L. Bachman
Pre-Question - So, who are you?
I’m a Texan born author now living in northern Alabama. I’m a coffee addled mom and wife, horror/dark fantasy author that publishes works are often referred as genre-blending. I’m also a graphic artist working for Burning Willow Press, LLC and holding some of my own clients. I write and work mainly under the pseudonym L. Bachman.
1. Softball question for you: Why did you want to get into advertisement and graphics?
It began two years ago. I had just unpublished a book and needed something to do with my time. I began researching into the industry and decided that maybe someone somewhere may have need of my skills and artistry so I did a month long free campaign to do cover designs that led me to meeting some wonderful people and getting my first job on a project that turned out to be an anthology that needed a cover artist.
I continued doing this with incredible cheap prices, but it led to me being inspired enough to write again. I finished my first published work Maxwell Demon that year and then by same time the following year I had found steady work with my own clients and had by luck been found by Kindra Sowder of Burning Willow Press who hired me after I did the cover for a short story called Anima. It was a steady progression of advertising my skills at a price that was within or even below many independent authors’ budgets.
2. What is your biggest failure?
To date, I’ve done some covers I’m not proud of as I’ve enhanced in skill and gained newer knowledge in programs I didn’t originally work with. It’s like looking back on a high school yearbook photo and seeing how much you’ve changed since then.
3. What was the worst lie you ever told?
I honestly don’t think I have one. I’m the type of person that prides themselves on their honesty. If I had one it was probably something from my childhood, before I became self-aware enough to see that lying isn’t worth it.
4. Art, Advertising, Writing...those are tremendous creative outlets! What was the hardest project you’ve worked on?
The hardest projects for me are my own. I’m hyper critical of myself and my work. I want to do the best possible for all authors and clients I work with, but without a double the hardest things are what I do for myself.
Writing can be a struggle, it’s a marathon in and of itself as we all know that are in this end of the industry, the sloshing through the hours of writing to find upon revisions could be better and doing it all over again. I must really love it and have a passion for it or perhaps I’m a bit insane to keep doing it over and over. I struggled through the latest release Harvest on the grounds I didn’t like the way it was falling into place and removed several chapters just to re-write them.
Writing is the struggle, but the hardest part in that realm is the synopsis. How am I to condense this thing I’ve worked months on into a couple paragraphs that don’t give the entire story away, but is considered a ‘good summary’? Thank God for editors!
5. How would your friends describe you? And what about your worst enemy?
My friends have told me I’m easy-going, caring, loving, honest, intelligent, even hard working, and creative. I’ve even been time to time labeled wise and street smart in a business fashion. I suppose those fit. I see myself as a loving and caring for sure. I work really hard, but it’s because I love the work I do. If I didn’t the passion and fire to work hard wouldn’t be there for me; I thrive in environments like the one I’m in and Burning Willow Press, LLC makes it super easy to feel that way about the work I do for them.
I’m not sure if I have a worse enemy, but I’m sure any successes I’m having is bothering ‘them’ as hateful people tend to want to look down on others and demean anything they do to nothing so they can feel something themselves. I feel sorry for people like that. We all have moments of being jealous, we’re humans, but it’s the ability to overcome those moments to grow that makes us mature adults in an industry that can have catty times.
6. What is your creative Kryptonite?
Lack of sleep, it messes with me greatly as I’ve gotten older. It affects my memory now and that is not good when I’m on deadlines, schedules, and have things that need to be done like yesterday. One or two days of good sleep, going outside in the sun, and I’m recharged again!
7. What popular movie/book/music which others adore, do you secretly despise?
I’m not a big fan of many things that others deem awesome. I’m not the type to keep those opinions secret, so this has to be the hardest question to answer so far! I suppose my son’s constant singing of ‘Let It Go’ killed Frozen for me whereas many loved that movie, but I think many parents would agree with me on this.
8. What is the worst criticism you ever received? How did it make you feel?
It was on the work I unpublished, a reviewer said that story was cliché, which wasn’t something I did purposefully. It’s the worse I’d ever gotten to date, but I use all my criticism as footnotes to improve!
9. If you could have one “do-over” in your life, what would it be?
I love this question. I recently did a post on Facebook about if you could go back to your happiest moment in your life and do over from there would you. It actually is a question that inspired a story I’m working on. For me, personally, though I’ve gone through so much in my life that is bad I’d still not change anything. I’d go through it all again because it is the bad and the good I’ve learned from my mistakes, from my experience, and all that I’ve endured to be the person I am now. I’m more grateful for things now than I believe I would’ve been if I’d not gone through some of the things I have.
10. What was the last movie/book which made you cry?
I don’t really have a movie or book that made me cry recently. I get really emotionally invested sometimes; music does this a great deal for me and was the last thing that made me cry. I cried over a song from a band that my late father loved, Wizard by Uriah Heep. It brought up some feels.
