Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space
adventure Crossline, the hilarious
scifi backpacking comedy Finders Keepers,
and the outrageous sequel, Genius de Milo,
all with Crazy 8 Press.
Russ lives in West Orange, NJ,
with his wife, two children, and crazy dog, Simon, who may in fact be an alien
himself. Russ is now at work on the final book in the Finders Keepers trilogy.
As a matter of full disclosure, readers should not be
surprised if Russ spontaneously teleports in a blast of white light followed by
screaming fluorescent color and the feeling of being sucked through a tornado.
It’s just how he gets around — windier than the bus, for sure, but much
quicker.
His latest book is the science fiction novel, Genius
De Milo.
For
More Information
- Visit Russ Colchamiro’s website.
- Connect with Russ on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about Russ at Goodreads.
- Visit Russ’ blog.
- More books by Russ.
- Contact Russ.
Q: Can you tell us what your new book, Genius De Milo, is about?
Russ: My debut novel Finders
Keepers is a scifi backpacking comedy ... think American Pie meets Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy. It's loosely based on a series of backpacking trips I
took through Europe and New
Zealand, set against a quest for a jar that
contains the Universe's DNA.
My newest book, Genius de Milo, is the second book in the trilogy, where our
bumbling backpacking heroes Jason Medley and Theo Barnes are once again tasked
with retrieving a radioactive jar filled with the Universe’s DNA … before it
wipes out the galaxy.
Genius
de Milo (and Finders Keepers) is
for fans of authors such as Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Christopher
Moore, and movies and TV shows such as Harold
and Kumar, Bill and Ted, Hot Tub Time Machine, Time Bandits, Quantum Leap,
Groundhog Day, Northern Exposure,
Third Rock from the Sun … and Midnight Run.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your main and
supporting characters?
Russ: Visual! Check out these great character illustrations and
backgrounders!
Q: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or
are they totally from your imagination?
Russ: Usually … they are completely original characters, but
from time to time I use someone I’ve met as a baseline, and then I try to make
that character distinct from the person I know. I find the more I veer from the
real person the better the character becomes. Trying to write a character
that’s true to someone you know can be quite restricting. The character you are creating — this
fabricated person — needs to think, act, and feel in a way that is true to whomever
he or she needs to be within the context of the story, without feeling tied to
the “original” person.
Q: Are you consciously aware of the plot before you begin
a novel or do you discover it as you write?
Russ: A combination of both. By the time I’m ready to clack the
keys I’ve already plotted out a decent chunk of the narrative, but I always
find that the story expands, twists, and turns organically during the writing
process. My approach is to let the story unfold as it needs to and fill in the
blanks as necessary, rather than trying to force what I “think” is right, but
doesn't “feel” right. It’s important to me that the narrative holds up — that
the foundation and its interlocking parts are rock solid. But there also needs
to be a rhythm and flow.
Q: Your book is set
throughout the United States.
Can you tell us why you chose this country in particular?
Russ: Whereas Finders Keepers was set predominantly in Europe
and New Zealand,
the action in Genius de Milo has
shifted mostly to the U.S.
And, of course, there's lots going on in Eternity, the 'cosmic' realm where the
Universe is created.
Q: What would you do
with an extra hour today if you could do anything you wanted?
Russ: Sleep!
Q: Which holiday is
your favorite and why?
Russ: Passover. Because
it’s the one instance — to my limited knowledge, anyway — where we celebrate
the fact that the Lord kicked some butt in the name of the Jews. I’m not
particularly religious, but when the plagues and such are being chucked down on
the Pharaoh’s people … it’s like this awesome action movie and the bad guys are
getting whupped … big time.
Q: If we were to meet
for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
Russ: The park. I love
to be outside on a sunny day, yet in the shade, leaning against a big tree.
Q: What do you like
to do for fun?
Russ: Spend time with
my kids. But if it’s totally just for me: go to the movies, binge watch TV,
travel, watch baseball, listen to music, and read.
Q: What kind of
advice would you give other fiction authors?
Russ: Write because you
love it, write for yourself, and write every day. And if you can make money at
it … all the better.
On a more technical
level, work with beta readers and editors who will give you actionable feedback
that helps you improve the story you’re working on —
and your craft — in
very specific ways.
If you’re getting
feedback like, “oh, I like that” or “eh, I didn’t get it,” then they’re not
really helping you.
Be highly selective,
choosing people who will tell you what you actually
need to hear, not what you want
to hear. And keep your world of trusted ‘advisors’ on the small side. Feedback
from too many people will distract and confuse you.
Ultimately … only
you can decide what having “success” means to you. There’s lots of
disappointment and rejection in being an author, so having a healthy sense of
self-worth and realistic expectations will go a long way towards keeping your
sanity.
Remember that once
you’ve finished your novel and, if it’s published, you are no longer in
‘author’ mode, but in ‘retailer’ mode. You’re trying to sell your books, and
that’s an entirely different skill set and experience than writing.
That’s why it’s
important to try to manage your expectations and define how you define success.
Being an author is a
lot of work, so try to have as much as you can along the way.