Joe Albanese is a writer from South Jersey. his work can be found in publications across the U.S. and in ten other countries. Joe’s the author of For the Blood is the Life, Caina, Smash and Grab, and a poetry collection, Cocktails with a Dead Man. If you are frustrated with the brevity of this interview, don’t despair. He lets it all hang out in this wonderful book of poetry.
Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.
JA. Most of my writing gets done at the dining room table. Although sometimes I write in front of the tv, just for the ambient noise. Poetry I’ve written all over, mostly on my phone, then transfer it so my computer later.
Q. Do you have any special rituals or quirks when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)
JA. Yes, I try to avoid writing at all costs. So I clean up a lot beforehand, do any chores that need or don’t even need to be done before I can sit down and write.
Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?
JA. I’m probably done with my writing career. I have two more books I am trying to get published, but then I’ve finished. Or at least I’ll be taking a long break while I try to find a “real” job.
Q. Do you have a set time each day (or night) to write?
JA. Usually the middle of the night. There are the least amount of distractions.
Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?
JA. Just sit your ass down and start typing. Something good will eventually come.
Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?
JA. I try to see how they relate to me first. Are they similar, or completely different? Then I try to get into their mindset in terms of how they’d react in the story.
Q. What first inspired you to write?
JA. My friend was high and asked if I wanted to write a screenplay. I haven’t looked back.
Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation?
JA. Mostly situation. Then I try to figure out which characters would be most fun in that situation.
Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing?
JA. Not really. When I’m writing, I think about it a lot, but I never really get lost in it.
Q. Do you have a new book coming out soon? If so tell us about it.
JA. My novella, For the Blood is the Life, just got published in March. It’s crime-horror.
Q. When did you begin to write seriously?
JA. A few years ago. After my friend stopped writing with me, I got more into it.
Q. How long after that were you published?
JA. A few years before my first short story was published in Sheepshead Review.
Q. Do you think we will see, in our lifetime, the total demise of paper books?
JA. I hope not. I can’t read on a tablet.
Q. What makes a writer great?
JA. Someone who can bring truth to untruthful situations.
Q. and the all-important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like for you?
JA. Well, I have a lot more grey hair now than when I started writing.
Q. How has your life experiences influenced your writing?
JA. Yes, my poetry collection is mostly personal, dealing with my anxiety and depression mostly.
Q. What’s your down time look like?
JA. Ass in a chair, watching bad tv and movies.
Q. Have you or do you want to write in another genre`?
JA. Most of my fiction is crime. I guess I could one day, but my brain loves coming up with criminal characters and situations.
Note to Self: (a life lesson you’ve learned.)
JA. It’s okay to be yourself.
Did you miss my review of Cocktails with a Dead Man?
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MY BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! February: Rick Lenz, March: Patrick Canning, April: Poet, Joe Albanese, May: Boo Walker
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