Interview with Andrew Rivas, Author of A Nice Place Full of Good People

What’s the story behind the story? What impressed you to jot down A Nice Place Full of Good People?

In February of 2018, I tried suicide and was illegally held in a psych ward for seventeen days. I had at all times needed to be an writer however had by no means completed any manuscripts. Upon being discharged I made a decision to show the expertise into one thing productive and chronicle the time I spent there. I spent the following month in a hurried panic, desperately attempting to get my time there on to the web page earlier than it pale from reminiscence.

If you needed to decide theme songs for the primary character of A Nice Place Full of Good People, what would they be?

Kind of a bizarre reply as a result of the primary character is me, however Serotonin by Girl in Red suits very well.

What’s your favourite style to learn? Is it the identical as your favourite style to jot down?

My favourite genres to learn are positively science fiction and fantasy (most of the time a combination between the 2), and they’re additionally by far my favourite to jot down. Taking one thing that doesn’t exist and making it related to the human expertise, to our base fears and desires, may be very enjoyable for me. Writing ANPFOGP was rewarding, however difficult and really upsetting to jot down.

What books are in your TBR pile proper now?

I’ve been that means to lastly begin Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett; I hear the Discworld sequence is superb. I additionally simply purchased Candlekeep Mysteries, a D&D handbook, as a result of I need to attempt DMing for my mates.

What scene in your guide was your favourite to jot down?

The “extended metaphor” scene, by far. It’s really an amalgamation of three totally different conversations I had within the psych ward. Molly’s description of dependancy and my description of melancholy makes me tear up each time I reread it. I’m actually proud of it.

Do you’ve got any quirky writing habits? (fortunate mugs, cats on laps, and so forth.)

I write in bursts of twenty minutes or so. I discover it very onerous to jot down for prolonged durations of time; it’s a lot simpler for me to jot down in ten to twenty minute increments all through the day than to jot down for 3 hours straight. Not certain if that’s bizarre or not, however that’s how I write.

Do you’ve got a motto, quote, or philosophy you reside by?

I don’t have a singular motto I dwell by, however I attempt to be as type and understanding as I might be, and I worth empathy very extremely within the folks I select to maintain round me.

If you would select one factor for readers to recollect after studying your guide, what wouldn’t it be?

Even if it doesn’t really feel prefer it, you might be valued, you might be cherished, and you can be missed for those who do one thing drastic like I did. There are ALWAYS folks keen to speak; speak to household, name a assist line, speak to mates even for those who don’t assume they’ll perceive. Hell, e-mail me! Hurting your self isn’t the reply.