Understanding “Stigma: Wicked Rebirth” with Author Thomas Goyette!

Today we have Thomas Goyette with us. He’s the author of Stigma: Wicked Rebirth, a visionary action-adventure story that’s sure to appeal to fantasy readers. Check out our interview with him!

Thomas Goyette has a lot of interesting things to tell about his writing process along with some great advice for aspiring authors.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Thomas Goyette, a 25-year-old author from Massachusetts. I recently graduated from college with a BA in creative writing, where I honed my skills as a writer and published my first novel shortly after graduation. I tend to spend the majority of my days in the clouds, daydreaming more so than paying attention to reality. I am a homebody by nature, but I spend the majority of the nicer parts of the year out in nature, going on hikes, or surfing.

How long have you been writing for? When did you realize you wanted to become an author?

I began writing in elementary school, or at least my interest was sparked then. We had this quirky storytelling program where one could paste pictures of dragons and buildings onto a page and write a story around it. Through middle school, my focused turned to poetry, being as I could express my emotions on a page. As my writing advanced, my poems became longer, and my rhyme schemes more complex until they were nonexistent. I began to write prose thereafter and finished my first novel in high school, promptly deleted it and began plotting what would become Stigma: Wicked Rebirth.

Are there any other writers who’ve inspired you?

I take inspiration from authors like C. Palahniuk, B. Sanderson, Ram Das, A. Huxley, Orwell, H. Black. I tend to mix fantasy with spirituality and questions of the minds ability to cope with traumatic events or environments.

Tell us a bit about your writing process.

I spend a lot of time sleeping. My dreams fuel my writing. I have been an avid lucid dreamer for years, beginning in my late teens and at this point in my experience I can’t sleep/dream without being lucid. I like to believe that my writing feels real because I am speaking from experience.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? Any tips to deal with it?

Meticulous outlining. When I can’t write actual content I will analyze and take notes on minor and major events, characters, and locations. I will find inspiration in the few core scenes of the piece, the scenes that I am most excited to write. I will start with those, even if they are scattered. What helps me is jumping chapters and then filling in the voids. For Instance, I may write Chapter 5, then 11, then 30, then 22-25, then 40, then somehow I am able to write 6-10, and so forth until all of the gaps are filled.

Tell us about Stigma: Wicked Rebirth. What kind of readers will it appeal to?

Stigma is a visionary action and adventure novel that begins with a sort of hero quest. While the MC and her friends do what they set out to do, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is a happy ending. A fan of my work will enjoy adventures with magical and fantasy aspects, they will be comfortable with ideas of spiritual nature, enlightenment, and supercharged fights.

Any advice you would like to give to aspiring writers?

Take your time. I wrote the main manuscript for Stigma in a month after losing my job, and then it took me a solid two to three years to take that first draft and re-write, edit, and polish it into what it is today. Also, hire an editor. I am just a poor post-grad fighting student loans, so the concept of spending $700-$1500+ on an editor was daunting. I opted to edit myself, which was great, but trust me- you will miss things. After publishing, I pulled Stigma off of Amazon for a week to do one last run through, and have caught no errors since. My point being, even when you think you are done- you are not. It is very exciting to finally get your work out there, but take your time, please.

Any opinions regarding indie/self-publishing and the traditional route?

If you can land a solid agent and go the traditional publishing route, that’s fantastic, do your research on the company and make sure they are giving you what you want. Double check your royalties, your rights, and your contract a solid seven times, then once more. If you land a big name publisher, even better, rake in that advance and those royalties.

For me, it made more sense to indie/self-publish, being that Amazon nets a solid 70% royalty just for being exclusive with them, which is far more than I would receive otherwise. The trade-off is that I have to market on my own and reach a smaller audience, which was comfortable for me to get my feet wet so to speak. If you go with a publishing house you will make less per sale, however, you will reach a much larger audience.

Are there any upcoming works you want us to know about?

I am currently about 40% through Book 2 of the Stigma Series, title pending. It is fully outlined and I am currently practicing that writer’s block tip mentioned earlier. I am hoping to have the first draft finished by January 2018 and am hoping to publish by June of 2018.

How can readers contact you?

I prefer being contacted by email at Stigmaseries @ gmail dot com. However, I do have a Twitter handle as well as a Goodreads account.

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Stigma: Wicked Rebirth is currently available on Amazon.

Have you read Stigma: Wicked Rebirth by author Thomas Goyette? What did you think of it? Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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