It’s time for another author interview. This week, we have Angel Ramon. While new to the LitRPG / GameLit scene, he’s been shaking things up. A resident of Puerto Rico, Ramon has had a tough time in 2017, but he hasn’t let a hurricane stop him.
If you missed our first interviews, you can still read the ones we conducted with Daniel Schinhofen and William D Arand. We’ll be doing more interviews in the future, so stay tuned. For now, kick back and read about the amazing Angel Ramon.
When did you first start writing?
I started writing when I was in Junior High School and I enjoyed it quite a bit to the point where it became fun. English might have been my weakest subject, but I always enjoyed creative writing. I started writing professionally only about a year and a half ago. Considering I’m in my upper 20’s I’m happy that I started to live my dreams now.
What kind of books do you enjoy reading?
I enjoy reading mostly Sci-Fi, Thrillers, Horror and anything that numbs me out of reality lol. I enjoy reading books that take me into a new world away from reality that can be tough at times.
Do you deal with writer’s block?
At times I do. It doesn’t happen often, but at times I can become stressed out and need rest. I tend to take a day or two off to rest my head and regroup. I mostly get writer’s block when I get to a crossroads between two different scenarios thinking of which one I want to write towards. Writing a separate blog post or backstory for my series tends to get my juices flowing as well. Finally, just playing video games gets me going as well.
Outliner or Pantser?
I tend to be both. I usually outline my novels at first with a general idea of how the story will flow. However, the finer details I usually just wing it and I tend to change a lot. Most of the time I have the outline and idea already in my head, in fact my LitFPS series was an idea I had for over 10+ years!
How many hours a day do you write?
I aim for 4-6 hours a day, half during the day and the other during the late night.
Of your books, which is your personal favorite? Why?
That is a tough one as I enjoyed all of them to be honest. However, I have to say the very first one I wrote, The Thousand Years War: Book One was my favorite as that was perhaps the most dynamic story out of my series. There are a lot of twists and turns and it’s the one that started it all. I always dreamed of writing a GameLit book and I really enjoyed the characters along with the many different levels and areas they have to explore. It felt like writing an actual video game, lol!
Share a photo of your workplace.
A nice humble work area I know, but I have no shame haha!
Where do you get your ideas?
Mostly by playing video games, taking the levels apart, and spotting where I can twist them to my liking. You can thank Duke Nukem 3D for giving me many of my ideas. For my horror LitRPG, I enter and twist the world of the Resident Evil gaming series. While I get a few ideas from books I’ve read, but I mostly come up with original ideas that coincide with my real life. In fact, the main characters in my books are based on good friends that I have met in my life. Just call me a person who loves to cross the realms of reality with that of the virtual reality and the awesome video game world.
What is your writing process like?
I outline my book slightly. I don’t spend too much time on the outline as I have to account the fact that I love to change a lot in the middle of writing, lol. After that I just write on and enjoy it. When I write I love to play all kinds of music, whether it be video game tracks, rock, and even Latin music. It keeps the juices warm and prevents me from falling asleep in the middle of a writing session. After I’m done writing, I like to do three edits. First is to find any plot holes, second is story flow, third is syntax, grammar, and etc… I’m still a work in progress and I tend to get better as the next book is written.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
It would be the power to go underwater without having to breathe. I like to explore the underwater world and it will come in handy during hurricane season, should another one hit even worse than Maria.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad and good reviews?
I tend to read them when I get them. When it’s a good review, I put up the review on social media and let the world know. A bad review, I tend to brush it off and just make sure my next book is even better or use it to better myself as I continue to grow and learn.
What is your favorite childhood book?
A Night in Terror Tower by R.L. Stine
What can fans expect from you next?
As of this writing, I’m working on my next book of my GameLit horror series, Angel’s Nightmare Adventure. It’s titled Nemesis and promises to be even crunchier than the first two with ammo crafting and skill progression. Not to mention that a stalker on the prowl. Later on, I plan to write the next expansion pack of my LitFPS series, The Thousand Years War series and that will be titles, Duke it out in DC. The gloobas plan to take over Washington D.C. and have kidnapped the president.
Anything else you would like to add?
I would just like to say thank you for the opportunity to do this interview for the website. The LitRPG forum is a cool hangout and I know I been out of the loop, but once I fix everything here in Puerto Rico, I will be back full time! I like to thank my fans who have cheered me on, readers who have left me great reviews, and the LitRPG community for keeping my head held up high after going through a traumatizing event like Hurricane Maria. As of right now, I have no internet connection but thanks to my phone I will not stay down and I shall rise. Lookout for my two new releases coming in 2018! Now stay cool and read on my friends!
There you have it. Stay tuned for our next author interview…coming soon.
