* Twenty-Five Questions with author John W. Howel
* Visit John’s blog, Fiction Favorites, at http://johnwhowell.com/
- Do you consider yourself a logophile? If so, have you always been? I have been a logophile since I was in the third grade. I started looking up words without being told to.
- What is your favorite color? Has to be coral.
- Where were you born? Where did you grow up? I was born on the mean streets of Detroit and grew up there until my Freshman year in High School. We moved to the suburbs then.
- What is your favorite football team? Pittsburg Steelers
- Who is your favorite author? Kurt Vonnegut
- What is your favorite book? Has to be Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut followed by Catch 22 by joseph Heller.
- What do you do when you are not writing? I am restoring my 1978 Toyota FJ 40 Land Cruiser
- Do you have a day job as well? I do not have a day job. I am a full time writer, I do occasionally consult with big business types.
- Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? My advice would be to write every day even if it is only a few words. Do not worry about building a platform until you have at least one finished work ready to go. Then start the next and begin building a marketing plan.
- Is being a writer a curse or a gift? Writing is both. The gift is when others enjoy the work and understand exactly what you had intended to convey. It is a curse when the opposite occurs which it always does.
- Where do you write? I live by the Gulf of Mexico so I write at the dining room table which has a view of the water.
- Do you prefer silence or some noise while you write? I like 70’s rock when working on a novel and silence when composing poetry. I actually wrote my current novel listening to my iPod. I put it on shuffle and use noise reducing earplugs for a total wipeout.
- What do you typically drink while writing? I drink water. I have a pint Mason Jar that I fill with ice and drink away. On Friday night a similar jar is filled with Margarita and consumed after the writing is done.
- What challenges have you had in regards to your writing life? The only real challenge came after I decided to go the traditional publishing route. I did a lot of queries and finally landed a contract.
- When did you first start and when did you finish your book? I started my book on April 1 (no joke) and finished August 8th. It was a total of 89,000 words.
- If your book is made into a movie, which actors/actresses do you envision playing the parts? I would like Matthew McConaughey to play the role of my protagonist John J. Cannon. I have a nice part for Gwyneth Paltrow as well.
- What does your protagonist think of you? Would he/she want to hang out with you? John J. Cannon is a San Francisco lawyer who wants to take a leave of absence to become a charter captain. He comes to visit the town I live in and we have become fast friends. I sometimes have him over fro dinner or we meet for drinks at one of the local bars. He has a 65 foot Hatteras Coverable fisherman boat so he is a good friend to have.
- How do you market your book? What avenues work best? My book will be published later this year by Martin Sisters Publishing and I intend to do book signings, local interviews, special book events and a bunch of social media marketing.
- What has been the toughest criticism so far? Really haven’t had any however I believe there will be some.
- What has been the best compliment? My editor said the voice was strong and the story well paced
- Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? I have some vignettes that are based on experience but the story line is totally made up.
- How did you come up with the title? The working title is My GRL which is the name of John’s boat
- Will there be a sequel? yes. The main evil doer gets away and we need to get him in the next book
- What project are you working on now? I am 60,000 words into the sequel and trying to master some poetry forms
- What question did I leave out that you’d like to answer? Do you do any other kind of writing? Well, I also write short stories and have done some copywriting
Please fill in the blank: Keep Calm and Kick Some Butt while Writing On
Keep Calm and Write On 