“I met a lot of really great people at the Agents & Editors Conference last year, and it showed me that there was a thriving writing community in Austin.”
-Robert Ashcroft
A member of the Writers’ League since 2017, Robert Ashcroft lives in Round Rock, Texas.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
Robert Ashcroft: I primarily write science fiction these days.
Scribe: What author would you most like to have a drink with, and what’s the first question you would ask them?
RA: Friedrich Nietzsche. I would ask him to analyze his legacy from the viewpoint of the twenty-first century.
If we are talking fiction it might be Ryu Murakami. I would ask him if Frank the American, from In the Miso Soup, is all in Kenji’s imagination. I have a lot of thoughts on what this might mean–for the story in the literal sense and also for Japanese/American relations in the metaphorical sense.
With non-fiction (and I realize this is cheating), it would definitely be Jon Ronson. He’s had his finger on the pulse of the crazy that was boiling up around the world for decades, and his works should be required reading in schools. I would ask him what keeps him up at night these days.
If we are talking poetry (this is the last one I swear), I would ask William Blake, “What’s all this I hear about a rough beast, slouchin’ around?”
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
RA: The Brothers Karamazov. I could study it alone on an island for years and there would still be things left to discover. Or maybe Ulysses. These are books that I read before I was really capable of understanding what they had to offer, so I should really re-read them at some point.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League?
RA: I met a lot of really great people at the Agents & Editors Conference last year and it showed me that there was a thriving writing community in Austin. These connections led to workshops, critique groups, and a lot of really good friends.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
RA: So much of writing is based on community. Mostly I would love to stay in Austin for a few more years and really just enjoy the city.
Scribe: Here at the Writers’ League, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down?
RA: There are so many good books. I’m good friends with Alexandra Burt, so Remember Mia and the Good Daughter should be on everyone’s list. I just finished Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias as well, and it was an amazing read. I also really enjoyed Atomic Sea, by Jack Connor, though it came out a few years ago.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
RA: I want to write novels that I’ll be proud to read in forty years. The Megarothke was a huge part of my life and will be going forward, but I would like to add a few more books to the shelf in the coming decades.
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Thanks, Robert!
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