comes to mind. I’m
already in another genre under a pen name.
I have little doubt I’ll try my hand at others in the future.
Q: How do you come up with the names for your characters?
A: You know, I never really thought about that. It’s mostly a
spur of the moment type thing for me. One minute nothing...the next, their name
is just there on the paper (or screen). I typically go with my gut on these
things, usually the first thing I come up with.
Q: Chicken or the egg question. Do you create a character and
build around him/her? Or do you imagine a concept and create characters which
fit the idea?
A: Both. In Bigfoot Hunters, most of the characters came first.
In the Bill series, it’s the opposite way around. I had no idea two of the main
characters in Scary Dead Things (the Tome of Bill part 2) would even exist when I first started
that book.
Q: How do you avoid writing a Mary Sue or Marty Stu when most
writers can’t help falling desperately in love with their creations?
A: One lesson I learned from my days as a programmer: don’t
fall in love with your own work. With regards to the Bill series, I figured the best way to
do it was to off myself in the series. If you pay attention, early on there’s a
victim that kind of fits my physical description. I don’t name him or anything,
but in my mind that’s me. So technically I don’t even exist anymore in his
world.
I also try to take a Quentin Tarrantino approach...any
character could die at any given time, even ones I like a lot.
Q: Do you use anything to inspire you while you’re writing?
Music, visual aids, etc? Also have you found ideas come to you more freely in
particular places or at certain times of the day?
A: I don’t really have any visual aids, and I like to write in
silence. I will say, though, that my best ideas seem to pop into my head in the
AM when I’m shaving. No idea why. Maybe the buzzing of my electric razor
jostles my brain or something.
Q: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or
plot it out first?
A: With regards to comedy, it’s all about spontaneity. If I
have to plot it out, then chances are it’s not funny. Horror, though, requires
plotting.
Q: When you read less than fawning reviews, how do you know
when to use the critique to improve your future writing and when do you chalk
up the criticism as different strokes for different folks?
A: I like to look for trends...I.e. is more than one person
listing something as an issue. If so, then chances are it’s a potential problem.
There’s also context. Is it a character issue, a plot issue, or an actual
editing issue? There’s also the matter of whether something is purposely done
in the book. Bad language is a good example. The Bill books contain a lot of
four letter words and I market them as “foul mouthed horror comedy”. As a
result, I have to accept that it will probably offend some people simply
because they’ll have different tastes on the matter.
Either way, I try to never get upset with someone who was
cool enough to give me a chance. If it works out, that’s awesome. If not, then
I am at least thankful to have had the opportunity to be on their Kindle, Nook
etc.
Q: I’ve read criticism from particular bloggers (Fangs for the Fantasy being one) about the lack of people of color and different sexual
orientations in fantasy and similar genres. Do you take this lack of diversity
into consideration when creating plots and characters?
A: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I won’t shoehorn in a
character just to add some diversity. It has to make sense. I also tend to go
light on some of my characters’ physical descriptions, leaving them to the
imagination.
Q: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books
top out at around the same lengths?
A: I find most of my novels end up in the 80-100k word range. This
isn’t really a purposeful decision. It just ends up that way probably because I
find it a pretty good length for a book.
Q: How big a deal is writer’s block for you and what do you do
to shake it off?
A: Not too big of a deal. I find if I hit a roadblock, that’s
usually the universe’s way of telling me I’m done for the day. Usually clearing
my mind and getting a good night’s sleep will cure that. Worst case scenario is
I’ll work on another portion of the book or on another project until my
subconscious figures out a way around the issue.
Q: What books did you enjoy most in 2012?
A: I was a bit disappointed in 2012. Some of the traditional
authors I normally enjoy had so-so novels come out in 2012. I think my favorite
reads for 2012 was the Cassidy Jones series by Elise Stokes. It’s a YA superhero
series and is very well written. Quite enjoyable...and that says a lot coming
from someone who typically sticks to gruesome horror.
Q: What trends do you hope die in 2013? Are there any you hope
take off?
A: What I hope to see die is the rash of unprofessionalism in
the writing field. Too many writers are gaming the system, buying reviews, and
just outright treating their readers like garbage. I can’t stand that type of
behavior. Personally I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities that exist
for independent authors today, but it’s exactly that...an opportunity, not a
right, and it irks me to no end to see people abuse that privilege.
Q: What are your plans for 2013 as an indie writer?
A: Rinse and repeat. I’ll be releasing my 8th book shortly. My
plans for this year are to release a 9th and 10th as well...same for next year.
I’m here to write books, improve my craft, and have a little bit of fun while
I’m doing so. I’m not really sure I see a need to change that formula anytime
soon. ;
Find Rick's books at Amazon.
Rick Gualtieri is the indie writer of The Tome of Bill
series starring Bill Ryder: programmer, gamer geek, and hopeless dweeb. Bill
also happens to be a vampire. We learned this week about how Rick created Bill
and his Bigfoot Hunters book. Now, let’s get to know a little more about Rick…
