Author Interview: Bob Sanchez

Bob Sanchez, author of When Pigs Fly was awesome and said he’d let me interview him for the blog. Thanks Bob!

 1.When did you first decide you wanted to write?

Maybe sometime in high school, when I realized I actually liked essay questions on tests. But it wasn’t until my early 40s when I became a technical writer and began to learn something about craft.

 2.What is your favorite genre to write?

Crime, including mysteries. If I have the chance to weave in some humor, so much the better. That isn’t always possible, of course. My mystery Little Mountain, for example, centers on Cambodian refugees in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge holocaust. There is no humor in that.

 3.What is your favorite genre to read?

Mysteries, for one. Thrillers, for another. A writer should enjoy reading the same genre he writes. On the other hand, I read a lot of both fiction and non-fiction. Anything well-written has a chance of appealing to me.

 4.Do you have a favorite author?

No. Every time I think I’ve found a favorite, someone else comes along who is just as good, just as much fun. Ed McBain is one of my all-time favorite crime writers, but the genre has a whole lot of talent in it. Right now I’m reading a book by the Swedish author Jonas Jonasson that’s well-written and very funny, but will he become a favorite author of mine? I can’t tell from one book.

 5.Is there something you want to write about, that you haven’t yet?

No, I think I’ll write more of the same. I have two more novels in progress, one mainstream and one crime. Nothing radically different, though.

 6.What is one silly fact about you?

Only one? I like to exercise in grocery lines–lifting the gallon of milk up and down, or standing on tiptoes. Nothing that draws attention, but hopefully something to partially make up for being too lazy to join a gym.

 7.Do you have a favorite character you have written so far?

Mack Durgin, who is a little like me except more interesting. He’s a retired cop and a widower who doesn’t really want to be interesting. But some petty criminals in When Pigs Fly just can’t seem to leave him alone.

 8.Do you get influenced by people in your life?

Of course. Everyone I meet influences me in some way. My wife is my biggest influence, though not in my writing. If your question refers to writing influences, reader feedback isa big one.

 9.Anything you want to say to the readers of my blog?

Read in the genre you write. If you hate reading fantasies, for example, don’t presume to write them. Read the good stuff as well as the bad, and learn how to tell the difference; that way, you not only learn techniques to improve your work, but mistakes to avoid.

 If you’re self-publishing, you should still strive for the highest quality work you can produce. That means critiques and edits by competent fellow writers, and a willingness to rewrite and polish until you’re sick of your story. Remember, you are not just selling a book but building a reputation.

Kareen, thanks for inviting me into your blog space.
Thanks for the interview Bob!

Bio
Bob Sanchez slaved in customer service for an eternity before spending two decades as a technical writer. He’s written a half dozen novels, ultimately self-publishing three of them. Now he and his wife live in New Mexico and travel a lot in their RV.
Twitter: @desertwriter
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Comments

  1. Judith Quaempts requested I post this comment as the comment form was acting up:

    Good interview and good
    advice. Little Mountain remains one of my favorite reads – and not only
    because its a good mystery. I never realized how many Cambodians settled in Massachusetts. The work may be fiction, but Bob's depiction of their lives after horrors most of us can't even imagine, really resonated
    with me. I'd like to see more of Det. Sambath Long. (yes, Bob, this is a hint)

    Judith Quaempts

  2. Great interview, Kareen and Bob! Always great to learn a little bit more about writers I admire!

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