Ask the Author: A.X. Rhodes
Answered Questions (6)
A.X. Rhodes
Thanks for the question. I have been distant for a while since I began house hunting and then moving. Took a lot of my spare time. But I'm not a social media guru anyway. What's next? My latest release THE FAMILIAR STRANGER is due out early this May. It is a very scary book--pure horror. Since the main characters are a little boy and a young married couple, there's something in it for everyone. I hope to release a collection of short stories and poetry early this fall and the sequel to IN THE LIGHT OF DARKNESS (which is FREE right now) around Halloween. That's the plan. AXR
A.X. Rhodes
Most people I've talked to have had a similar reaction to Saying Goodbye.
To your question, I think the third person voice of most authors is similar in most of their work. However, the first person perspective allows for a lot more flexibility, because it is not the author's voice. In a sense, I am an actor as well as a writer staying true to a character's voice. The character of Daniel Lawrence in The Writs of Wrath lives in the mid 1800s and is a detective. The nameless narrator for Saying Goodbye is a troubled person living in modern times. Therefore, their first person voices should be very different. The kind of story also changes my style of narrative. Many authors stick with a certain format, whereas I like trying new things to keep it fresh.
Personally, I like writing in first person more than third. It's much more fun to remain true to that character's voice in my head, and it naturally creates a unique style in the work. Many, if not most, great novels are also done in first person. I think the insightful nature of its perspective draws the reader in to the narrator's inner world, making it easier to evoke an emotional bond/response with/to the book. Thanks for the question. AXR
To your question, I think the third person voice of most authors is similar in most of their work. However, the first person perspective allows for a lot more flexibility, because it is not the author's voice. In a sense, I am an actor as well as a writer staying true to a character's voice. The character of Daniel Lawrence in The Writs of Wrath lives in the mid 1800s and is a detective. The nameless narrator for Saying Goodbye is a troubled person living in modern times. Therefore, their first person voices should be very different. The kind of story also changes my style of narrative. Many authors stick with a certain format, whereas I like trying new things to keep it fresh.
Personally, I like writing in first person more than third. It's much more fun to remain true to that character's voice in my head, and it naturally creates a unique style in the work. Many, if not most, great novels are also done in first person. I think the insightful nature of its perspective draws the reader in to the narrator's inner world, making it easier to evoke an emotional bond/response with/to the book. Thanks for the question. AXR
A.X. Rhodes
There were a number of books that qualified as favorites. Before I started to read on my own, I loved Snail and Catepillar by Helen Piers and still have that book in my personal library. I was also obsessed with the Beauty and the Beast story in my book of fairy tales for a while. Made everyone read that one to me. Years later, I remember The Secret of Wildcat Swamp (Dixon - Hardy Boys book) was the first book I read that I couldn't put down. Checked it out on a Friday at school and finished it Saturday afternoon. But the book I remember favoring the most had a deep purple cover with scary trees, a full moon, bats, and, of course, a raven on it with Edgar Allan Poe written in orange letters (in my elementary school library). Although not a book, The Tell-Tale Heart story impacted me the most. After reading that in the fourth grade, I was hooked on horror and ghost stories. However, I also enjoyed The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia and the Black Stallion books. Thanks for the question. AXR
A.X. Rhodes
My inspiration to write stems from the overall quality and originality of the story. The idea makes the entire writing process worthwhile for me. Without that initial excitement of creating something new, the process would be stale and lifeless. Since my mind quickly picks up on formulaic patterns, I shy away from redundancy. For example, I am currently reading a haunted house novel. I have no desire to rehash what countless other authors have created in this genre. However a few years back, a different take on the haunted house concept popped into my mind, including an original element absent in other stories. My editor and pre-readers had never read or heard of a story like it. This fresh idea serves as the inspiration behind the book (it'll be a few years before I get to that one). My motivation to write, however, comes from an internal desire to simply complete the task and share the work with my readers. It is the same self-motivation any adult uses to get up and go work every morning, start a business, or complete homework for a college class. I think it's important to draw a distinction between motivation and inspiration.
A.X. Rhodes
"Just finished a second draft of a new novel and set that aside (as is my usual process). Currently, I'm doing a final polish on my next release In the Light of Darkness (coming next fall - a sample chapter is included at the end of The Writs of Wrath). This involves placing a better descriptive term here, losing a comma there, choosing another verb b/c I already used that one a few times, accenting a theme, providing a little more insight into a character, rewording certain areas to improve the overall flow of the finalized format, etc. Small improvements that make a big difference."
A.X. Rhodes
"The adventure. I write fiction like a person alone in a canoe on a river without any oars - controlled by the current. Each day, I have no idea where I may be swept off to or what will happen next. A heartfelt thrill overtakes me as I watch characters develop, events unfold, settings come into focus, and all the details blend together naturally as the whole story is unearthed. It is pure discovery and wonder, a childlike experience in a new world. To me, writing represents the last frontier and true freedom. I am a literary explorer."
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more