| FEATURE AUTHOR | For me, the most enjoyable thing is to work with my characters. My real inspiration for writing comes from the works of Tolstoy, Flaubert, Homer, and so forth - perhaps a bit of a surprise considering the content of my stories. Bringing a character to life in a story is immensely satisfying, and there’s nothing like the satisfaction of finishing a story, but the revision process is where I really feel I get to bring the story into proper focus. That’s exciting, because I find it similar to polishing a piece of wood - each pass brings out more shine. My least favorite part of being an author? I enjoy learning, I enjoy researching, but it can be tedious doing all the background work readers often don’t realize an author must do, not only at times of writing but in the post-publication process of book promotion. That said, when this work comes to fruition, it too is very satisfying. Uncaged: What do you like to do when you aren’t writing? Scratch an author and you’ll find an avid reader. I love to read, even though my reading time is not as much as I would like. After all the time and devotion invested in crafting my own stories, it’s nice to sit back and let someone else take the steering wheel. Uncaged: I know that my favorites change as I read more and more books, but was the last book you loved? The last book you hated or made you mad? I’m a big fan of classical literature and history, not so much of mainstream fiction. I’ve been following Erik Larson of late, and really enjoyed “Devil in the White City.” I just finished his book on the Lusitania, “Dead Wake”, and am currently reading “Isaac’s Storm”, about the horrendous Galveston Hurricane. As an author I find it hard to say I’ve “hated” a book, knowing how much work it takes to see a book through to publication. That said, I’ve been dissatisfied by 94 | UncagedBooks.com
some high-profile thrillers that I gave a try. In fairness I have to say that was probably due more to my expectations than anything else, although I find sometimes with thrillers that intriguing openings are followed by improbable or irrational endings. Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? For those who have read my books - and those who might be new to my writing - expect the unexpected, and be prepared to go places you won’t anticipate. Exploring the darkness interests me as an author, regardless of the genre I’m working in, and I plan to let my imagination go down those roads as they come to me.
Enjoy an excerpt from Oddities & Entities 2: Vessels Oddities & Entities 2: Vessels Roland Allnach SciFi/Horror Sometimes you need to be broken to be made whole. With Oddities & Entities 2: Vessels, multi-award winning author Roland Allnach returns to the strange and surreal path forged by his critically acclaimed Oddities & Entities. Consisting of nine new tales spiced with elements of horror and speculative fiction, Vessels explores the communion of spirit, substance, and the eccentricities of flesh between those conjoined realms. Excerpt of opening story from “Oddities & Entities 2: Vessels” by Roland Allnach Defaeco