      
      
      
An Interview
With
Steve Lasarowitz
ER!-Steve,
I'm so glad you agreed to let eBooks Rock! give you the
third degree. You have two books out right now from
CrossroadsPub.com. The first is Alaric Swiftland, a
fantasy, and the second is Dream Sequence And Other Tales
From Beyond. I'd personally like to know if Dream
Sequence is anything like the fiction that you have on
your site...the short stories. They're fantastic, by the
way. But are they the sort of writings we can expect in
Dream Sequence? And can you tell us a little more about
each of your books?
SL-I have a wide range as a
writer. Quality-wise, there isn't a story in
Dream Sequence that doesn't measure up to the stories
on my site. In fact one of the stories, Life
and Death in the EDMC, is in Dream Sequence.
Two of my all time favorite stories are in Dream
Sequence (and no, I won't tell you which they
are). However, the antho contains both Science
Fiction and Fantasy stories (some of which border on
horror). Several very dark pieces and at least
a couple of light ones. I also have a free
sampler (which can be downloaded or emailed to anyone
just for the asking) that contains even more
stories. It's called Dream Sequence Lite.
A friend of mine compared my work to the Twilight
Zone on acid. I'm not sure if the description
is accurate, but I am proud that the people I've
spoken to that have read my work, have given up on
trying to guess the endings. I guess that's one
of my strong point. In a book of sixteen
stories, maybe, if you hit it just right, you'll
figure out how one story ends.
Alaric Swifthand is different. Alaric started
as a fantasy serial on the internet. His story
starts off as almost a classic swords and sorcery
tale and perhaps it never veers from that genre.
However, the whole twisted plot style that serves me
so well in my short stories, rears its head
throughout this book. No one has EVER guessed
the end to the first book of Alaric. In fact, because
it was a serial, I needed some kind of climax at the
end of every part, which makes for some very exciting
reading. Alaric may be swords and sorcery, but
he's swords and sorcery in a very Lazarowitzian
manner. The book is also written in a light
entertaining style (as compared with most of my early
work, which was rather grim).
ER!-What
are you currently working on? And what's it about?
SL-I have a NUMBER if irons
on the fire. My second anthology (which is
really my first) A Creative Edge: Tales of
Speculation, will soon be available from
CrossroadsPub.com. This is a collection of
earlier work that had already been released by
Darkstar Publications. For a number of reasons
I will NOT go into in this interview, I pulled my
book from Darkstar before my contract was up. I
bought up the copies that were in stock and the
copies that didn't sell that were produced for a
computer show at a Convention (all on CD-ROM), so the
company wouldn't suffer. This book has been
completely re-edited and includes a brand new short
story called Tales of Speculation, which might be the
most fun story I've ever written (even if it is one
of the shortest).
My Science Fiction novel Confronting the Void is
about a third of the way done and I'm just getting
back to it now. "Void" deals with the
invention of the first FTL (faster than light, for
those of you who aren't SF fans) drive and a few
extremely unanticipated side effects from the early
trips. More I can't say, without ruining at least
some surprises.
I'm also about two thirds of the way through a third
anthology, tentatively titled "Dream Warriors
and other Rites of Passage." It's
definitely my best anthology to date. My story
Selling Point, from my webpage, will be included, but
it will probably also include three of my newest
stories; The Sidekick, Dream Warriors and The Demon's
Truth. Also my short story The Gates of Heaven,
which appeared in the one year anniversary issue of
Planet Relish E-zine will be in there.
I've also got ideas for sequels to both my online
serial "Reflections of a Recovering
Servant" and Alaric Swifthand. I left poor
Alaric in quite a state and I really have to do
something about it.
Finally, I have a finished fantasy novel placed with
Lida Quillen of the Twilight Literary Agency.
The name of the book is A Leaf in the Wind.
This is the novel dearest to my heart. I'm
curious to see what she can do with it.
ER!-You've
had a lot of success in the last few years, what would
you attribute that to?
SL-Hard work, creativity and
giving away lots of my stuff for free!
<G> I guess that last is easier for a
short story writer than a novelist (though I have
written novels as well). My stories have appeared in
many online zines, most of them I've never been paid
for. In addition, I have three monthly columns that I
also don't get paid for, but I write them to keep my
name "out there". It's like free
advertising.
I have a column called Shattered Fragments in The
Wandering Troll Ezine, which has mostly been about
e-publishing. This is how I keep in touch with
the fantasy crowd. I have a column called Ready and
Quilling in Easy Writers (which is how I keep in
touch with the writing crowd). And I have a column
called Sahara Ice in Blue Iris Journal (which is how
I keep in touch with the people that read online
reviews).
I also review for SFSITE and Blue Iris Journal.
And I should have a new column on E-publishing For
Men in Simegen, as soon as I get off my duff and sign
the contract.
I attend a LOT of conventions and plan to attend ten
next year, including Worldcon in Philadelphia.
At these Cons, I'm on panels, I do live readings and
I sign autographs. At Worldcon this year, I gave away
150 free Dream Sequence Lite Sampler disks.
I'll soon be holding a weekly writers chat online,
also for free at Cybling on Sunday Nights at 9:00 PM
EST. Anything to get my name out there.
