#ThursdayGuest: Marty Roppelt, Author of Mortal Foe @martyroppelt

Marty Roppelt was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His original profession was acting on stage, in local commercials and training films and in film. This means that he has experienced life through a wide variety of day and night jobs, from barista to waiter and bartender to security guard, amongst many others. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Becky, and their eccentric cat, Fritz. Mortal Foe is his debut novel.

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About the Book:

A picture is worth a thousand words… But what if that image can only be seen through the lens of one camera? What is the snapshot can only be seen by a select few? What if the photo has its origins

in the pit of Hell? What is that face belongs to an enemy bent on destruction? This is Buddy Cullen's fate when he first dreams of his grandfather's death and then inherits his grandfather's antique camera and captures an image that haunts him and seeks his death. Can Buddy survive the curse that he sarcastically dubs "Popcorn"—a curse that no one wants to believe exists and stalks the city of Cleveland, beginning with its baseball team—a mortal foe?

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Amazon

What’s inside the mind of a paranormal/thriller author?

I can only speak for this author when I say God. Without the gifts I'm given, I can't do anything. So I try my best to do work that honors Him. I won't write sex scenes stronger than Song of Solomon which, by the way, is pretty intense. And the spooky stuff? What's spookier than piles of dry bones reconnecting and coming to life? Or a living mist killing tens of thousands of sleeping soldiers in one night? The Nicene Creed states a belief in "all things, seen and unseen," so I keep an open mind when science can't explain something. I once put my hand through a "cold spot," generally regarded as a paranormal entity. It was weird, moving my hand horizontally from a warm area, through a distinctly colder area, then back to warm on the other side. Air temperature doesn't work that way, or shouldn't. And I've never heard a satisfying scientific answer or explanation.

What is so great about being an author?

Having control over the creation of a place or time, and creating the characters that inhabit those places is a real kick. Deciding what those characters do and crafting a story out of all of it is a challenge. And if you don't like what a character is doing, as that character's creator, you can change it. But outside of writing I'm not a control freak. I recognize that life is the polar opposite of what I've just described. Not only do I have no problem with not being in total control, I'm glad. Life without surprises would be incredibly dull. But writing, storytelling, is almost a kind of high for me, with something to show for it in the end.

When do you hate it?

When I don't have the time I'd like to devote to writing, I get frustrated. It's not that I hate the writing itself. I don't think I ever hate it.

What is a regular writing day like for you?

It depends on the day. When I'm working my day job, I write what I can before work, on ten minute and half hour breaks, and then after work. On days off, I'll do whatever marketing needs to be done, then I'll just get lost in whatever writing project I'm working on. When my wife is next to me, I won't listen to music. But when I'm alone, I'll usually catch some jazz on YouTube, some Dexter Gordon or Stan Getz. There's never as much time as I'd like, though. If I could, I'd write from sun-up to sundown.

How do you handle negative reviews?

I say to myself, "Bummer, but it's one person's opinion." I try my best not to let them get me down.

How do you handle positive reviews?

I say to myself, "Cool, but it's one person's opinion." I try my best not to let them puff me up.

What is the usual response when you tell a new acquaintance that you’re an author?

More often than not, I'll get an excited "Wow, great!" Every once in a while, though, the eyes glaze over a bit before they mumble "Wow, great."

What do you do on those days you don’t feel like writing? Do you force it or take a break?

I'll peck at the keyboard when I'm dry of ideas, and will do that until one of two things happens. Either something will pop and I get something accomplished, or if after an hour or so I'm still blocked, I'll hang it up for the day. But it's never really a case of not wanting to write.

Any writing quirks?

Nothing I'd call a quirk. I remember someone once saying that writing is like carving an elephant. First, you get a block of material—that's the first draft—and then you chip away everything that doesn't look like elephant. That's how I approach writing, but it's not really a quirk.

What would you do if people around you didn’t take your writing seriously or see it as a hobby?

I wouldn't really do much besides continuing to write and putting my work out to the reading public. The results will speak for themselves one way or another.

Some authors seem to have a love-hate relationship to writing. Can you relate?

I suppose so, though I don't really experience the "hate" end of the relationship myself. Joy drives me, the joy of creating something out of nothing but an inspiration. If someone invests so much into his writing that a negative review or slack sales devastates him, sucks the joy of the process out of him, I think that's unhealthy. I'll work as hard as I can, enjoy the process, and leave the rest to God.

Do you think success as an author must be linked to money?

Gosh, I hope not! Seriously, money is not a bad thing and is in fact necessary. But if I never see big money from my writing, that's okay. Several people have bought copies of Mortal Foe, so it's already a success whether I sell another million copies or another dozen.

What has writing taught you?

Patience. Mostly with myself.

Leave us with some words of wisdom.

Money is not the root of all evil; the love of money is.