Member Spotlight: Steve Hodel

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing has been my passion for the past twenty-three years and has served as my megaphone to the world. The medium has allowed me to tell through my writings a factual story far greater than any fiction. A story that without books would remain unheard and untold.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? To be honest, in my now nine published books, I’ve never experienced writer’s block. Maybe it is because I have come to my desk well-prepared and backgrounded on my subject matter and that provides me the confidence to just sit down and begin the book.

What is your favorite time to write? Early morning 6 a.m. until about noon. Then I take a six-hour “break” and usually write for a few hours after dinner or not depending on how urgent I feel the need to continue for the day.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? I’ve pretty much been a “lone wolf” when it comes to writing and have never really received any outside “advice” but what really fills my tank is the kind words and encouragement I have received from my readers over the past two decades. As a true crime writer, I have through the years, received responses from more than a dozen “armchair detectives” many of whom have helped me put the puzzle pieces in place, and their “clues” have been included in my books.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? The technology easily allows us to reach out to multiple mediums. Print, ebook, and audiobook all at our fingertips to help spread the word. The fact that my first book, Black Dahlia Avenger became a NYT Bestseller proves that any individual with the will and the heart can become a writer. I had no training and I never expected to become a writer. But, time, and conditions “made it so.” In today’s world if you have the passion and the story all you need do is sit down and write it.

Steve Hodel’s Black Dahlia Avenger IV is out now with Thoughtprint Press.