Today we’d like to introduce you to Roanna Flowers.
Hi Roanna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started performing improv around 2010, about 4 years after I relocated to Austin from Portland, OR. I had been struggling with writer’s block for a while (or what I thought was writer’s block at the time) and needed another creative outlet that might help me break down that barrier and also meet new people. I started writing comedy sketches, meeting other writers, and in 2012 or so started writing short films. In 2014, I wrote the screenplay for the comedic short film #RIP, which showed in over 30 festivals worldwide, winning awards along the way. I realized part of the reason I wasn’t succeeding in writing novels was that I wasn’t being true to myself. I loved comedy, and I’m good at it. The moment I decided to write comedic fiction was the moment it all turned around for me creatively. I have now completed two comedic novels, with a third in development and a fourth planned. I credit local author Amanda Eyre Ward and her novel workshop. It was truly life changing.
In 2017, I had the great fortune of going to the Writers’ League of Texas Agents & Editors Conference to pitch my first novel to agents. While it was WAY too early for that, this conference gave me the greatest gift: the opportunity to meet other writers who have since become dear friends and collaborators. Not wanting to lose the community I had just found when the pandemic forced shutdowns In 2020, I bought a zoom membership and took the meetings online. We have been meeting monthly ever since and have even published a collaborative short story collection, Mixed Bag of Tricks.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Let’s see: Since 2020, we’ve had political upheavals and a worldwide pandemic, and now AI. So I’d say it’s been smooth as butter!
The biggest struggle for any creative endeavor, to say nothing of a community/group, is momentum–keeping it going. And I have a stubborn refusal to lose momentum with this community. In fact, we’ve grown! We now have over 25 members across the spectrum of fiction genres, non-fiction, and poets. The members of the Armadillo Authors Society, our writing group, actively support one another–not just by cheering one another up and on, but sharing our expertise. We read for one another. We show up at events. We buy each others books (and review them). And, yes, we provide a safe space for venting.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I write literary comedies–what I’ve coined as litcoms. My first novel, Too Much Heaven, is a screwball comedy. My second, which I will be querying this year, is a satire in the vibe of Blazing Saddles. I also run a writing group of over 25 female and female-presenting authors and in 2025 established a micro press–Cackle Books–which is going to focus on publishing comedic novellas up to 30k or 40k words.
I’m an extroverted writer, so a bit of an oddball among oddballs. I love promoting my work and my writing group’s work. I love making relationships with local booksellers, and I never get tired of talking about books, movies, writing or the writing process–or hearing how other writers work and what inspires them. My background in improv has also helped me develop a comfort on stage. As I’m writing this, I’m planning to host my 2nd book launch event in two months, and I’ve never met a reading event I haven’t liked. I take every opportunity I can to read my work for audiences and connect with people.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
My first-grade teacher said I was most likely to grow up to be a standup comedian (and there is a part of me that wants to try it), so I’ve always been this way. I have always enjoyed entertaining. I wanted to be in a band (who doesn’t) when I was a teenager, took up electric bass for a while (inspired by Kathy Valentine of The Go-Gos). I was always the one who made people laugh, class clown but with an A average.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cacklebooks.com/ and https://www.roannaflowers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roannawrites/
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/roanna.bsky.social
Image Credits:
Roanna Flowers
