Interview with Danielle Roux

Author of August Prather is Not Dead Yet

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

Originally from a lot of places in the US (my dad was in the Navy). Right now I live in San Francisco, California.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that leads from there to here?

A long story! We moved a lot when I was young and I end up getting bored with places. I have a strong found family in San Francisco so I moved here to be with them and to be near both the ocean and the mountains.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I’d written maybe four or five novels before I decided to even try to publish. I was just so afraid of rejection. Then I was listening to a podcast about literary things, The Allusionist, and they were talking about romance novels and how they need diverse romance novels. I thought, oh, I can do that! I’ve not written a romance novel exactly but I started researching indie publishers and found one I liked, queried them, and they accepted my book!

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

They are witty and have a dark edge, the cast is always a collection of beautiful weirdos, and the plot is always thick and twisty. I like to incorporate aspects of fantasy and horror as well as history. My books are very queer in that the characters are almost all LGBTQ+ but also they’re outsiders, monsters, or lost souls.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Fans of dark fantasy, noir-style cinema, anime, ghost stories, sarcasm, and spooky stuff. I’ve been compared to V.E. Schwab but I doubt I’m that good.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

There’s so much more to it than writing, editing, and querying! There’s a whole lot of hustle behind the scenes to reach an audience. I’m working on it.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Start being funny on Twitter WAY earlier. Post about random stuff, write for blogs, don’t be afraid to be your weird self, you’ll find others like you.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

As many as possible! I mean, it’s totally fine to have a strong cult following. I’m an admirer of artists who aren’t completely mainstream but have loyal and devoted fans. I would like to reach the people who need them, who need to feel connected to something and feel less alone.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

There’s a secret project I’m working on at the moment (when this comes out it might no longer be a secret) but it has involved interacting with physical materials and mailing things. It’s challenging to move physical objects around the world! It’s just a lot of labor and making phone calls and hoping trucks arrive. I think it’ll all be worth it when it works out in the end.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

With writing, it’s dialogue. I love writing dialogue, it’s so much fun. With publishing, I think I’m pretty easy to work with during editing and production. I’m just enthused to be doing something I love so if things aren’t working, I’m willing to do whatever to make it work. With marketing, I’ve gotten good at witty one-liners on Twitter and making pretty aesthetics to post on all the social media. I’m new to being so active online so there was a learning curve but I feel like I’m way more in it than I was last year!

What are your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

With writing, I tend to not plan things and change things around a lot. I get bored if I know too much ahead of time while drafting. With publishing, I need to query more! I’m still happy with what I’ve got but I could certainly push myself to get more projects going. With marketing my weakness is doubting myself, I’ve come a long way, but I still stress out over what to post and consistently interacting and “selling” the book.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m already writing one! It’s an Elizabethan-inspired space fantasy with pirates and dragons. I’ve got This Will Kill That coming out this month which is about a mysterious city full of psychics, monsters, and ghosts. It’s the first book in a series and so I also have book 2 to edit and book 3 and 4 to write.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher or a traditional publisher?

Hybrid publisher, a small independent publishing company that is amazing and supportive which is The Parliament House Press.