BookWenches

Interviewed by Bobby

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Josh Aterovis to our little corner of the 'net. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Josh! 

You wrote your first novel, Bleeding Hearts, introducing teen sleuth Killian Kendall to the world in 2001. What inspired you to write Killian’s story? Did you set out to write a novel for young adults, or were you targeting a larger audience?

I started writing Bleeding Hearts because I couldn't find any gay-themed stories I wanted to read. I grew up in a small town on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland and our tiny library had no gay books — at least that I was aware of, and I'd read pretty much every book in the building by the time I was in my late teens. I hadn't planned on writing a young adult novel. I was always planning for it to appeal to a wide audience, but I'm very glad it's resonated with young gay people. Luckily, while it's been labeled YA more recently, it does seem to appeal to all ages. And Killian ages with the series, so it won't always be YA.

Your second novel, Reap the Whirlwind, can be considered a spin-off of Bleeding Hearts rather than a sequel since it features Killian as a secondary character. What motivates you to pen a sequel versus a spin-off – do your characters demand to have their stories told?

Well, you summed up the heart of the answer in that last part of that question. [laughs] The characters really do dictate the story. When I finished Bleeding Hearts, I had introduced a minor character named Aidan, Killian's cousin. I was watching Jeopardy one day and one of the answers was the phrase "reap the whirlwind," and I thought, that would make a great title for my next book. Within minutes, I had this whole romance came to me involving Aidan and a new character named Will. The characters were pretty insistent, so I decided to go with it and just spun it into a mystery since that was what I was most comfortable writing. That became Reap the Whirlwind. You're right in that it's more of a spin-off than a direct sequel. All Lost Things would be the first true sequel to BH.

In All Lost Things, you introduce a paranormal element to Killian’s story to accompany the mystery. Will we be seeing more of the paranormal as Killian’s story progresses, or was this ghost story a one-off?

You'll definitely see more supernatural elements as the series continues. The next couple of books continue to deal with Killian's struggle to accept and understand his Gifts.

Your website indicates that you are a professional artist as well as author. Tell me a little about that. Why did you choose to specialize in watercolor?

I started working in watercolors because I was offered free lessons by an acclaimed watercolor artist. Simple as that. [laughs] He was a family friend and saw some sketches I had done, and decided he wanted to foster something he saw in them. I ended up running his art gallery for several years in exchange for lessons. He was an incredible mentor, and he and his wife became dear friends. I paint in the purist tradition, which means I don't use white paint. Any white you see in my paintings is the white of the paper. I don't paint as much as I used to. It's been years since I got a commission and I no longer have studio space, which makes it harder. The market just isn't there for art these days, sadly. Maybe when the economy turns around and people have more discretionary funds for luxuries, I'll pick it up again.

Has any particular artist has influenced your painting style?

Just my mentor, Robert L. Barnes.

If you could visit any museum in the world, which would it be? Why? What exhibit would you head to first?

I've never been to the Met in New York City. I'm dying to go. And the Louvre, of course. And about a dozen other museums I can think of off the top of my head. I love museums. Any kind, really. I don't know what I'd head to first, but ideally I'd like a couple days to really explore the whole place. I like to wander through slowly and take everything in.

In terms of having an outlet to express your creativity, do you find either writing or painting trumps the other? Or do you find that they each satisfy a different creative need within you?

Writing is definitely my passion. I enjoy painting, but when I had a choice of which I wanted to really make my career, it was an easy choice. They do serve different creative outlets, but I also find I can't do both well at the same time. I have to be more focused on one or the other. It's like I have to shift creative gears from visual to mental.

Your bibliography is extensive. As well as writing your novels featuring teen sleuth Killian Kendall, you write and interview for Baltimore OUTloud Paper and AfterElton.com among others. Tell me a little about this. What inspired your “Rules of Gay Dating” article series?

I've been writing for AfterElton.com for four years now, and just started writing for OUTloud about a year ago. I do interviews for both, which is a lot of fun. It's great getting to talk to people I watch on TV or listen to on the radio. I think my favorite interviews have been with Kristine W and Billie Myers. They were both so smart and interesting and down to earth.

When I started writing for OUTloud, I was asked to write a relationship column about the trials and tribulations of being a single gay man in Baltimore. I was fairly newly single at the time, and had been lamenting the fact that after being in a relationship for my entire adult gay life, I had no idea what the rules of dating were. No one else knew either, so I decided somebody had to write them and it might as well be me. Hence, the Rules of Gay Dating were born. It turned out to be a popular series. Seems a lot of guys (and girls...they apply to the ladies too) would like to know the rules!

