Dog Eared & Read: Tell the readers, what got you into writing? How long have you been at it?
Vanessa Rodriguez: I got into writing so I could write a book that I wanted to read. I was tired of all the modern dystopian literature being liberal and I wanted to write a dystopian story from a conservative viewpoint. I started working on my debut novel, Critical Acclaim, October of 2019.
Dog Eared & Read: How would you describe your genre and style and how has your writing evolved?
Vanessa Rodriguez: My first two novels, Critical Acclaim and Justified, are part of my Tales of the Keeper quartet, so they are high-concept, genre-bending, political thriller, speculative dystopian adult fiction with romantic elements.
The novel I'm currently working on is action/adventure fantasy. I like high-concept stories with lots of characters 🙂 My goal is to write all across the board in all different genres. I don't want to limit myself to only one genre.
Dog Eared & Read: Tell the readers a bit about yourself.
Vanessa Rodriguez: I’m a 29-year-old writer based in San Antonio, TX. I received my bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from The King’s College, New York City. After spending three years studying the likes of John Locke, Adam Smith, and Karl Marx (to name a few), I decided to finally write a novel incorporating political philosophy into a fictional story.
Most people know where they stand on the political aisle, but they fail to view their politics through a philosophical lens, which is what I attempt to do through my debut quartet, Tales of the Keeper. When I’m not writing, I enjoy traveling, reading, and spending time with my husband and our three fur babies (two cats and one dog).
Dog Eared & Read: You talked about the dystopian genre as a favorite of yours, with inspiration from George Orwell and Ayn Rand. What are aspects of their writings that most struck you, and why does that style of writing resonate in the modern age of 2020?
Vanessa Rodriguez: Ayn Rand and George Orwell were such forward-thinkers. They predicted everything that America is currently going through right now, and could have avoided if more people would have read their works as warning signs and not as guidelines.
Dog Eared & Read: Describe what writing projects you have completed, their basis and meaning, and what’s next for you.
Vanessa Rodriguez: So far, I have completed the first two novels in the Tales of the Keeper quartet: Critical Acclaim and Justified. The quartet takes place in the near-future, in the fictional country of Katmear, and follows the United Commoners Party as they gain complete control of the country, and the Dissenters, who are segregated to the outskirts of society.
The story follows the Dissenters as they fight for equality in a country desperate to eradicate their very existence. Through the quartet, I hope to show Americans the horrors of communism and what happens when you relinquish your individual rights for the collective "good". I'm currently working on a third novel, but I'm taking a break from Tales of the Keeper until the first two get picked up for representation. My third novel, currently unnamed, is an action/adventure fantasy novel.
Dog Eared & Read: Anything else not asked but that you want to add in?
Vanessa Rodriguez: Follow my author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalesoftheKeeper
In the coming days, Dog Eared & Read will feature an excerpt from Vanessa's upcoming novel, "Critical Acclaim" here on The Prattlon Hub. To find out more about Vanessa Rodriguez, follow the hyperlink on Dog Eared & Read from her landing page to her website, or explore direct at vanessarodriguez.net.
Dog Eared & Read helps writers at no cost to build viewers on the Prattlon Hub. For more information, email us at prattlon@mail.com.
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