Friday's Interesting People featuring Roland Yeomans


Today, please help me welcome Roland Yeomans, author of 44 books and counting and who also writes at Writing in the Crosshairs.
Roland was kind enough to appear on my (first in a long while) Friday’s Important People (FIP). Enjoy!
Before we get to my question/answer fest, let me point out a few of Roland’s more recent books.
A Sampler of Shadows "EACH of us is a Frankenstein’s Monster. A piece of us is in every person we will ever meet. Usually, we refuse to see those disturbing sides of us in others. The best stories lure us into facing them. Let us talk fear and the thin ice of living which can yawn abruptly to drop us into unexpected madness."
 
Next up for publishing will be Dark Hollywood Cycle, NIGHT SEASONS, sometime in the first third of 2020, which will include the birth pangs of the C.I.A.; shadowy enforcers for Swiss bankers; the ghost ship, S.S. OURANG MEDAN; Jimmy Stewart; Orson Welles; an insane actress/sorceress; and 3 former O.S.S. agents just trying to stay alive in 1947 Hollywood.






Other recent books and with a holiday theme are:
Click on the titles to visit these books at Amazon.



NOW for Inquiring Minds- FIP Questions:
T.: You are a super busy writer, plus you have a regular life. What is your daily writing schedule like?  
Roland: As a rare blood courier, I have lots of time on the highways and out of the way country roads.  The kind of places you never stop in a horror movie!  I plot my novels then and try to amuse myself with clever dialogue.  Our 1st job as writers is to entertain, right? 
T.: How do you describe your fiction? Does it fall under a genre?  
Roland: I’m a Tour Guide for Dreamers to places that should have been, could have been, and still might be.  I try to make the road trips fun but with moments of reflection. Genre? Science Fantasy is what my mentor, Roger Zelazny, called it. 
T.: If you could be an apprentice for a (past or present) writer, for one year, who would that be and why that writer? 
Roland: I got that dream for 3 years with Roger Zelazny until Cancer took him.  Read his THIS IMMORTAL and you will see why.  The books he autographed for me I treasure.  I would have loved for Harlan Ellison to have mentored me, but his sharp tongue would have flayed me alive! 
In tribute to him a few days after his death, I channeled his spirit, using mostly his own words in this blog post 
T.: As a writer, what is on your bucket list to do that you haven’t done as yet? 
Roland: Get on the Bestseller List or have the movie rights for one of my novels bought.  Speaking of Mr. Zelazny: he sold the movie rights to DAMNATION ALLEY and when he saw the movie and they brought on the flesh-eating cockroaches, he eased out of the theater, hoping no one recognized him. 
T.: Is there a novel or movie that speaks to you as a writer that you revisit at least once a year? If yes, how does it speak to you? 
Roland: Lucky Number Slevin found here. It teaches how to write clever dialogue, spin a fascinating tale, and care about the characters, even the villains. On Blu Ray it is only $5.99! 
T.: If you were stranded for six months on an island with electricity (because electricity to me matters to me more than food) and you could only choose one “thing” to do during your exile, what would it be: Relaxing? Writing? Painting? Staring into space? 
Roland: I would read all the fascinating print books I have bought over the year, not available on audio, and not been able to read. The biography of the legendary Michael Curtiz I just bought would be top on the list, followed by the wartime sermons of Rev. Peter Marshall. 
T.: As a child, did you have an imaginary friend? If so tells us about him/her/it.
Roland: Yes, Cubby, my 1st teddy bear. I loved all the fur from him, but he still loved me. Mother darned my baby socks on his arms and legs to hold him together. When my home burned, his loss really hit me. 
T.: What did you believe growing up that you found out later was not correct? 
Roland: That Life is fair. 
T.: Also as a child, were you a loner, leader, boss, follower or shy? Did you remain true to this or morphed into something else? 
Roland: I was shy and a loner.  Being frail on the streets of Detroit was not pleasant.  I still am shy, wishing I was more like my teen hero, Victor Standish. 
T.: What is something we don’t know about you that you want us to know? 
Roland: Long ago, I learned to play the Spanish Guitar for my fiancée, Kathryn, (which I placed on her coffin when she was buried) and even learned to dance the Tango so she could compete in the competitions she always wanted to. I talk of this a bit in my recent post here. 
T.: Finally, what is the best advice you can give to any creative person who wants to see their creation (art, writing, music, etc.) out there and loved by others? 
Roland: You are a storyteller.  Entertain and captivate your readers. Think solitary person not a mass of readers. In your mind, tell your story to one person: friend, lover, spouse, ill child.  Make them laugh, make them care, and make them glad they spent the time with you.
About Roland
 
Roland Yeomans was born in Detroit, Michigan.  But his last memories of that city are hub-caps and kneecaps since, at the age of seven, he followed the free food when his parents moved to Lafayette, Louisiana.  The hitch-hiking after their speeding car from state to state was a real adventure. 
Once in Louisiana, Roland learned strange new ways of pronouncing David and Richard when they were last names.  And it was not a pleasant sight when he pronounced Comeaux for the first time.
He has a Bachelor’s degree in English Education and a Master’s degree in Psychology.  He has been a teacher, counselor, bookstore owner, and even a pirate since he once worked at a tax preparation firm.
Now, he is a rare blood courier.
So far, he has written forty-four books.  You can find Roland at his web page: www.rolandyeomans.blogspot.com  or at his private table in Meilori’s. 
The web page is safer to visit.  But if you insist on visiting Meilori’s, bring a friend who runs slower than you.
We know what we are, but not what we may be.”  – William Shakespeare
And finally, here is the link to Roland Yeoman’s many story options.  
Have you read anything by Roland? Did you have a childhood friend that wasn’t human (stuffed animal, imaginary friend, something else)?

Comments

nashvillecats2 said…
Thanks for a most interesting post about a most interesting author. A pleasure to read.
Enjoy the coming weekend.

Yvonne.
I like the idea of being a Tour Guide for Dreamers. :) I've read some of Roland's work and he has succeeded in being that!
I bet you do treasure those signed books. What an opportunity to be mentored by him. And I had no idea he wrote Damnation Alley. I should read the book.
Thanks, guys for visiting. Roland writes great reading!
It is really a novella so it is a fast ... and enjoyable read. I recommend This Immortal, too. :-)
Thanks so much for having me, T. Powell! You are a gracious lady for doing this. I just posted a shout-out for this post.
I saw! Thank you!

This is fun plus we learn more about the authors in our midst. It's a win-win.
Pat Hatt said…
Well the check for the movie would make easing out of the theater a bit easier lol Hollywood always screws books up. Yeah, I go to those murder shacks too, not the highlight of my day.
Mason Canyon said…
What a fascinating post. It was fun learning more about you Roland and your writing. I have to say I especially like that you are a Tour Guide for Dreamers. That stuck a chord with me. Wishing you much success with your writing.

T.C., thanks for giving us this opportunity to learn more about this awesome author and his work.
Fundy Blue said…
Hi, Teresa! I enjoyed your interview of Roland. I ran downstairs and dug out my copy of "Hero Lost," so I can read his short story again. I grew up believing life was fair too ~ Surprise! I had to google Roger Zelazny because I wasn't familiar with him How exciting it must have been for Roland to have him as a mentor. I haven't read any of Roland's novels yet, but his "Her Bones Are in the Badlands" is on my list. Have a good weekend!
I like to think of one face out there in the darkness who wants to be entertained and taken away from the cares of life when I write. Thanks, Mason, for your good wishes for my writing!
Mr. Zelazny was a great teacher. I learned so much. I hoped you enjoyed "Sometimes They Come Back" in HERO LOST. How funny it is that I have already sent you the audio of HER BONES ARE IN THE BADLANDS from reading your comment on my blog and your post on your own. Good luck with your cataract surgery Monday!
I'm glad you liked my interview!
That is so nice of you to say, Elizabeth! :-)
So happy you found me interesting, Yvonne. :-)
Mr. Zelazny wanted to return that check! :-)
Heather said…
I would love to see one, or many, or Roland's novels produced into movie or tv, and have his books hit the bestseller lists as a result! I love Roland's books and he is such a deserving author.
My desert island choice would be the same. I have so many books I want to read. I'll be watching for the movie version of one of Roland's books.
Midnight wants to see my books as movies, too, so he can grow accustomed to the luxury he knows he deserves! :-) Thank you for the kind words about my books, too!
Great minds think alike! Many have emailed me saying that HER BONES ARE IN THE BADLANDS would make a great movie. I am sending you the audio book of it for you to enjoy until the movie comes out. :-)
Denise Covey said…
Thanks for interviewing Roland, T Powel Coltrin.
I've known Roland a long time since very early blogging days. I helped him on a blog tour for his first book or nearly first book about a bear. It's hard to believe someone I started out with has published 44 books while I haven't really published any but that's about to change. I've read most of his works and once left reviews at Amazon until Amazon must have found our we were friends and deleted them. I wish Roland every success in selling the rights to his book/s for the movies. What a ride that would be. Roland is also a long-time member of WEP and we enjoy his flash fiction on a regular basis.
Some of those books, Denise, were novellas or collections of short stories as my latest. The book you helped me out with was THE BEAR WITH TWO SHADOWS (which also now has an audio book to it.) Hibbs still thinks fondly of you! He has a children's book out now (Hibbs, THE CUB WITH NO CLUE - which was something my mother often called me back in the day!) It, too, has an audio book.

I hate that Amazon won't allow you to leave reviews for my books anymore. Why not try one last time? Who knows? Amazon continually changes its corporate mind -- which makes me almost lose mine!

I wish you the highest sales with your books. Let me know when they come out so I can spotlight them on my blog. Oh, I had fun with my "Fungus Among Us" WEP Halloween flash fiction, too.
Well done with your output, very envious. Interesting work you do, used to be at a blood issue centre for a short while, brought back memories 🤗

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