An Interview with Ohio Author Sean Seebach

 

An Interview with Ohio Author Sean Seebach
 
In October, I had the great opportunity to meet author Sean Seebach. Sean writes Occult Fiction/Horror and has a large fan club. It was great to catch up with Sean and ask him about writing, marketing, and more.
 
From Sean’s bio: “Raised in the Buckeye state in a town of no more than 200 people, Sean Seebach began writing at the age of 33. He's published two novellas, one novel, and a collection of short stories. His work has appeared in the anthology "Dig Two Graves Vol. I" from Death's Head Press.
When he isn't writing or working a day job, he enjoys reading, cooking, and listening to an eclectic variety of music. He currently lives in Ohio with his wife, daughter, son, and their little terror terrier, Bowie."

Welcome, Sean!
 
GM: What is the premise for your new book?
SS: Hey, Gina! Thanks for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be here. My latest release is The Buck Stops Here. It’s about a sheriff with OCD who sets out to solve the heinous murders happening in her town. If The Buck were a Syfy original movie, it’d be marketed as a Creature Feature, and would probably air in the middle of the night after a Sharknado marathon.
 
GM: What other books have you written?
SS: I’ve written a novel called Autumn Dark and a short story collection called A Looking In View.
 
GM: Take us through a day in your life as a writer...
SS: My life as a writer isn’t glamorous. No second story office where I’m typing away, occasionally glancing out a window overlooking the lake. I work over 50 hours a week as a retail manager. My wife also works and we have two young children. She supports my second job as a writer, so I’m able to write for about an hour each day, depending on the circumstances. I get one weekday off per week, and that’s when I usually get cooking with a cup of coffee and have a six-hour window to pound keys and scratch in a notebook before I get the kids off the bus.
 
GM: When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?
SS: When I quit drinking over eight years ago. I needed something healthier to indulge in.
 
GM: Most authors say that writing is easy, editing is tough, and book marketing is the worst. What are your thoughts on being an author, editing, and book promotion?
SS: Writing is the most thrilling puzzle you’ll ever try to solve. Editing is fun and can be enlightening if you’re involved with a good critique group and have trustworthy beta-readers, for example. That said, both writing and editing offer different challenges. Like with anything else, the more you practice and do the work (reading widely, for one), the better you become at recognizing what should stay and what shouldn’t. Because every story demands to be told differently (and the story is always the boss) you’re constantly starting over again. Kealan Patrick Burke once said, “The good news is your best writing is just ahead of you. The bad news is it always be.” I think that honestly sums up both writing and editing.
 
Yeah, most authors have it right: self-marketing can take a hike! I have no qualms with announcing a new release or speaking about it for a time, but this idea of being “available” for social media while real life ticks away in the background is kind of a tragedy. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s important, and I’m not that disciplined yet to devote the commitment it takes to be successful at self-promotion. My hat goes off to those that are. God knows I’ve tried to have an online presence before, but my attention is better spent with my family and the stories I’m telling.
 
GM: Who is your favorite author?
SS: I have many, so I’ll name one I recently discovered. Laird Barron, because he takes the most fantastical elements and roots them deep in our reality. You can’t help but believe what’s happening could happen. I read his novel The Croning twice in the same calendar year. It’s that good.
 
GM: What are you currently reading?
SS: Locked Away by Amanda Bryk.
 
GM: Are you a theater or movie buff? What is your favorite all-time production?
SS: Movie buff. The Shawshank Redemption.
 
GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...
SS: I encountered a group of devil worshippers in the backcountry during high school. I wrote about it online, and a production company used it for their tv series Evil Encounters. It’s like Unsolved Mysteries to the effect they interviewed me and filmed a reenactment. I learned two things: One, make sure you get paid for your time to do those things, and two, you’ll get edited in such a way that facts will be sensationalized.
 
I was in the backseat of my grandfather’s car, way before devices were a thing. So to pass the time, I always stared out the window no matter where we were going. One day, I witnessed the driver of a car purposely run into a guy on a bicycle in the parking lot of a corner store in north Columbus. The cycler tumbled over the windshield and trunk. The bike crunched under the front fender. Lots of yelling. Not sure whatever came of that.
 
I have an autographed, one-of-a-kind, full color sketch of Garfield from Jim Davis. The only one ever made
 
My 7-year-old son is a better drawer than I ever was and will ever be
 
My five-year-old daughter is the best choreographer I know
 
My three-year-old Terrier is the fastest dog in the county
 
My wife is as perfect as a human can get
 
I don’t deserve any of them, but am beyond grateful for having them in my life just the same
 
I like to cook. My go-to at potlucks is The Piggle. De-seed and dice fresh jalapenos, combine with a block of cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. Gut a jar of Half Claussen’s, fill the cavities with the pepper and cheese mixture. Wrap each one with two slices of bacon. Bake at 350F for twenty minutes or until the bacon is brown. Isn’t it nice to get a recipe online straight up, without scrolling through a five-hundred-word backstory first?
 
From junior high through high school, I was cut from the basketball team every season at tryouts. I’m stubborn and refuse to give up, which is why I’ll hang around this writing thing until it’s time for me to leave this place.
 
Connect with Sean
Amazon Author Page
https://seebachblog.blogspot.com/
Twitter
Instagram

Sean and Mirror Man at the Rocktober Book Festival, Nelsonville, Ohio 2022