An Interview with Earl T. Roske

I know I'm a little late for Halloween, but I've been enjoying looking at scifi fancy dress costumes (as opposed to serious Cosplay). I particularly like when whole families get together to make a themed turnout. All the more impressive when pets are included!
So, in my interview today, I am talking to Earl T. Roske, author of Diversion in Raziel and Rescue on Gimhae amongst many others.

The Hospitaller universe is quite extensive. Can you tell us a little about your series?
Diversion in Raziel is part of a trilogy called Lost Sheep. The protagonist, Sgt Kori Eldersun, is tasked with shepherding a squad of young orphans to a new orphanage on another planet. Things happen that Kori has no control over and he losses the children. In his efforts to find and save the children he acquires unlikely allies and learns a lot about himself and the universe around him.
That gives away a piece of the plot but to talk about the trilogy, you need to know that crucial part.
Kori belongs to the Hospitaller Orphan Corps. The Hospitallers are a military force whose primary purpose is providing aid to those in need and defense for those who require it. Every member of the Hospitallers is an orphan, raised in the Hospitaller orphanages.

What are you working on at the minute?
Currently, I've been writing a book two chapters a week for my newsletter.
At the same time I've been writing another series currently titled "Seasons of War" which also takes place in the Hospitaller universe. It'll be a five book series as the planet, Unumbottee, is at the peak of a 27-year cycle that results in a super-winter which covers the entire planet in ice and snow. The first book takes place during the beginning of the winter season.
And I've a stand alone book I'm working on called Savage Sanctuary. It's an alien encounter, on the alien's planet. A planet that is violent and brutal. For the main character to survive, he's allied himself with a life form that is just as savage, but is self-aware.
And I have three books not related to my Hospitaller universe that I have completed but just need to find time to get them published.

What are your thoughts on writing a book series?
When I first started taking my writing seriously, I didn't care. I just wanted to write a story. But it appears that readers like a series. They want - and it's based on conversations with other writers as well as readers - to be immersed in a world or universe longer than what one book provides.
When I wrote the Stories of the Orphan Corps I had to put them as a series so they would show up together on Amazon. I made a few people mad. You see, they are all standalone stories with different characters in each book. The intention was to layout what the universe was like for the Hospitallers. A few readers took umbrage to that.
I made sure when I wrote the Lost Sheep series to actually make it a series. As will be the same for every future instalment of the Hospitaller universe. I still like standalone stories. I read them and I'll continue to write them. But they might not get as much attention.
Oh, the sales power of a series is undeniable. A lot of readers don't want to get into a universe until they see there's a good few books in it.

Which brings me to a big question. What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing against being published?
There are some amazing books out there that would never have seen the light of day without self-publishing. Shape-shifting LGBTQ space dragons? Can you imagine trying to get Random House to publish that?
With self-publishing we can write whatever we want. The readers will decide what survives and what falls by the wayside. I think that's a more democratic way of doing it rather than relying on gatekeepers whose primary focus is dollars.
For the most part, a traditionally published author doesn't have to worry about the artwork, the formatting, distribution, and not much of the marketing. Indies have to do all that and more. And, because of the nature of the game, most of us can't publish one book a year. I like to steal the old adage from the academic world: publish or perish. It's always the next book that keeps the readers coming.
Now, that's about writing to make a living. I'm there, but I'm also over here; writing to live.
Some of my work will likely fall on deaf ears (or blind eyes, I guess) and will garner very few reads or sales. I'm okay with that. Sometimes there are stories that I just want to write. There's a quote from Toni Morrison has been oft-repeated since her passing and I think it's relevant.
"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
So I write stories that I would like to read.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write.
Seriously, you have to write.
Write a lot.
The more I write the more I get better at the craft.
Years ago I thought I'd never be able to write a full novel. At that time I was struggling to just write a two thousand word story. But I kept at it. I learned from my mistakes and got better. Now, if you look on Amazon I think I have nine books. Some are shorter, some are longer, but I wrote them and there's the proof.
But if I hadn't written and continued to write, they would never have happened.
Read.
Seriously, you have to read.
Read a lot.
Read in the genre you want to write. Then read outside the genre, too. I like history, biography, British mysteries. Everything I read and see informs my writing.
Read books about writing, the art of writing, the business of writing, the business of self-publishing. Sometimes I already know what the book is telling me. But that's a good thing. It's an affirmation, a pat on the back that I'm on the right track.
Good advice. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

Earl T. Roske is a father first, husband second, walker of dog, scooper of poop, and an author. He's also been known to be a playwright.
Currently, he lives in the San Francisco Bay area, where he writes with any free time he can carve out of a busy day as father, husband, poop scooper.