Interview with Robert Roth, Author of Into The Lightning Gate
20 Jul 2021
What can you tell us about your new release, Into The Lightning Gate? Into the Lightning Gate is a fun, fast-paced sci-fi action thriller. But the story goes deeper than that, exploring the meanings behind identity and purpose. I paid attention to the details and world-building and strove to give all the characters depth and dimension. It’s a story packed full of sci-fi adventure and intrigue. But it’s also a story about relationships, both in how the characters relate to one another and the world at large. What or who inspired you to become an author? I’ve always loved books. As a young, queer person, books allowed me to escape from a dangerous and harmful world into some fantastic places full of wonder. But there was always something lacking. Even today, I often find myself missing characters that I could identify with and worlds I would genuinely feel welcome in. That pushed me into writing my own stories. What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read? The books I can’t help but return to over and over include N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy, Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves, Rebecca Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightning, Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy, and Maureen F. McHugh’s China Mountain Zhang. Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask? I would absolutely love the opportunity to talk with the late Robert A. Heinlein. I’d especially want to know how the world’s political and social development in the 30 years since his death would influence his writing today. What’s your favorite thing about writing? My favorite writing moment is when the story suddenly takes on a life of its own. Then it sometimes surprises me and even leads me in unexpected directions. What is a typical day like for you? I try to write something every day, whether it’s one of my works in progress, a blog post, or one of the ideas bouncing around inside my head. I have a day job working as a freelance designer, so I spend time on that, too. I enjoy reading and gaming in my free time. What scene from Into The Lightning Gate was your favorite to write? Each scene in that story has its own significance and meaning for me. A fun scene to work on was Cam and Tony spending some quiet time alone together on a hillside in the middle of nowhere. I used it to explore and develop their relationship with one another as best friends. And the motorcycle highway chase scene was also a lot of fun to write, too. Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by? Create the art you want to see in the world.
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