Annie's Book Stop of Worcester

 

Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester is happy to shine our Friday Author spotlight on Armand Rosamilia, a – hold on – he’ll tell you himself!

Honestly, I am the sexiest and handsomest and… oh, wait. Honestly? I’m Armand Rosamilia, a crime thriller and horror author.  A New Jersey boy now living in Florida, where he couldn’t be happier. I write full-time and actually make a living from doing it! I’m also a podcaster, and really good-looking and…

Where can people find your work? (Besides Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester –though they should totally check here first!)

I’m on Amazon with everyone else. You can also find me on all the normal social media spots like Facebook (as Author Armand Rosamilia) and Twitter (as ArmandAuthor) and my website, https://armandrosamilia.com

How can we follow your work and share your awesomeness?

My Twitter account is the most active. I love chatting with everyone and have built up a huge following over the years by just being me and having fun doing it. Of course, you could argue I should be writing.

For readers unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe what you write?  What can readers expect from Ogromny?

I’ve been at this for thirty years. Good and bad. I hope I’m getting better… I mostly write horror stories, which is my first love. In the past few years I’ve dabbled in other genres like contemporary fiction, supernatural thrillers and crime thrillers. Even though I’ve written less and less true horror books in the last couple of years, I know I’ll never abandon the genre completely. Unless someone offers me big, big bucks to write sappy romances or Hallmark Channel movies.

My latest release is Ogromny, a kaiju book released by Severed Press. It’s a giant rock monster from Russia who walks across the ocean and through San Francisco and Alcatraz. Chaos and destruction ensue.

What was the inspiration for Ogromny? What were the steps you took to bring it from initial inspiration to the finished book?

I’ve always loved monster movies like Godzilla and King Kong. Huge creatures stepping on cities. I had the idea in the back of my head for awhile but when I saw Severed Press had opened for submissions, I sat down and wrote it. I had to do a lot of research for it, like the distance from the coast of Russia to San Fran and how long a monster would take if it was really slow. Plus researching the areas it is set in like obstacles, etc.

What is your favorite part of being a writer?  Of the whole writing and publishing process?  What do you think has been your greatest lesson in the journey thus far?

I really enjoy being able to work without having pants on. I guess if I was a stripper or adult film star, or maybe a basketball player I could also work without pants on. In the thirty years I’ve been lucky enough to write and be published to varied success, the business has changed so much. Especially in the last few years. I love to write and promote and see if I can keep up with the young kids. I think I need to keep learning and listening to the writers coming up to make sure I don’t miss anything. I might be a slow learner but I get there eventually. And then something changes…

What piece of advice would you want to share with other writers?

Read. Everything you can get your hands on. Not just in your favorite genre, either. Read other genres and pay attention to the characters, the plot threads, the beats to the story. How does it differ from the beats in the genre you write? I also love reading a lot of nonfiction. You can get some great plots and characters from them, and these are real people with real motivations and quirks.

What else can we expect from you in the near future?

Hopefully a lot more books. I have several novels, anthology releases and novellas coming out in the next year or so. I am always busy writing and promoting, and I’m blessed to be able to work with a great many different publishers as well as still dabble in self-publishing, too. I don’t like to put all my eggs in one basket. I actually prefer my eggs scrambled with a few strips of bacon.

What is/are your passions when you’re not writing? How do you make time for your non-writing hobbies/things you love?

I am a huge baseball fan (go Red Sox!) and even in the offseason I’m constantly reading about rumors and player movement. I have always loved baseball, even though I grew up in NJ and root for the Bosox, to the chagrin of most of my family.

What does your writing space look like? What do you need to have around you while writing or editing?

Controlled chaos? I have an office in the front of our house, so I can stare out the window and wait for the Amazon delivery guy each day. We order a lot of things. Over the years I’ve amassed quite the collection of items for my office from fans and family. Lots of zombie things. Marvel comics stuff. Several dozen Funko Pops. A ton of books, mostly signed by the authors. Promo material to send out to fans. Lots of coffee cups, too. People like giving me coffee cups.

What has been your favorite adventure during your writing career?

The ability to travel so much each year, like driving up to Haverhill for the Merrimack Valley Book Festival to meet potential new fans, and then heading to New Jersey for a book signing in a Barnes & Noble the next day. We travel quite a bit each year up and down the East Coast doing signings. It’s great to be able to sample local eateries (we ignore the chains when possible) and see how other people live.

While you’re writing, do you prefer music, silence, other? Please elaborate!

Silence drives me nuts. I need noise in the background when I write. I used to sit in a café and write each day and the background noise of the radio, customers and people in and out was relaxing. When I’m at home in my office I need music playing in the background, but it needs to be songs I’ve heard a million times so I don’t dwell on them. The worst things are when people talk to me while I’m working or a song I don’t know is on. Or I’m out of coffee.

Do you have any favorite foods or drinks that must be in the vicinity (or must be avoided) while you’re writing or editing a piece of work?

As you can tell from my author photo, I am in perfect shape… if you like round. I drink a lot of coffee each day. I mean… a lot. I’m also a big fan of chocolate, especially M&M’s. My desk and filing cabinet are always packed with junk food, and there is always a cup of coffee within easy reach.

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy writing (and travel) schedule to answer our questions, Armand!