I also talk up other writers. I don't do this
for the exposure, but if I find a writer I love like
Larry Bailey, Patrick Welch, Jonathan Fesmire, Kate
Saundby, Jeff Strand, Lisa DuMond or Atk Butterfly, I
will go to great lengths to promote their work as
well. Other writers remember and sometimes that
equals opportunity. I'm very generous with my
praise (though I won't talk up a book I don't enjoy).
Finally, most importantly, I work on my writing. I'm
always trying to improve. I belong to a really great
critique group. I've tried very hard to be less
defensive of my work and really take a long look at
it from an outsider's point of view. If someone
has a comment, I never disagree right away. I put it
away for a day or two and try to look again at the
piece with fresh eyes. Sometimes, a recommended
change really is for the better.
Writing well is still the BEST thing a writer can do
to further their career. It's not the only
thing, but it's the best. Of course, you have to do
everything else too and that's the trick.
ER!-Are
there ever times you consider giving up the writing?
Bouts of writers' block? If so, what do you do to
overcome it?
SL-To quote the great Robert
Silverberg..."I had writer's block once.
It was the worst five minutes of my life!"
I don't get writer's block. I don't have the
time. I have too much to do. What really helps here
is the number of projects I'm working on. I
stopped writing my SF Novel Confronting the Void
almost a year ago, to finish up other projects.
Now I'm working on it again. If I can't write
one column, I write another. By the time I'm done, I
have an idea for the first.
I've never been on the verge of giving up
writing. That would be suicide for me. I
couldn't stop writing and more than I could stop
breathing. However, there are times when I've thought
about giving up submitting.
To me, it's a dual thing. I write, because I
love to write. I don't love to submit, promote
proofread and do all the other little things that you
have to do. I despise self-addressed stamped
envelopes. I hate writing that synopsis.
I detest cover letters.
Being published requires a completely different set
of skills than writing. I'm convinced that the
greatest writers of all time, are sitting at home,
locked in a room, surrounded by filled notebooks that
no one will ever see. I wish I could do that, but I'm
too much of an egomaniac. I NEED
vindication. I NEED to get fanmail and a rave
review. I NEED that acceptence letter.
I've received so many rejections, especially in the
beginning, that I've ALMOST become immune, but they
still hurt when I get them. I'm going to send a
few of my stories back out to the short fiction print
market soon. This is a horribly clogged market that
you have to hit just right. Hopefully, I'll sell one
of the five pieces I'm submitting.
ER!-What's
your writing schedule like?
SL-I write, for the most part
at night, when I get home from my "real
job". Sometimes, if I'm up in the mornings early
enough, I'll write too. I also have a computer
a work and sometimes I end up getting inspired and
writing there. And I write on my days off.
Of course, it's not all writing. Answering this
interview is part of my writing schedule. Working on
my webpage is part of my writing schedule. Running my
Sunday night Writer's Chat/Workshop is part of my
writing schedule. Writing my synopsis and
preparing manuscripts for submission, it's all part
of being a writer.
Lately, I've been writing between four and five pages
a day. I wish I had more time than that, but it
just doesn't seem to happen.
Naturally, my columns and reviews also take time away
from my fiction writing (though I did start rewriting
a short story "The Weapon" for my newest
anthology yesterday!)
ER!-What do
you do for fun?
SL-I write <G>! I
also love to hike, watch movies, read and visit
museums, particulary science museums. I play
video games. I have sex. I don't know why
you don't see that more often in interviews.
Surely most people think it's more fun than watching
a movie.
ER!-Many
writers have written since they were young. They were
daydreamers. Avid readers. What about you? Has your
passion to write always been there?
SL-I've always written. My
first poem ended up in the school poetry magazine in
second grade. I wrote my first short story in third
grade. Something about the Lochness Monster being a
Russian submarine. I was pretty twisted
even back then. I was always a daydreamer and I
still daydream. My mind never stops.
Sometimes, I wish I could just switch it off, so I
can get some sleep at night.
ER!-Your
poetry is beautiful. I particularly enjoyed The Battle
because it's a novel-worth of story woven into just a few
verses, but I also like the spirituality of Running Out
Of Time. Do you have a favorite and can we expect a
poetry anthology from you any time soon?
SL-I think the Battle is my
favorite. I wrote it twenty years ago, back in
high school. Most of my poetry is from around that
time, though Bitter Sweet is more recent. I don't
write much poetry.
I've only submitted one poem to a sales market and it
sold. It was called Slaying the Beast and it
appeared in The Goblin Market. Actually I liked the
original titled better; Slaying the Beast is
not Always All It's Cracked Up to Be. Marcie
Tetchoff, poetry editor for Eggplant Productions
asked me to change it and I did. I was happy enough
to be selling a poem!
I don't suspect there will be a poetry anthology
anywhere in my near future. I don't have enough poems
and don't write them often enough. Some of the
ones I do write are very personal. Even
Bittersweet was a very personal poem, but I liked it
so much, I put it on my webpage anyway.
ER!-Is
there anything out there that you'd like to do, but
haven't yet been given the opportunity?
