Roman Colombo

This week: Roman Colombo

This interview with Roman Colombo, in my humble opinion, is a very important one. Roman, a great writer who's current work I am quite excited about (#superheros!), touches on aspects of depression and makes sure people hear about it, and how it touches anyone and everyone. Take a look at Roman's answers and remember, the struggle is truly real for so many more of us than you think. Also, Capeless City, Temple Owls, and Bucks County :)

Name: Roman Colombo

Website: www.patreon.com/romancolombo

Social Media: Facebook (RomanColomboWriter)

Genre:  Noir, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Contemporary, Mystery, Fantasy

Where do you find inspiration?
I feel like it’s always random. Sometimes it’s things that frustrate me in the news or in culture. I actually had this idea for a western because of a Frederick Douglas quote I came across about American Christianity…how this turned into “Oh, I need to write a western,” I’m not entirely sure, but the seed of the story was from the quote. Other times it’s from things I am reading or studying, or just life experience. During my undergraduate studies, I read Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical Life of Doctor Faustus, and Mephistopheles. He found my way into my fist published novel, Trading Saints for Sinners, and I’m still coming up with stories for my rendition of him. With inspiration, I don’t think it’s so much “go here, go there” but just letting things filter through your own sensibilities.

Which character in literature do you associate yourself with the most?
Beast from the X-Men. I’m a big, hairy guy. Children have asked me if I was Hagrid’s son, and Beorn from the Hobbit…the guy who turns into a bear (this was before the movie). But Beast is the chracter I’ve always identified with. He’s scary-looking, but he’s also very intelligent, kind, and likes to randomly quote literature. Even my own mom thinks I look like him!

Which piece of your writing was the most entertaining/enjoyable to write? Why?
I am working on, and recently completed the first novel in, a trilogy of books about people with superpowers (but aren’t superheroes) living in a city that is very hostile to super-powered individuals. Developing the characters and their motives was a joy, and building their stories over the three novels was the most energized I’ve felt writing in a long time. I loved developing Larry, a character whose power is to simply know what to cook for people when they enter his tavern. He’s a big gentle soul, and I loved writing him and his husband together. It’s also a series I have a lot of faith in it, so hopefully we’ll see Capeless City on shelves in the next few years.

Was the first novel you published the first you ever wrote? What was? 
It wasn’t. Actually, it’s technically a novella, but the publisher calls it a novel. My first novel? I wrote it in middle school and I don’t even remember the name. I do remember that it involved a volcano and guns and was basically a mashup of Matrix and Volcano. It was…terrible. But I handwrote, in 8th grade, a 200-page novel, so that was fun and that was cool. Oh, and they were in purgatory. Wow was it bad.

When I’m not writing I’m usually…
Reading comics, watching movies, teaching, or looking for content jobs.

If you could tell or ask any character in literature or film anything, what would it be? 
I’d ask Samwise Gamgee from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings why he wasn’t tempted by the ring. Ever. In the movie they kind of make it look like he was for a second, but it’s Frodo freaking out. In the books, he not only holds it, he uses it, and has no problem giving it back to Frodo. So, as a Lord of the Rings geek, I want to know how he, more than Gandalf and other really powerful characters, was the strongest character in the story. Yes, it’s not a deep life question…or is it? Alternatively, I’d tell the characters in Cloverfield not to go back for Beth.

If you had lived a different life, made different choices, what would you be doing now? 
Hmm….I’m gonna say dead. There are always too many different possibilities here. I could have been in the military, a business exec, a scientist, a politician, etc. So, let’s just assume all of those would have been terrible choices that would somehow lead to my inevitable demise.

What are five things you couldn’t do without? 
Movies, Comics, Books, Various meats, and my depression medications.

What do few people know about you? 
I’m Batgirl! I’m not sure. I’m open about my depression and my beliefs.

Are you working on any current projects?
Right now, I am very focused on the Capeless Trilogy. I also have a freelance job I hope I can talk about soon.

What work of fiction made you want to be a writer?
It actually wasn’t a work of fiction, but a teacher. Every Friday, my 6th grade English teacher, Mr. LeNoir would have Creative Writing. And though I loved reading, it was those Fridays that made me realize I loved writing.

What tools do you use for writing, organization, marketing?
Scrivener is great. Notebooks also help. For marketing…I need to learn that.

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Author Bio: Roman Colombo finished his MFA in Fiction Writing from Rosemont College in 2010. His work has been published by Bookends Review, monkeybicycle, Rusty Nail, and various other literary journals. His first novel, Trading Saints for Sinners, was published in 2012 by WragsInk Press. In addition to teaching in the MFA and MA in Publishing programs at Rosemont, he also teaches College English and literature at Temple University and Bucks County Community College. In literature, he specializes in Graphic Novel studies and film. In writing, he specializes in every form except for poetry.