Interview: Joel E. Roosa

Author’s name:

Wow. Starting right off with the pressure. No panic…almost got it:

Joel Roosa. I go by Joel E. Roosa because I have a middle name. I used to say it helps to distinguish me from all the other Joel Roosas in the world. Strangely enough, it doesn’t. There are more than I thought, one of whom is the Joel Roosa who owns a photography studio in Australia. I found that out from a fellow writer, an Aussie, who at first thought I was that guy. A Google search turned the Aussie up first back then, but now I come up first, as of today, at least.

Publishing Credits:

I have some. Not enough to choke a horse, maybe, but enough to make a Shetland cough, at least.

The Star-Being, a poem in The National Poetry Press, back in high school.

No Campaign Ever Fails, an article In Dragon Magazine. It told how to run a proper D&D campaign. My first professionally published work.

Other D&D related articles in the 80s.

Various little, unpaid short things here and there in the 90s.

Various paid things for RPGs in the 90s, mostly for the Talislanta game.

9/10ths, my first pro short story in the 2000s. It ran as Repo Priest in Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, but I refuse to call it that. Since then, I’ve seen other stories called 9/10ths or Nine-Tenths. It comes the legal truism ‘possession is nine-tenths of the law.’ I started writing it in 1974, after seeing The Exorcist in a theater. It was inspired by my oh-so-clever joke, “What happens when you don’t pay your exorcist bill? You get re-possessed!”

It was a punchline story. I discovered that a lot of venues don’t like punchline stories. Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores didn’t either, but I expanded the story past that. Yes, it took over 30 years for it to sell, but it sold.

Numerous short stories in theme compilations, such as a superhero story in No Ordinary Mortals and an investigative occult detective in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The classic tale and an anthology of twists, retellings, and sequels. Which I also edited.

And currently, AllWorlds Awakening, the first in a series of books dealing with the Knights of Valeron and their bosses, the ValDurian family. It’s heroic fantasy, dealing with the ValDurian’s attempts to prevent cross-dimensional invasions.

Would you describe your journey to becoming a writer?

Started when I was about 5 and had read “Flash of Two Worlds,” by Gardener Fox for DC’s Flash comics. That got me to thinking about parallel realities occupying the same place at the same time, at different vibratory rates. Pretty much the AllWorlds.

Can’t say that’s all I ever thought about, but different realities worked their way into many of my stories, and, of course, my D&D games.

I needed to tell stories, and Dungeons and Dragons was the perfect vehicle for that, I thought. Had a built-in audience and I grooved on the positive attention from my crowd.

For years, I poured most of my creativity into running D&D campaigns. Unfortunately, I can’t say it’s conducive to writing while having a regular job, but now there’s a ton of my own background material to draw upon, and I have.

Had a stroke. Despite the debilitation, I was able to sit back and write, once I re-learned English.

Submitted stories to Critters, an online writer’s site. Got good critiques on my stories.

I became the Fantasy Editor for Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, largely because of the stories of mine they published. They knew I could write, and figured I could read as well.

Of course, I spent years reading, writing, and honing my craft as a writer. I don’t know that anybody just falls into writing. Is there someone so good naturally that they write well without hardly trying?

Why should anybody read your books when there are so many others written by famous authors?

Because being famous doesn’t necessarily mean being good. It also depends on what one is looking for. I specialize in Heroic Fantasy/Sci-fi. If that’s the sort of thing that trips your trigger, then I’m your guy. If you want something deeply philosophical, my stories might not fill your craw. On the other hand, sometimes I get that way by accident.

Also, my stories are filled with odd references from current day to 30-40 or more years ago. Who doesn’t want that? I do make sure the lack of knowledge of the references doesn’t hurt the flow. The only example that comes to mind is one that surprised even me. Re-reading the second book, after a long time, I saw the MC gathering his weapons, and one was a 40 kilogram warhammer. I said to myself, “Well, that’s oddly specific. Why would I…Oh, duh. The miniatures game Warhammer 40K, or Warhammer 40,000.”

My stories make sense along the way and in the end. I don’t think anyone will be left with a “What the hell happened?” mindset.

Most authors believe they have original ideas that no one else has used. Can you give us an example of one of your original ideas?

I can’t for some of them, because they aren’t published yet. 9/10ths is a good example, though. The exorcist priest couldn’t cast out a particular demon, because after a string of demons were cast from this fellow, the latest was using the local occupancy laws. The priest would have had to give two months notice, among other things. He called the exorcism agency pretending to be the possessed person, and said he was stopping payment on the last check. The previous demon re-possessed the host, breaking the occupancy laws, and destroying both demons.

How do you feel about having your writing illustrated?

Depends on the illustrator. Had an article illustrated with a header, in Dragon Magazine and it was excellent. Never had my writing done in comic book fashion.

If somebody could only read one thing that you’ve written, what would you recommend?

Much as I like my AllWorlds books, I think 9/10ths is me in a nutshell.

If you could take a one-way trip in a time machine into the future or the past, would you stay where you are, or would you travel to a specific place and time?

Would I stay the same physical age and condition as I am now? If so, I’ll just stay here. If I get to relive my younger days, I’d go for the 70s. Especially if I could write my stories from now back then instead. It’d give me a jump start on getting my novels published.

Have you ever seen anything that has caused you to believe humans are not the only intelligent forms of life?

I’ve seen little that convinces me humans are an intelligent life form, especially these days. What I’ve seen is Sci-fi. There are enough convincing arguments made, that for me, believing in Others isn’t a stretch.

What events have made you into the person you are today?

Birth, for one. Mine, that is. Good starting place. Also those of my two kids. Life-changing experiences. The Kennedy Assassination. The Vietnam War. The Moon Landing. Watching the original Star Trek for the first time on a Thursday night. Space Seed, it was. Seeing the first Star Wars movie in a theater when it was still new. Love and Marriage, still ongoing. Stroke, as I mentioned before.

Have you included places where you’ve lived and people you’ve met in your writing?

Yes, but I always change the names, so that only if you are in the know you’d get it.

What do you want readers to get out of your stories, comics and/or books?

A terrific experience. Leaving them with the knowledge they didn’t waste their time. Not trying to change anybody on a fundamental level. Just looking to leave a lasting, positive impression. Having someone say, “that was a great story,” is all I need. Plus money for writing. Both have happened.

What are you working on now?

AllWorlds Asunder, the second book in the series. Just down to minor editing now.

If someone wants to purchase something you’ve written, how can they do this?

https://www.amazon.com/AllWorlds-Awakening-Joel-Roosa-ebook/dp/B0CNVRR43D

Also, directly from White Cat Publications, where it would be cheaper.

What advice do you have for people who want to become professional authors?

After I look stunned and gape at them, and they say “No, I’m serious,” I say this:

Write things you would want to read. If you don’t, who else would want to read them?

Don’t go for trends. The popular thing of the moment might not be popular when you’re done.

Study your craft. Learn to write well. That counts grammar nits and sentences that make sense.

Make sure your plots hold together. All the pretty prose in the world won’t help if nobody can understand what’s going on.

Don’t worry about not selling right away. If you sell your first story right away, it may not lead to a career. If you fail to sell right away, it might make you work harder, better, and smarter.

You may not need to hire a professional editor, but an editor is always a good idea, even if it’s just yourself.