Meet Zachary Astrowsky

We had the good fortune of connecting with undefined and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Being a student, managing my homework, extracurricular activities, and writing has been quite the challenge over the last few years. It hasn’t been until recently that I finally figured out a schedule that works with all of the things I have going on. When I first started writing, I was very spontaneous and didn’t have a daily goal. This caused me pressure, stress, and all of the other fun things you get as a reward for procrastinating. Currently, I have a weekly schedule that includes writing one thousand words a day and this has really helped me stay focused on finishing the sequel to The Uncontrolled. While homework still comes first, I am still able to make time for writing, lacrosse, and hanging with my friends.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Some of the feedback I’ve received surrounding my debut novel, The Uncontrolled, has shown me that my biggest strength has been creating a piece of work that causes readers to be unable to put the book down. An amazon review by a mother stated that the day after my book arrived at their house, her son “feigned and upset stomach and stayed home from school. He read the entire 300+ pages that day and is eagerly awaiting a second book!” This has really influenced the way I write because I’ve started to focus more on the endings of my chapters in order to cause my readers to want more. The feedback I get has made me interested in creating a form of entertainment since I was 10 years old. Writing at that age was difficult because I couldn’t sit down and concentrate for long periods of time, but since then I matured enough to be able to create story lines in order to create the work I have published today. As my writing years continued, I’ve learned so much more about writing that I wish I knew when I first started. In school, I’m still being taught the basics of writing and I hope I will never stop learning about it because I find it one of the most interesting subjects that I get to learn at school. While I can send many messages out to the world through my book, the world knowing about my book would be enough. I write to get my mind on paper, and if someone else likes what I do, that is enough for me to continue.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I got the chance to show someone the area, it would have to be in the winter because the summer heat in Arizona is unbearable. Besides the weather, fast food here is the most popular, but I know a few locations that are not as popular, yet still have amazing food. These places include Burrito Express, Yogi’s Grill, and U.S. Egg. Maverick Coffee House and Coffee Plantation are also amazing places to go to if you need an energizer. My love for lacrosse has caused me to know about many parks in AZ which I would definitely take someone to in order to get some fresh air. Aside from the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff is a really cool area to visit. Top golf is a great hangout place even if you’re not good at golf and I can vouch for that from experience. Lastly, Fashion Square Mall is the hot spot for having fun and hanging out because there is so much to do especially with a Tesla store where you can sit inside of the cars and blast music while all of the customers awkwardly stare at you.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom. This is an obvious choice because the amount of support and help I’ve received from her throughout my writing process has been extremely important to my success. I definitely wouldn’t have gone this far if it wasn’t for her. Next comes my dad. Duh! He is the person that sparked my interest in fiction works and was the one to show me all of the amazing series such as The Avengers which has greatly impacted my love for creating stories. Lastly, all of my English teachers and writing conference speakers have immensely helped me in my writing skills and got me to where I am today. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to put my ideas on paper.

Website: www.zacharyastrowsky.com
Instagram: zachary.astrowsky
Twitter: ZachAstrowsky
Facebook: zachary.astrowsky
Other: Link to Paperback Book: https://www.amazon.com/Uncontrolled-Hiding-Cant-Robotic-Smiles/dp/173529280X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2D0S6NZQELN88&dchild=1&keywords=the+uncontrolled+zachary&qid=1598065086&sprefix=the+uncontroll%2Caps%2C272&sr=8-2 Link to E-Book: https://www.amazon.com/Uncontrolled-Hiding-Cant-Robotic-Smiles-ebook/dp/B08FRL72FJ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598065086&sr=8-2

Image Credits
Headshot: Rachel Anne Lewis Photography