Got a fun one today for 3Q’s. Nick Roberts latest book, The Exorcist’s House, has stormed out of the gates and captivated readers from page one! Nick has been grinding it out for a few years now, so it’s always exciting to see when a book strikes reader gold!

I’m super happy to have Nick stop by today!

Welcome Nick!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?

Nick: My writing time varies throughout the year. With my first two novels, Anathema and The Exorcist’s House, I wrote them over my summer break from teaching. My routine was to wake up, exercise, and then have my butt in that computer chair at 10 AM every day. I wasn’t allowed to get up until I hit at least 1,000 words. Some days were easier than others, but I never sat there staring at a blank screen for more than a few minutes.

This past summer, I finished my dissertation for my doctorate, so that consumed all of my writing time. I’m finished with school now, but I’m back to work in the classroom. The novel I’m currently working on is coming along slower than usual because I have less time to work on it. I’m writing most of it at night (which is new for me), and I make time every other day rather than daily. Other than the fact that I’m not trying to burn myself out with work, family life, and writing, I have also increased my reading time. I have found that it’s essential to always be reading. It’s improved my writing and brought me closer to other authors in the horror community.

Steve: You end up at an estate sale and discover an unpublished manuscript from an author you love. Do you keep it just for yourself or do you share it with the world?

Nick: If I were to end up at an estate sale and discover an unpublished manuscript by an author that I love, I would keep it to myself rather than share it with the world. This might sound like a selfish answer initially, but I promise I’d do it for honorable reasons. As an author myself, I would be mortified if a piece of my writing was published before I was ready to release it. Stories get edited and polished so many times that I wouldn’t want to share something unfinished without the author’s permission. This is, of course, assuming the author was not a total dick-bag in real life. (If I find an H.P. Lovecraft manuscript, you bet your ass I’m capitalizing off that guy.)

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

Nick: I’m currently working on a dark horror novel that takes place in West Virginia—shocker, I know. This novel has nothing to do with my previous two. My main goal with this one was to write the scariest story imaginable. Yes, I wanted my first two novels to be scary, but I also had separate motivations with those. Anathema was written to depict a character in recovery who can live a normal life, no matter what horrors are thrown her way.

After dealing with more mature themes in Anathema, I was ready to have some fun with The Exorcist’s House. The Exorcist’s House is a roller-coaster ride through Hell with lovable characters that you actually root for. It’s a bit lighter in tone than Anathema, though equally as terrifying.

I’m a little over halfway through with the third one. This one is written primarily to unsettle even the most desensitized horror fan. It’s inspired by films like The Strangers and It Follows as well as books such as Stolen Tongues and Pet Sematary. It’s coming together nicely and will hopefully be out next year.

Steve: Bonus Question! You wake up in a comic book. What is your comic book character and what is your super power?

Nick: If I wake up in a comic book, I would be a dark vigilante in the vein of Rorschach, Batman, The Punisher, and Dexter. I’d have a creepy mask, lurk in the shadows, and strike unmercifully at evildoers. Like the characters previously mentioned, my only “superpowers” would be my mind, personality, ingenuity, and skills in hand-to-hand combat.

Ha! Very cool! Great answer! Thank you so much, Nick!

To find more of his work, please do check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nick-Roberts/e/B084QG2HB4

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nroberts9859

Website: https://www.nickrobertsauthor.com/