Author Interview with Gabriele Russo
Today we have Gabriele Russo with us. Let's find out more about Gabriele.
Tell us a few things about yourself that our readers would like to know.
Truth be told, this whole concept is very strange to me; I don’t see why readers would like or care to know anything about little old me. For me, reading was only ever about the story; the only authors I know anything about are those of historical or literary importance… and those who have written autobiographies, of course. I probably couldn’t even give you more than a few tidbits of personal information about Terry Pratchett, and I did my Master’s thesis on the Discworld series.
Which actually does say something about me, and explains why I detest marketing myself above my writing. And yes, I do realize how unfashionable that makes me in today’s world of social media, but I can’t help it.
I guess one thing that does make me a little different from other writers is that I don’t write in my mother tongue. I’m French-Canadian, with a German mother – which perhaps explain my love of the English language, as it is a mixture of both French and German.
Tell us what your books are about.
Ah, now this is more interesting ;) My novels take place in a world that was created by the ancient gods when we stopped believing in them. It’s a well-known fact that gods hate when people do this, so to stop it from happening again, they decided to live amongst the humans. Of course, like every divine solution ever, this had unintended consequences. Forward to our time, most immortals are now stuck working 9 to 5 at Gods Incorporated, a huge multinational that deals in divine services. The first book is about a coup d’état against the CEO, Queen Louhi Pohjola. The second is about a group of fanatical atheists who want to rid the world of gods. In the third one, Yggdrasil, the World Tree that holds reality together, is under attack.
What are your writing plans for the future?
There are so many. Right now, I’m looking for a publisher for the French translation of Incompetent Gods, and applying for teaching positions in Creative Writing at nearby universities. Then there’s this project I’ve had for a while that has kinda fallen by the wayside: a pseudo-autobiography of my father, who was a WWII surgeon who went on to be one of the pioneers of reconstructive surgery. I’ve also been jotting down notes for something totally new, letting the ideas coalesce, if you will. I am hoping for a quiet week to be able to let the story flow out soon.
Any advice you would like to give to aspiring writers?
People believe that being a published author is glamorous, is that true?
Allow me to respond to these two questions with one answer. To aspiring writers – writing is not glamorous, and as a rule you don’t become a successful writer by snapping your fingers.
Always remember that writing is both an art and a craft. The first is all from inside you, but the second needs to be learned. If a University degree in writing is too much investment for you, both in time and money, consider attending classes and workshops (making sure the instructor has those diplomas). When you’ve attended the class and paid for it (writers are notoriously broke, and will lie for money), ask for their honest opinion on your writing, and listen to what they have to say.
Despite what the well-meaning inspirational tweets flooding your feed tell you, not everyone has what it takes to make it.
Sadly, the floods of hopeful new writers have attracted sharks who prey on their dream: the twitter-publicists who sell bot-followers, the Agent-for-Hire or Agent-who-recommends-Editorial-and-Publicity-services-that-clut!-belong-to-him/her, the vanity presses masquerading as hybrid publishers, the conferences that vanish into thin air (no refund), the write-a-bestseller workshop (if they really knew how to do it, they would be writing the bestseller), the buy-an-award awards…
Even if you know how to write, it has now become almost impossible to swim the waters of the publishing world without being sucked in one of these scams. If you don’t, and are not careful, it might end up costing you more than an arm and a leg.
Who is the most supportive of your writing in your family?
My husband and my cousin Jean. The latter is my first reader, and if it weren’t for him and his encouragements, I would have given up long ago. My brothers, who are both writers, weren’t as supportive – they knew what I was getting into. They did give me some good advice, though (see above).
Do you believe attractive book covers help in its sales?
I believe it’s primordial – An amateurish cover screams unprofessional! to me. This is totally unfair (and sometimes untrue), but I instinctively back up in fear of horrors ranging from self-published bad writing to substandard formatting. This being said, many a time I have been lured by a beautiful cover to find the same thing. But the book was bought, so yes, a good cover does boost sales. You can find a very interesting article about covers here: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/?p=24781
Have you ever marketed your own books yourself?
No, and while authors do have to participate in the promotion of their work, I believe marketing should be done by a professional, or at least coordinated by one. There are so many scams out there, you need someone who knows where to send your galley proof for trade reviews that will get your novel into bookstores, and the contacts to get your work considered; which awards will really add value to your cover; and how to spend that precious ad budget for the most effect.
What’s your favorite movie adapted from a book?
I try to never combine the two – I either read the book or watch the movie as I’m usually disappointed by whichever I encounter second. The only exception is the Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy. The movie made me discover that series, and I’ve been hooked on the books ever since.
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Inclement Gods by Gabriele Russo
Book 2: Gods Inc. Series
Fantasy
Fiery Seas Publishing
July 4, 2017
When you live in a world pullulating with gods, can you truly be an atheist? Well, yes…if you know a way to get rid of them. Mysantheos, a fanatic atheist at the head of a powerful lobby/terrorist organization, has created a weapon able to kill gods and his kamikaze army is ready to attack. As the divine bodies pile up, resentment builds at Gods Incorporated and violent factions start pushing for the extermination of the human race, and the CEO/Queen Louhi is running out of ideas to calm them down. Hopefully, her black ops teams are doing better. But will the Nerds and Richard (a down-on-his-luck private eye), saddled as they are with a group of angry gods, manage to find Mysantheos before all hell breaks loose?
About the Author:
Gabriele Russo, AKA Lucie-Gabrielle Jolicoeur-Rousseau, was born in Quebec City amidst a family of book lovers – her father had dreamed of being a writer and both of her brothers are published authors.
Since she earned her Bachelor’s in History, it was no surprise (except to her) that she ended up working in restaurants, eventually owning two, which almost drove her mad. She sold them and was nursed back to pseudo-sanity by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.
That’s when she answered the family calling and decided to write. Armed with her ideas for the Gods Inc. series she went back to the University and got her Master’s in Creative Writing.
She now lives with her husband in Culpeper, Virginia, where she divides her time between painting, ripping apart and reconstructing her recently bought historical home, playing tennis and, of course, writing more books.
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