Conversations with Robert Eujean Ogden

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Eujean Ogden

Hi Robert Eujean, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
That is a tough question to be brief for! haha! That’s why I wrote this book I’m promoting. Haha! My career began in motion pictures. I started out as a production assistant for indie production companies. I worked my way up to DreamWorks Animation where I was a Central Production Coordinator. After that I produced a few albums of music under the moniker, Swallow Key. But my career as an author was always waiting for me. The pen was never far away. I started writing short stories and poetry as a child. When I won a Power of the Pen award when I was eleven years old, I kind of tucked writing up my sleeve. As a film student at SCAD, I began writing short screenplays. Over the years I’ve kept detailed notes, always knowing the astronomically improbably tragedies that were chasing me would one day need to be told. So it was certainly a calling to begin my career as an author with this memoir, Eclipse of the Mourning Star.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Of course not. No. Hard no. To me, art by nature is a metamorphosis. It’s the struggle to emerge from the chrysalis that gives the moth the strength to flutter about smacking into walls, and freaking people out. I guess that’s how I am as an artist. I mean, what wasn’t a struggle really? From finding a way out of my small town to finishing college to crossing the country alone, finding a job and the courage to continue changing forms.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an author living in LA. I’m known for my work in the film production world and as the musician Swallow Key. But I am by far the most proud of my first book, Eclipse of the Mourning Star. I took great pain to craft these words over 5 years. I even went as far as to narrow down my repetitive words in multiples of sacred numerology. In a book that features the loss of my entire family this created a scenario where I was touching the most difficult experiences in my life hundreds of times a day. Many think this process would be cathartic … far from it. So I think what sets me apart is my process. I love doing extremely difficult tasks. Such as recruiting the 33 artists that are featured in Eclipse of the Mourning Star. Every chapter has a different piece of art. The artists are friends from 7 different countries. It took about 4 years to write the book, and another year to gather the artwork. It was much like wrangling cats.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
My definition of success varies daily depending on my energy. Some days success is winning a prestigious award. Other days it’s simply getting out of bed. But for Eclipse of the Mourning Star, success means reaching people in need of a course correction. One mantra I’ve used throughout writing this book is “if it can help one other person to enjoy life again then it will be successful.”

Pricing:

• Eclipse of the Mourning Star – Hardcover $42.99
• Eclipse of the Mourning Star – Paperback $32.99
• Eclipse of the Mourning Star – e-book $9.99

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eclipseofthemourningstar.com/category/all-products
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert_eujean_ogden/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569901410765
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberteujeanogden/
• Twitter: https://x.com/EujeanOgden
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Robert_Eujean_Ogden
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/swallowkey
• Other: https://www.threads.net/@tatteredscrol