Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with RJ Goldman
Book Titles: Nothing
Released: 11/17/20
Genre: SciFi Novella
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “Nothing”?
Goldman: “Nothing” was inspired by a music video. When I saw the video for “Nada” by Cazzu, Rauw Alejandro, Lyanno, and Dalex, I knew I wanted to write the story behind it: in the video, each of the four singers has an elemental power. I’ve never tried writing sci-fi before, but I almost immediately “saw” the story in my head.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process, or your book?
Goldman: In addition to writing, I’m also an artist, programmer, and social media marketing freelancer. I write whenever I have a spare moment (which is not as often as I’d like!). I love writing my first drafts longhand in a notebook while sitting outside; I’m from Dallas, TX, so I live for sunny summer days.
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Goldman: My characters’ names are the equivalent of John/Jane Doe in various languages: Juana Pérez from Spanish, Ajay Singh from Hindi, Taro Yamada from Japanese, and João de Tal (JT) from Portuguese. They’re meant to be un-Google-able, perfect for a family in hiding.
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Goldman: When writer’s block hits, I like to go for a walk with my headphones in, blasting my favorite playlist. That way I can clear my head, not looking at a screen or worried about cleaning my house or anything.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Goldman: I used to do NaNoWriMo, and my favorite technique I learned from that was to... just write. “Draft zero” of the climax of “Nothing” was basically a stream-of-consciousness, thousand-word paragraph with minimal punctuation. It’s so much easier to edit that into something readable than it is to write from scratch! My favorite phrase is “better than zero” — if you just wrote one word today, that’s one more word than you had yesterday.
If "Nothing" were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Goldman: Movie casting is tough! I’d like to say the the singers from “Nada,” since they were my original inspiration, but they’re not actors. Maybe I’ll just say Zendaya or Amandla Stenberg as Juana and leave it at that. :)
What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?
Goldman: The impossible question! I read everything. A few of my works-in-progress are romances, and I’m a big fan of Jasmine Guillory, Alyssa Cole, and Talia Hibbert. I’m currently working on reading everything Chuck Palahniuk has ever written, and I used to describe my religion as “Gaimanism.” Elizabeth Acevedo is a genius. I auto-buy anything by Patrick Ness. The Dark Tower series is currently blowing my mind. My last five-star read was “The Belles” by Dhonielle Clayton.
What are you working on next?
Goldman: Book two! “Nowhere” has a rich and full life in my head, but I’m currently working on getting it into a format that y’all can consume. I’m also patching a plot hole in my 2018 NaNo project and considering starting a graphic novel with an artist friend. That’s my secret, Cap: I’m always working.
Learn More About the Author and Nothing:
Instagram: @rjtonamen.
Goodreads: R.J. Goldman.
Interested in checking out the book for yourself? Find it here or on Kindle Unlimited.
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
review