What has been your goal as a writer? Have you achieved it yet?

I have several goals as a writer. My primary one has been to touch people with my words, and that's an ongoing goal. I'm honored to say I have achieved it, but it's not a one time thing. I want to be able to leave a legacy that continues to entertain and help people long after I'm gone. On a more practical note, eventually I'd like to support myself entirely on my writing. I haven't achieved that one yet. [laughs] 

If you had to choose one of your works (stories, articles, whathaveyou) as your favorite and the finest example of your work, which would it be? Why?

Bleeding Hearts is still my favorite. Every reader has their own favorite, but BH will always hold a special place in my heart, and the letters I still receive from people telling me how much it meant to them make it even more special to me. And I still love the story. Of course, every writer also loves whatever new project they're working on, and I actually think that writing-wise, my next book, The Truth of Yesterday, is probably my best work.

I see that your books are available in both printed and electronic versions. Do you prefer one format over the other? Why or why not?

I'm not just a purist when it comes to painting; I also still love a real, solid, paper book. I love the smell of the paper and the ink, the feel of it in my hands, curling up in bed with it. I don't have a e-book reader, so maybe I'd love that too, but I don't think it would be the same. Still, I think e-books have a place in the future of publishing. I don't think they'll ever entirely replace real books, but it would be foolish to ignore them.

Most writers read a lot. What is your preferred reading genre? What authors and titles might I find if I took a look at your library shelves? What about music? Do you prefer rock, jazz, big band music…silence?

I read a pretty wide variety of books, everything from mystery (you'll find Agatha Christie, Marcia Muller, and Nancy Drew novels on my shelves), to fantasy (Mercedes Lackey, Lynn Flewelling, Susanna Clark, and new favorite Galen Beckett), to general fiction (I recently fell in love with The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follett). I also read lots of YA fiction and LGBT fiction.

I'm something of a music whore. I love music, and all genres of music, everything from classical and opera to hip hop and rap. I probably listen to acoustic folk rock the most, though. Patty Griffin is my favorite artist. Ever. In the whole wide world. I've been told my musical tastes tend to run to the lesbian end of the spectrum, but I enjoy some Lady Gaga now and then, too! [laughs]

How do you want to be remembered by future generations? If there were an encyclopedia or a “who’s who” a hundred years from now with an entry titled “Josh Aterovis,” what would you want it to say?

Wow. That's a hard one. I think I'd just want it to say I wrote good books. If I leave a bigger mark than that, I will have definitely died happy.

What are you currently working on? Do you tend to work on one project at a time, or are you a “multi-tasker”? What can you readers expect to see from you in the not-too-distant future?

I'm definitely a multitasker in that I always have several projects going on at once, but I have to focus on each one individually. I never know when an assignment is going to pop up from AE or OUTloud, and I have my regular column with OUTloud, but aside from that, I'm always working on at least two or three books at a time. Usually, I'm editing one with my publisher while rewriting the next one and working on the rough draft of the one after that. Oh, and I also edit for my publisher as well. As in, other people's books. It gets to be a lot sometimes, but I like being busy.

Tell me a little bit about yourself – family, pets, hobbies? What do you do for relaxation and enjoyment?

I come from a large family but we're not especially close these days. We just live in different worlds. I'm probably closest to my parents and my sisters, but even that has been fairly rocky at times over the years, they being very strict Southern Baptists. Although, my father, a retired minister, recently read Bleeding Hearts and Reap the Whirlwind. I was floored. I never in a million years expected him to read them. It made for some awkward holiday conversations, but he actually liked them, aside from the "objectionable content," as he put it. You know, like the gay sex, murders, and curse words. [laughs]

No pets these days, and no real hobbies to speak of unless you count drinking beer. Which I do. I don't really have time for hobbies. I spend time with friends to relax. No matter how busy I get, I always make time for my friends. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed.

Please let us know how we can find out more about you and your writing – websites, blogspots, etc. How can we go about purchasing your work?

These days, the best way to keep up with me is to add me on Facebook or MySpace . Those get updated much more regularly than my actual Website. You can purchase my books through any bookstore (brick-and-mortar or online) or order signed copies through my website.