SL-I'd like to get my
certification and go scuba diving. I've snorkled in
the Bahamas, The Cayman Islands and Florida, but it's
not the same. I will eventually do this.
I really wish I'd have had the chance to meet Roger
Zelazny, my favorite author, before he passed
away. I never even wrote him a fan letter. I'm
thrilled that this last year, I've gotten to meet so
many of my other favorites at Conventions and thank
them in person.
I'd also like to take a cruise up the Amazon. There
are a lot of places I'd like to travel to, that I
haven't been able to afford. Anywhere that has
interesting wildlife. Anyplace exotic. I
want to see the pyramids, the Mayan ruins, the great
wall of China. I'll like to hike through the
Austrailian outback.
I did manage to get to a rainforest in Costa Rica and
spent nine days hiking there. I loved it!
ER!-Is
there a book that you've written, but we'll never see?
Why?
SL-There are stories I've
written that you'll never see, but not a book.
Because if the book isn't going the way I like it, I
stop writing it. I've finished some stories I'm
entirely unhappy with however. I only submit my
best work. Fortunately, I'm prolific enough to write
some crap and still HAVE best work.
ER!-If you
weren't a writer, what would you be doing?
SL-I'll always write.
If I wasn't a writer, I'd like to think I can be a
stand up comic. Or even an actor. I think I'd make a
damned good actor, actually. I've spent a lot of time
in sales. I can sell just about anything. If I had
the schooling, I'd love to teach Creative Writing.
ER!-What
would you consider your greatest accomplishment?
SL-I don't think I have one
yet. Surviving puberty is up there though.
ER!-Describe
yourself in one line:
SL-An intense, fun-loving guy
wrapped 'round a core of darkness.
ER!-Of all
the character's you've written about, who would you say
is most like you? And why?
SL-I'd have to say that the
two characters in Tales from Beyond (available in my
free sampler Dream Sequence Lite!!!) are probably two
sides of my personality, though that wasn't what I
attempted to do. Also Nagennif from a Leaf in
the Wind is very much like me.
ER!-Many
readers wonder what's going on in an author's head, and
here's the part where we find out<g>.
(Finish this sentence) On a Saturday night you'll find
me...
SL-Well let's see. It's
Saturday night right now and I'm answering this
interview!!!!
ER!-If I
were a cartoon character I'd be...
SL-...flat.
ER!-If I
could have one wish, I would wish...
SL-...more wishes.
ER!-What
kind of car do you drive?
SL-I don't drive. I live in
New York City. Insurance is a fortune. Parking is
impossible.
ER!-What
kind of car do you *want* to drive?
SL-A Hovercraft.
ER!-Answer
the following questions as quickly as possible, but feel
free to expand on any of your answers (Hey, it's not a
test).:
What's your favorite movie?
SL-Knightriders. There's just
something about it. I tend to like obscure movies
anyway. I loved Circle of Iron.
ER!-Favorite
song?
SL-Come Sail Away (Styx) for
personal reasons.
ER!-Favorite
snack?
SL-Ice Cream (coffee or
chocolate)
ER!-Favorite
book?
SL-Firelord by Park
Godwin. Now if you said favorite series, The
Amber Series by Roger Zelazny.
ER!-Typewriter
or computer?
SL-Computer!!!!!
ER!-Soup or
salad?
SL-Soup. Can it be New
England Clam Chowder?
ER!-Pre-planner
or blind leap?
SL-Both! I make a whole bunch
of very specific plans, but seldom attach myself to
them.
ER!-Turkey
burger or steak?
SL-Steak.
ER!-Slacks
or jeans?
SL-I'm in a transitional
phase at the moment. It was always jeans, but now I'm
more of a khaki guy.
ER!-Boxers
or briefs?
SL-Briefs, though I do own a
few pair of boxers. Do you ask this question of
women authors too?
ER!-Absolutely!
I ask everyone!:-)
Are blondes really more fun?
SL-No, brunettes are. Blondes
have such a great reputation, they don't have to try
as hard!
ER!-Do you
believe in love at first sight?
SL-I believe in lust at first
sight. Love takes time.
ER!-Are
aliens real?
SL-I'm not allowed to say.
ER!-If you
could vote members off of Gilligan's Island, who would
get the boot first?
SL-Mrs. Howell. Or
maybe Gilligan. That would sure change the dynamic of
the series, huh? <G>
ER!-And
finally (and you can take your time on this one:-)),
what's next for you? Your next book? Writing venture?
Goal?
SL-I'm changing this
question. I've already talked about my writing
ventures that are coming up, my books as well.
And I don't really have immediate goals, so I'll
share my long distance goal. I want to become a force
in the SF/fantasy community. I want to be one
of the guys that people think about when they think
about Science Fiction and fantasy (though I've had
more success in fantasy genre to this point). I want
to have my own SF/fantasy anthology television
series, A LA the Twilight Zone. I'd like to know that
at some point, I'll have made my mark on Speculative
Fiction, the genre I love so deeply.
Visit
Steve's Sites:
http://www.dream-sequence.net
http://www.sff.net/people/nagennif
http://www.samandi.com/Lazarowitz
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