We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robbie Dorman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Robbie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I wish I had started sooner. When you ask most writers how long they’ve written, almost all will say they’ve been writing their whole lives–it’s just a matter of if and when they choose to pursue it professionally. And as I’ve done it professionally longer, I can’t help but think how much further I would be in my career if I’d taken the leap earlier in life. If I’d taken the plunge right out of college, instead of waiting into my 30s.
But then again, those years spent pursuing other careers, or learning about myself–perhaps I would have never gotten where I am now without that time.

Robbie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Robbie Dorman, indie horror author, and I’ve published fifteen novels in just over five years. I’ve always written, and the horror genre has always spoken to me, and provides a space that I can explore the stories I want to tell the most.
I describe my horror as thoughtful pulp, or smart trash, etc. I use stories and archetypes that people often think of as low brow and use them to explore social topics, or to highlight societal fears that are topical, like climate change or untrustworthy news. I also occasionally dip into more fun stories that aren’t quite as heavy. I’m prolific, and write in all sub-genres of horror.
I believe in horror, meaning that I think the genre is quite agile, and able to tell lots of stories, and oftentimes, when people think they don’t like the genre, I think it’s largely because they haven’t been exposed to the right story, or they misunderstand it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Humility, at least to a certain degree.
If you ask a lot of writers, they’re timid. They’re afraid to share their work, or they’re unsure of their own skill level.
But humility will not sell your books. Or your work as a creative, in general.
Surely, you temper everything with humility, but when people ask if they should buy your books, you must boast. You must tell them they’ll enjoy your work, and you must believe it when you say it.
Obviously, don’t be obnoxious. But if you don’t love your own work, and don’t believe that someone should spend their hard earned money on it, and don’t speak confidently to that belief, success will be hard to come by.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have a lots of goals, and I’m very goal driven, constantly setting myself new ones, and pushing myself to achieve more, year after year. However, there is an overarching goal, somewhat nebulous, that I always have in mind, from the macro perspective down to the micro perspective.
That goal is to change the world.
Sometimes it sounds a little silly, even to myself. How can a horror author change the world? But I think it echoes back to the old refrain of “think globally, act locally”. I want to make an impact. I want my books to be known, I want to be widely read. I want horror to be respected as a genre. I want to change the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.robbiedorman.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/robbiedorman