Author Q&A Thomas W. P. Slatin

1. Tells us about your writing/ published book(s)?

My current work in progress is a compilation of selected written works, beginning at age 18, back in 1998, to the present day. My hope is to present the works in chronological order to show the progression of my writing skillset.

2. Where’s your favourite place to write?

When I was a child, I used to sit beneath a large maple tree in my parents’ back yard. I called it my dreaming tree, and it was the largest and oldest tree on the property. Unfortunately, the tree has since died and was taken away several years ago. Today, my favorite place to write is at my kitchen table, though on occasion, I like to also go into the woods in search of solace and solitude as a means of generating some truly groundbreaking ideas.

3. Have you always wanted to write?

I have always wanted to write, though as a child, my parents tried their very best to convince me to pursue different career paths. When I was around 7 years old, Charles Kuralt told my parents that one day I would be a writer. This statement was quickly dismissed by my parents, who had other, perhaps more prestigious plans for me such as becoming a doctor or business person. A few years later, I met Allen Ginsberg, who began to mentor me quite closely for a few years, before his untimely passing a year before I graduated high school.

4. How do you choose your book’s title(s)?

I have a notebook filled with titles, and generally, I will choose a title that fits the written narrative correctly. The process of writing titles is a unique one, as most of my titles come from life experiences, fragments of overheard conversations, a favorite song lyric, or sometimes a few words from the prose itself.

5. How do you fit writing into your everyday life?

Writing is now my full-time occupation, though it wasn’t always this way. Part of the problem with parenting is teaching a child that they can do literally anything they want to do in life; parents should teach their children that dreams in life come to fruition through hard work, and lots of patience. My first career began at age 18, when I joined the fire department, where I worked full time for 17 years and 6 months, before being promoted to Lieutenant, by which point I had saved enough money to pursue writing full time.

6. How many books do you own?

I own hundreds of books. Storage became a major problem for me, so with the advancement of digital formats, I have re-purchased the books that I wished to keep and read again, and offered the now replaced physical copies to local libraries and second-hand bookstores.

Where can you find Thomas?
Website

Twitter

Author Q&A Thomas W. P. Slatin