Glad to have you on my blog, tell everyone a bit about yourself.
R. P. STEEVES has been writing in just about every format imaginable since he was a child. He's written short stories,
newspaper columns, stage plays and even a radio drama. Now he has written his first urban fantasy novel about an
adventurous, sarcastic and mysterious woman known only as Misty Johnson, whose mission in life is to uncover the truth
that hides in the supernatural underbelly of Washington DC.
Rich was born and raised in Connecticut, has a Master's degree in education, and taught middle school for nine years. He
enjoys solving puzzles, rollerblading, watching movies and has recently taken up archery. He looks forward to chronicling the
further adventures of Misty Johnson and her band of supernatural misfits.
Has writing always been a passion of yours, or did you discover it at a later age?
I have been writing since elementary school. I can remember filling notebooks with ideas for comic books (even including some truly awful sketches to demonstrate some ideas. I am not much of a visual artist). I’ve been writing for fun throughout my life, but decided to get serious about getting my work published a few years ago.
Do you outline or write as you go?
A little of both. I have an overall outline for the entire work, with story beats laid out and character arcs plotted, but I like to give my characters a chance to surprise me, or give myself an opportunity to follow an unexpected plot twist that might grow out of a particular scene. I think of it as having a song planned out, with a few places for improv solos when the opportunity arises.
What inspires you?
I find that creativity inspires creativity. When I see or hear something really interesting or different, whether a painting or song or anything, it spurs me on. I also love to people watch. I observe people and collect mannerisms or speech patterns or styles of dress and look for ways to incorporate that into my writing.
Do you get inspired by a certain element(Water. Fire. Air. Etc)?
In my latest work, I think the element of Earth has had the most influence on me, as you can see in the character of the golems, who I researched.
But in the second book in the Misty Johnson series, water definitely has a prominent role in the story, and will going forward, so I am kind of locked in to that element right now.
Do you listen to music or multitask while writing?
I don’t usually listen to music while writing, but sometimes I have the television on. Game shows keep my company and (mostly) sane.
What is your favorite genre, and least favorite?
I love science fiction the most (though fantasy and mystery are close). My least favorite is probably Romance, but perhaps only because I haven’t been exposed to a lot of quality work in the genre.
Who are among your favorite authors?
A long list, but some favorites are: Agatha Christie, George R. R. Martin, Michael Connolly, Jasper Fforde, Christopher Moore, Anton Strout, Jim Butcher, Jodi Picoult, Peter David and Carrie Vaughn.
What is your favorite piece you’ve written, and what is it about?
My favorite work has to be the radio drama I created, wrote, directed produced and once (reluctantly) acted in when I was in college. It was called College Daze, and was about a group of students who attended the fictional James K. Polk University and also starred in a Peter Engel-style show within a show Alma Matters. It lasted for two seasons and was tremendous fun to work on.
Let’s change things up:
What is a hidden talent of yours?
I am able to balance soda cans on a jaunty angle without spilling a drop.
Do you have any animals?
I have a pet sun conure (Parrot) named Zoe!
Favorites:
TV shows:
I love TV, so I have a lot of favorites here. Among them are: The Muppet Show, Seinfeld, Cheers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, LOST, Angel, Alias, Veronica Mars, Survivor, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire…
Movies
Again, lots of choices here! The Muppet Movie, Empire Strikes Back, Rope, Memento, Raiders of the Lost Ark, North by Norhtwest, Princess Bride, Shawshank Redemption, Rear Window, Casablanca
Authors
A long list, but some favorites are: Agatha Christie, George R. R. Martin, Michael Connolly, Jasper Fforde, Christopher Moore, Anton Strout, Jim Butcher, Jodi Picoult, Peter David and Carrie Vaughn.
Books
Again, a long list but: And then There were None, The Poet, The Things They Carried, Dubliners, The Wild Cards Series, Nineteen Minutes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, A Year of Living Biblically, The Eyre Affair, Bloodsucking Fiends.
Animal
Koala
Color
Pacific Teal
And last but not least, tell us all about your upcoming novel.
Coming soon is the second installment of the Misty Johnson Series, subtitled… The National Maul. Picking up from the events of Capitol Hell, Misty must deal with the ramifications of the mystical forces at work in the federal government while the new member of her staff investigates the mystery of Misty herself. Meanwhile, zombies and werewolves are fighting for control of the supernatural underworld and seemingly everyone in Washington DC is after the one magical item that will give its owner control over both time and space. Plus, Misty must contend with a haunted movie theater, vampire puberty, a heist at the Air and Space Museum, a lazy landlord and some serious issues with her toilet….
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