Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Diamond.
Hi Steve, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an accountant and an author. The accounting stuff is all boring, so let’s talk about the fun, writing-related things. For me, it all started by working in a bookstore. A Waldenbooks back when they still existed. I met a new, local author by the name of Brandon Sanderson, and we became friends. I ended up setting up some monster signings for him, all the while he got me interested in writing. I went to conventions, started a book review site, and made as many connections as I could to get into the business of writing. Pretty soon after that, I met Larry Correia, who became an amazing friend and mentor to me.
I went from writing short stories, with my first sale in 2009, to having my first novel, RESIDUE, published in 2015–which was a whole crazy fiasco. Larry Correia and I were asked to write tie-in fiction for a game company, but they crashed and burned, so we took the idea to Baen–in my opinion, the best traditional publisher out there. They bought the book, SERVANTS OF WAR, and it was published in early 2022. I also released a collection of my short stories, WHAT HELLHOUNDS DREAM, in 2022.
It’s been a wild ride. I’m currently collaborating with an extremely talented and successful independent author, M.A. Rothman, on a series of thrillers, writing the sequel to the fantasy novel I wrote with Larry Correia, and working on my own horror and sci-fi novels.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road was never smooth. My publisher for my first novel went under. Then the second publisher who picked it up went under, too. Plus, through all this, trying to maintain a successful career to pay the bills made writing very difficult. And I was laid off late 2022.
There’s no such thing as a smooth road.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m known for being a Horror author. It’s strange because when you look me up, you see Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Supernatural, Thrillers. But even with all that, people know me for Horror. I think the difference is how I take elements of Horror and blend them into other genres. I do it in a way that makes people enjoy something they think they typically wouldn’t. My most frequent feedback is, “Dang, I’m not really a person who likes Horror, but I love how you brought that stuff into that story.”
These days I’m also known for being the co-host of the WriterDojo podcast with my friend and co-author, Larry Correia. I couldn’t be prouder of the podcast. We give no-nonsense, no-B.S. writing advice to thousands of weekly listeners. They write us weekly, telling us how we’ve given them the tools they need to become better writers. Being able to help young writers become established authors is amazing.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
There are so many people out there telling young authors what they CAN’T do. It’s ridiculous. If I would have listened to all the bad and negative advice I received over the years, I wouldn’t be an author today.
Contact Info:
- Website: The WriterDojo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveDDiamond
- Twitter: @SteveDiamond80
