Today on the Indie Author Spotlight at the Seventh Star Blog, we are featuring Robb Hoff, author of the occult horror series Lycanthrope and the paranormal suspense Rapture series! We hope you enjoy this introduction to Robb’s writing and work, and be sure to visit his site when you are finished with the interview!
How would you describe your writing style to a reader who has never read your work before?
Verisimilitude.
What genres are you published in, and what do you like most about writing in those genres?
Magick Surrealism. I conjured this genre to apply occult and surrealist practice to my proclivity for literary thrillers steeped in the supernatural, paranormal, horrific, and certifiably insane.
Are there any genres that you would like to explore that you have not yet been published in? If so, then what interests you about potentially writing in those genres?
Fishing Adventure Fiction: I like the idea of tying all of my lines together in one unbreakable knot.
Tell us about your latest release.
Crackers For The Lycanthrope (Hydra Publications, 2020) is a nightmarish trek to the gruesome legacy of The Lycanthrope, whose backwoods ancient origin reveals the source of his otherworldly power. Through twists and turns that test the boundaries of reality, this prequel to Contract With The Lycanthrope (Hydra Publications, 2019) crosses a horrific landscape that careens between the supernatural and the insane. Plus, there’s a shapeshifting supreme scene!
What are you currently working on, in terms of your works in progress?
Dali Egg Rapture, which is the third in my Eggsquisite Corpse Thriller series that hatched with Cosmic Egg Rapture (Hydra Publications, 2018) then morphed into the incomparable Serpent Egg Rapture (Hydra Publications, 2019).
What do you personally find most challenging about the craft of writing?
The most challenging aspect about the craft of writing for me is following my interests. I’ve toggled between non-fiction and fiction throughout my writing career as a journalist and author. My immersion in the subjects that I pursue is all-consuming, which means I’ll split when I see fit and might not come up for air until years later.
What do you view to be your strengths when it comes to writing?
Conceptualization and execution.
Tell us a little about your path to becoming a writer, including when you decided to pursue writing with a goal of becoming published and what initially drew you toward writing and storytelling.
I’m a pathological writer. I’ll write regardless. As far as publishing is concerned, I believe that has to be driven by a compulsion of the writer to get paid and gain readers. For me, journalism has been more financially rewarding than book authorship (both fiction and non-fiction), but book writing stimulates and feeds the soul like nothing else.
As for storytelling, I gravitated toward its power in the second grade at Westwood Elementary School in Cincinnati, where my teacher Miss Natalie Crowe assigned a Halloween story for us pupils to pencil in between the lines of cursive writing paper. I wrote a story about a trick-or-treater who knocks on The Devil’s door only to find himself eaten instead of being given candy. I remember following that up with an assigned Spring story in the aftermath of April 3rd, 1974, which was one of America’s most devastating days of tornadic activity. I decided to personify a tornado that was hellbent on committing a destructive spree on whatever and whoever it targeted. So I’m innately drawn toward writing tasteful, uplifting stuff!
What do you find to be some of the biggest hurdles in being a writer today?
Competing for reader market share where there is overall dwindling interest in a market that is saturated.
What do you see as the most important advice you could offer a new writer?
Write what you want, unless you have to rely on writing for your income, then write what the people who are paying you want.
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To find Robb Hoff online and order his books, please visit his official site:
https://www.robbhoffauthor.com
Synopsis of Robb Hoff’s latest release, Crackers for the Lycanthrope: Crackers For The Lycanthrope (Hydra Publications, 2020) is a nightmarish trek to the gruesome legacy of The Lycanthrope, whose backwoods ancient origin reveals the source of his otherworldly power. Through twists and turns that test the boundaries of reality, this prequel to Contract With The Lycanthrope (Hydra Publications, 2019) crosses a horrific landscape that careens between the supernatural and the insane to unleash the beast that is The Lycanthrope.