1. Tell us about yourself and your most current project/s?
My name is Robert P. Ottone and I’m an author and teacher from New York. I’ve been fortunate enough to win two Bram Stoker Awards for my writing, and my most well-known novel is probably The Vile Thing We Created.
My most recent novel is The Navigator, the third part of my young adult trilogy that started with the book that won me my first Bram Stoker Award – The Triangle.
2. Where did the inspiration/idea come for this for this project?
I wanted to tell the story of a young girl dealing with nightmarish possibilities. She’s haunted by a dark event in her past, but also struggling to deal with the special way she sees the world. She finds inner strength during a routine salvage mission into The Bermuda Triangle, after the world has been flooded due to sea level rise. I really just wanted to write a strong young lady that my niece could look up to. I even named her after my niece.
3. What does the writing process look like for you?
Most of my weekday time is spent in the classroom, so I traditionally write on weekends. Lately, I’ve been writing in the evenings when I can squirrel away the time. It’s difficult because after school, unless I’m really juiced about an idea, I’m too spent to really do much of anything, but lately, it’s been a productive time. I’ve got a lot of projects cooking currently.
4. How do you handle writer’s block?
I don’t really get writer’s block, to be honest. My biggest struggle is having enough time. I’ll never run out of ideas or inspiration, so writer’s block is not a thing I ever worry about. The well is full. Finding time to draw from it is the hard part.
5. How do you feed your creativity when feeling drained?
I never feel creatively drained, however; I find myself inspirationally drained a lot of the time. When that happens, I watch one of my favorite movies that’s close to the genre of whatever I’m working on and it always juices me up. Other times, I talk to my buddy John Collins, who’s also an author, and I’m reinvigorated.
6. What advice would you give writers’ who feel stuck or uninspired?
Get some dirt under your nails and go outside and live a little. Get some reality in your bones. You’ll want to retreat back to the weird little world you’re building in your head soon enough.
7. Have you ever thought about giving up writing? If so, what pulled you back?
Writing is a hobby for me. It’s not my real job, so in a sense, if I were to give it up, it wouldn’t make much of an impact on me, beyond needing an outlet for creativity. I’ve never thought about giving it up, so much as I’ve thought about dialing back on my commitments. Unfortunately, that will not be happening in 2026, as I have a new novel coming that could potentially be my biggest to date, so I’m gearing up to go hard in the paint to promote it.
8. How do you keep your voice or ideas fresh over time?
It’s all in how you look at something. Every story’s been told. Once you realize that you’re not really contributing anything beyond your voice to the thing you’re writing about, you’ve really got nothing to lose. Get weird with it. Get silly with it. None of it matters, so go insane and tell the craziest story you can.
9. What do you wish more people understood about the creative process?
That, quite literally, your creativity is all that matters. If you wake up every day and check your reviews, that’s a wrap on your sanity. Stop caring. Stop giving a damn about what other people say. As RuPaul says, “if they ain’t paying your bills, pay them bitches no mind.”
10. What is the most honest thing you’ve ever written - and did it scare you?
The project I’m writing now is the scariest thing I’ve ever written both for personal and historical reasons. I’m legitimately worried about what will happen if this book sees the light of day.
Where can my audience find you and/or your work?
You can find my work on all the various websites to purchase material. Amazon is the easiest, obviously, but everyone hates them now, so maybe order from a local bookstore? Either way, review it wherever you like, I’d appreciate it! I can be found primarily on Instagram and Letterboxd, those are the only sites where I have any fun. Add me. Message me. If you liked my books, or had a question, hit me up, I’d love to hear from you.
My new book, Amityville Awakens, is coming from Clash Books on 10/6/26, we just announced it, and I’m super excited for it. Any podcasts or venues looking to host an event, I’d be down!”
Social Media:
@RobertOttone on Instagram
@RobertOttone on Letterboxd