Cory is the author of the winning story from my 3,000 followers story contest! You can go listen to it right now on my podcast!
How long have you been writing?
Technically I’ve been practicing for ten years now. Closer to twenty if you count the terrible comic book series I drew for my Mom’s birthday when I was maybe six. I’ve been published for almost two years, though.
What inspired you to become a writer?
When I was a teenager I always had story ideas spinning in my head, and I wanted to tell great stories and be a published author. More recently, independently produced series like Rooster Teeth’s RWBY and games with strong story like The Last of Us really set a fire under me to get my work out there and start making cool stuff that bring people joy. I want to write someone’s favorite story.
Are you published anywhere?
I have a couple of books on Amazon
You can find me on Goodreads as well if you want to leave reviews(which would be sweet of you)
And I have loads of free stories, and my blog that’s about everything and nothing, over at my personal website.
Which of your written pieces is your favorite?
That’s tricky. I’m biased towards the last story in Cemetery Plots, my book of short stories, titled “Hallowed.” It’s the first story I ever wrote featuring Millie Hallows, who has become a favorite of mine to write, and she’ll have her own full-length novel soon!
In what genre do you write?
I’m all over the place. I’ve written contemporary/urban fantasy, traditional fantasy, horror, and even one or two literary romance pieces. I love telling a good story that has a little something unique about it. I think there’s always something about my stories that puts them just a little left of center, and I think that off-beat nature has kind of become my style, for better or worse.
What is the most challenging part about being a writer in the genre you’ve chosen?
Since I write pretty much anything, the challenge is that you kind of have to build reader bases around each genre, because not a lot of people read across multiple genres, which is something I didn’t know when I was just starting out. But I get to learn about a lot of different types of stories, and I get to talk to all kinds of readers, which is awesome.
What writer(s) do you look up to?
I love Jim Butcher. My Millie Hallows books are like a love letter to The Dresden Files and Supernatural, so Eric Kripke would be another inspiration, I guess. Really though, you have to have some kind of magic on you to keep a TV show going for thirteen years and counting.
I also want to be as prolific as Terry Pratchett one day, and perhaps a third as absurdly funny, because I doubt I’ll ever touch him on that front.
Do you have any funny stories about your writing adventures?
This Summer I diverted my and my girlfriend’s vacation trip by about three hundred miles and 6+ hours so we could drive down to New Orleans and cross the 24-mile long bridge that spans Lake Pontchartrain, the same way Millie does in a book I’m working on. Maybe that’s more concerning than funny. The impressive thing is that I still have a girlfriend after all that. But she’s a Cajun girl, and she got a New Orleans seafood dinner out of the deal, so she wasn’t in the mood to complain.
Do you have any encouraging words for those that want to write?
Just keep going. Your first stories are not going to be great. My first novel is collecting dust on my hard drive because I wrote it in high school and it’s basically unreadable. I got better. A lot better. And I’m still getting better. You’ll get better too. If you love the stories, it’ll be so worth it. Just wait for the first time someone reads what you wrote, and you get to see their face light up, and you know that your words did that.
Is there anyone you’d like to promote?
My girlfriend, Bianca, is a brilliant theater/film costume designer and cosplayer. You should go follower her on Instagram @theupsidedowngirl
Where can we find you on social media?
@TheBestTomo on Twitter is a good place to talk to me personally, and you should absolutely do that. I also have an author page on Facebook @IAmBestTomo, where I promote my books and other stories as they go online, and occasionally I post other funny things.
Thank you so much to Cory for taking the time to answer these questions. Be sure to check out his website and follow him on Twitter! Also, don’t forget to listen to my narration of his winning story on my podcast.
Augie Peterson 