Author Interview: Steve Rzasa

     Hey guys. Please welcome Steve Rzasa, our guest for today. Steve is an author of several Sci-Fi and Steampunk novels. Check out his latest book on amazon.

     So Steve, when did you first realize you wanted to write books?

     I’ve always loved to write stories, but I think the first time I recognized a desire to write books was when I was in high school. It took me a couple years at the time but I finished a space opera tale called Unifying Factors. You will never see that one published. But it was my first experiment to see if I could start and finish something novel-length.

     How many books have you written?

     Five, all for the Christian speculative fiction publisher Marcher Lord Press: The Word Reclaimed (2009) and its sequel, The Word Unleashed (2010); Broken Sight (2011), which follows chronologically after those first two; Crosswind (2012) and its sequel Sandstorm (2013).

     What inspired Sandstorm?

     I had such a blast writing Crosswind that I knew I wanted to revisit the steampunk world of the Sark brothers and take them on a new adventure. This time I patterned the story in a very Indiana Jones­ style way, with ancient ruins, tomb traps and dusty artifacts. But as always it contains a very strong spiritual element, and takes a closer look at this alternate Earth in which Ice Age mammals roam and people flit about in steam-powered airplanes. So I guess you could say it was a mix of factors that inspired this newest story.

     What genres have you written?

     All kinds. The Word Reclaimed, The Word Unleashed, and Broken Sight are all science-fiction. Crosswind and Sandstorm are steampunk. I’m currently working with Vox Day (A Throne of Bones, MLP 2012) on a sci-fi murder mystery and I have a fantasy tale in the mix. So I’ve been dabbling in several genres as of late.

     What is your writing process? Do you write regularly at certain times or just when inspiration hits?

     A little of both. I write every Wednesday between 11:30 and noon before I work the evening shift at the library. Plus, when I work Saturdays, I have Fridays off and since the rest of my family is in school I use those days to catch up. But I also carry a notebook at all times to write down ideas, characters or whole pages when the ideas strike.

     What was your favorite book or author as a teen? What’s your favorite now?

     Back in the 1990s and my young teen days it was the six-book TRIO series by R.A. Montgomery, a post-apocalyptic adventure set in the late 2010s. My wife was kind enough to buy me the whole set for my birthday this year, and I found them just as much fun as I did at 14.

My favorite series right now is Jim Butcher’s Dresiden Files, about Chicago’s only wizard detective, Harry Dresden. I have yet to read one of his books and not chuckle a half dozen times, often aloud.

     Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?

     I love to read (of course) and draw. There’s tons of movies I enjoy watching, long trips I cherish with my family, and games I like playing with my boys. Bicycling and exploring new locales also rate highly on my list.

     Do you have any advice or resources you’d like to share with other writers?

     Just this: write. I know everyone says this is true, but it really is. I echo Michael Connelly, the mystery novelist who appeared as himself on the TV show Castle. His comment: “You know what I did after I wrote my first novel? I shut up and wrote twenty-three more.”

     And finally, where can we find you online?

     You can find me on Facebook and www.steverzasa.com.

     From all of us on YAWA, thanks for joining us.