Kill your ex goodbye – Author Interview with Romain C.G Esteban (@dinorom)

About the Author

Romain C.G Esteban is a fiction author and hopeful romantic on a mission to inspire his readers through heartfelt and often macabre storytelling. Deeply influenced by the works of R. L. Stine and Joss Whedon, he strives to make his mark in the horror fiction scene while also paying homage to the greats.

Romain’s writing journey began the moment he first picked up a pen. What started as fanfiction and jotting down dream recollections ultimately turned into self-publishing his debut novel (“Pourquoi Tuer Son Ex”) in 2017. A year prior to that, he earned his Associate’s Degree in English Language and Literature from Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, where he pursued courses like crime fiction and judicial investigation psychology to create more thought-provoking plots for his books.

When he isn’t writing haunting love stories, you can find Romain binge-watching horror movies, going on adventures around the world, or in deep thought. He is also well-versed in all things Pokémon.

Qn 1: Can you tell us more about Kill your ex goodbye, What is it about?

Of course! I’d be happy to, let me try to sum it up.

This book is really about how to move on from a bad breakup, or more generally from real heartache. It is not technically a wellness or recipe book with all the answers on how to heal, but more a gory and sensual fiction novel.

We follow the journey of this young gay man who came all the way from France to California to study English and ends up falling madly in love for the first time with a handsome American guy named Oliver.

It’s almost like a diary, some kind of confession as if the narrator wants to draw the reader in to be his witness. You can see the texts, emails and communications that the two characters exchanged, and you gradually get to observe the relationship being built and then destroyed.

It’s a beautiful love story, until one day the difficulties of reality turn everything into a living nightmare.

You know one’s first love is quite a big deal, and some people never recover from it. That’s the case of the poor Frenchie in this story. And as Cher rightly said once ‘Do you believe in life after love?’, this story asks the same question while suggesting a rather dark and drastic solution.

Qn 2: Who do you think would be interested in Kill your ex goodbye, is it directed at any particular market?

I think this book is for everyone, as long as you are aware that it stages a gay couple and contains gory passages as well as many sex scenes. Provided that you are ok with that, then you’re good to go!

I honestly first wrote the book for myself, as putting down into words what I felt really helped me with my own heartache. However, the intention behind the publication of the book was to share this story with as many people as possible who are going through a rough time after losing someone they love. Of course, every story is different, but I do believe that the pain and incomprehension we feel after a bad breakup over which we have no control can resonate with everyone.

So if you’ve ever dreamt of doing horrific things to an ex, then this book is perfect for you -ahah-

Qn 3: Out of all the books in the world, and all the authors, which are your favourite and why?

Hum that’s a tricky one! It’s really not easy to choose just one, but I think I would have to go for Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The reason behind this is that I never ever wanted to read it in the first place! I always said ‘There is no way I’m reading a literary novel (written in epistolary form on top of that) with that many pages’ (although when you think about it, it isn’t that many…). I loved the movie and I was so scared of being disappointed or getting bored by the book. Until one day at University one of my teachers asked us to write a paper on it. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything faster! Ahah I absolutely loved it.

Now when it comes to my favourite author, I really can’t choose only one, but I guess that’s the game and I have to go by the rules so I am going to say R.L. Stine just because ‘Goosebumps’ has always been a guilty pleasure of mine.

Qn 4: What guidance would you offer to someone new, or trying to enhance their writing?

I know this is probably going to sound super corny, but I personally think that the key is yourself. There is nothing as good as experience, and I am not talking about years of writing, but rather the simple fact that you can add a bit of you in to your writing already makes it 100 times better, even when it comes to non-fiction. It really isn’t easy to create something original and unique, but what can be more unique than the person writing it?

I have met a lot of writers who like to comply with the standard templates and ways of writing, but sometimes it’s fun to disobey, and I do really think that the more fun you have writing, the more fun the reader is going to have.

Qn 5: Where can our readers find out more about you, do you have a website, or a way to be contacted?

I do not have a website -yet- but one day I promise I will drag myself to a web-development class and learn how to do it properly. Meanwhile, for the people who can’t wait and are absolutely dying to chat with me (I mean why not, right? -ahah) I can be reached on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram :).