Interview with Severo Perez

Who are some of the authors you feel were influential in your work?

Authors who captured my imagination and took me for a ride on roads less traveled influenced me, particularly Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Flannery O’Connor, Anton Chekov, so many.

What are some day jobs that you have held?  Have any of them impacted your writing?

As a kid, I threw a paper route. I’ve worked as a laborer in a plant nursery, a department store clerk, sold ice cream from a truck on city streets, been a librarian, toiled as a bureaucrat, and served as a sailor in the US Navy. For over 40 years, I wrote, produced and directed scores of films for PBS, corporate clients and the education market. I have met numerous characters along the way who have provided colorful material for my writing.

Do you now or have you ever considered writing under a pen name? Why or why not?

I considered it, but, no. If I was ever lucky enough to make creative contribution, I wanted it to be under the name my parents gave me.

How has your formal education influenced or impacted your writing?

I went to college because I wanted to become a writer. At 18 years old, I read that a writer needed a well-rounded education; essentially needing to know a little bit about everything. History was a field filled with stories and essentially was about everything. I earned a degree in history with a minor in creative writing from UT-Austin. However, while in college, I fell in love with movies, especially the post-World War II French and Italian filmmakers, particularly Cocteau, Fellini and De Sica. A liberal arts education was an employment and cultural advantage for me.

What do you like to read in your free time?

Vintage mystery novels: easy, entertaining, and forgettable.

Do you have any writing pet peeves?

Commas!

What projects are you working on at the present? What do your plans for future projects include?

I have several stories in the works, besides the prequel and sequel mentioned earlier.

What does your perfect writing spot look like? Is that what your ACTUAL writing spot looks like?

I need a place with silence, a refrigerator, a coffee pot and a toilet nearby; my kitchen table for the last 40 years.

Do you have any strange writing habits or writing rituals you’d like to share with your readers?

I don’t think so, though others may disagree.

What’s something interesting, fun, or funny that most people don’t know about you?

I wanted to be a stand-up comedian but luckily ended up doing other things. I now write funny stories sitting down.

What are your favorite quotes?

“Making a film is a lot like a stagecoach ride in the old west. When you start, you are hoping for a pleasant trip. By the halfway point, you just hope to survive.”

–Francois Truffaut, playing the part of director Ferrand in the film Day For Night

And

“If you want a happy ending, it depends on where you end the story.”

– Orson Wells

What one piece of advice and/or mantra would you offer any not-yet-published authors?

Get the first draft on paper, the rest will follow.  All writing is rewriting.

What is something you want to accomplish before you die?

I’d like to finish the novel about a man who lived to be 114 years-old, based on the life of my grandfather.

What do you want your tombstone to say?

I often said,

“I look forward to being famous after I’m dead.”

How did I do?

Read more of the interview with Severo Perez on the March 30^th &

April 1st, 2022 features with Lone Star Book Blog Tours.