11. Which creative trope are you the sickest of...and possibly caught yourself doing?
I try to avoid them as much as possible, but I get tired of seeing people trying to be like other authors for the sales. It’s a mistake I think a lot of newcomers do, it’s something you must learn from, but I’ve come across too many that want to be the ‘next’ Stephen King or Anne Rice with experience and growth they’ll eventually want to be the first –insert their name here- .
12. What is/are your most memorable scars (mental or physical)?
I have a wicked few scars from childhood. I’m not going to talk about the mental ones, there’s not enough space on your website for all that dirt.
13. Have you ever been in a fight/punched in the face? How did/would you react?
I’ve been in a physical fight yes. It was over quickly. As far as verbal…more than a few, thankfully with age I’ve gotten more to just biting my tongue and letting it go with an eye rolling. From where I came from this was something that was more common than one would’ve liked, but sometime things happen. You either stood up for yourself and those you care about or you let others run over you. I rather reserve my time and energy toward something creative even if it’s something I’ll delete like a death scene that may ultimately end up deleted.
14. You mentioned you plan on writing dark fantasy/horror. What draws you to this genre?
I think it was a natural pull. I begin with just writing. I wrote what I liked, what I read growing up. It wasn’t until later with some help from author Samantha LaFantasie that I knew what genres I fit in the best. Dark fantasy and horror was something I suppose I was inevitable to write in. My main goal is going, ‘I’m gonna write horror today’ It’s usually, ‘let’s write something that makes sense today!’
15. What genre do you think would never write...but might be good at?
Sci-fi. I’m in awe of sci-fi writers for their world building skills. I might be good at it I don’t know until I try though.
16. Which of the characters you’ve developed (written or graphically) do you most relate to?
Dante Angeloft from Harvest would be considered the ‘old’ me and Sophia Bishop the one I wanna be like when I get much older. I just like her spunk and feistiness! I see a lot of myself in my character of Dante, he was the one I began developing in my youth not even being aware of how much we were alike then, but I can see it now.
17. What is a distinct memory which makes you, you?
I don’t want to get too personal here, but there is a very important moment in my life when I looked at what was going on around me and I made the conscious decision to do better and be better than a relative of mine. It’s been useful throughout my life. I believe that happened when I was around eight or nine years old. This relative was and still a very destructive person.
18. Which emotion do you draw on the most when you create? No cheating, and saying “all of them”, gimme the good stuff!
Sadness is one of the main ones. I think we all have had things happen in our lives that have made us sad. This coupled with a genuine fear seems to be a natural combination. Fear of the unknown, a sadness of not knowing, again a fear of what might’ve happened or what’s happening. Sadness of being out of control, an anger coupled with that. I also see hope as a strong influence in my writing. The ability to overcome things that have frightened us or saddened us is powerful. It’s a subconscious feeling at first that slowly stirs like a sleeping dragon awakening for the first real time in a long time. It’s a beautiful emotion. These are the feelings I’ve drawn from real life experiences to make my writing as realistic as possible within the boundaries I’ve set for myself.
19. While sitting at your computer, you get an odd email. It is from an unknown address asking how you are. You ignore it as spam. Then you get another. And another. Each demanding you answer. When you close your browser, you hear a voice come through the speakers of your music player demanding you talk to them. The room drops 30 degrees and you know, you are not alone. You can have one weapon of your choice, three books and one luxury item...what do you do?
First I’d yell in exasperation, ‘Must be Thursday!’ and then grab my white sage or natural sea salt, a lighter, and three begin reading from a holy book. If it fails I got two different back-ups. Something will work. Lol!
20. What would you like fans and potential fans to know about you as a person?
Recently, I’ve been told that I give the impression, without meaning to of course, of having a reputation of being a mystery because I don’t like my picture taken or like webcams. I’m just a private person with high anxiety. I’m a laid back person that you can approach! I’m private, but approachable. I love when fans, readers, and supporters message me. Feel free to ask me whatever you want to and I may just answer as long as it’s not derogatory.
Additional Information:
I have a release coming out soon called Dawn of Blasphemy, its book one and two of The Blasphemer Series. What is special about this is its additional bonus materials that was voted on by fans in my fan group called Bachman’s Blasphemers.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/writerbachman/ - My Facebook page.
https://twitter.com/authorlbachman - My Official Twitter.
http://lbachman.wixsite.com/bachmandesigns - Art design website with portfolio of work, video trailers, and more!
http://lbachman.wixsite.com/lbachman - Writing website with blog and updates.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bachmanblasphemer/ - Facebook Fan group.
https://www.amazon.com/L.bachman/e/B00MMCPCZW/
My Amazon profile. I have a 99 cent sale going on at the moment on the first two books of my series called The Blasphemer Series and my short story bestseller Human Ouija which is a Blasphemer Branch Book.
