Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Not really much different from anyone else. Did not grow up with parents, adopted at age 13, bullied all throughout grade school. Developed depression and anxiety. Always been adventurous, trying new things. Military after grade school. Then college then dropped out of college. Lost in life, no one to talk to; however, married. Always exhausted. Started writing because there doesn’t seem like an end to it. I have written four books to this day.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
That would be Hair Health & Nutrition: Taking Excellent Care of your Hair, Ends and Scalp with Vegan inspired Food Subjects. And, it was inspired by my wife, her mother, her friends and my friends; and their stories about their hairs’ challenges, obstacles, and health as well as history and understanding.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am not sure if they would be deemed unusual, I am just a usual normal person. My writing habits are usually tied around the pressure of my current activities. If I have a lot of activities to do today or a lot of activities on my plate, then I would have to complete them first. I also must write while at work (boss may not like this). I can’t write at home. I feel like my anxiety is to blame for that because I feel there are way too much more important things to do. Like fixing the paint trimmings in my living room.
And also, I can’t just write piece by piece. Once I have my theme and my tone, I need to put my thoughts on paper. I can always edit and replace and reorder later. The most important thing is getting the thoughts out of my head onto the paper. To be honest, it took me just under 3 days to write The Bitcoin Reserve, and 7 days to write The Black Craft. It took weeks to edit and make it look good though.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Other authors I like are Joanne Murray, not only do her books inspire me but her creativity; Khaled Hosseini, I really loved the scenery in his Kite Runner novel-even though it was a book, in between the pages were words that painted clear pictures; and William Copper, I like his book of course, but more importantly his method of research is sublime.
What are you working on now?
I am honestly working on my first fiction piece, but I have been working on it for a while now. Nonfiction is definitely easier to write, but fiction is my favorite. With nonfiction, I feel limited to facts and opinion, but with fiction, I can create a whole universe based off of a completely false reality that I created.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, Amazon has been my best method, but I am also still looking for other avenues.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Just because you can write doesn’t mean you can sell. While you are writing or before, start looking for avenues of promotion and marketing. My mistakes were finishing books and then learning how to market them. If you can market your book well, chances are, you’ll your book before you’re even finished with it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ve heard a lot of good advice, so it’s hard to say really. What I can say, is the advise that I remind myself every day: Less excuses equal more results. Simply put. And sometimes it sucks because there are some really good excuses out there, like: “The mail carrier doesn’t run today.” Ok, I get it. You can’t control that so why not just let it go right? Well, if you use that excuse, then you don’t get your paycheck today – which means you don’t eat – or worse, your kids don’t.
Let’s try it without an excuse. “The mail doesn’t run today” – wouldn’t there some kind of national announcement about this BEFORE the mail doesn’t run? There would be. Therefore, you would know that your paycheck would not arrive on time to buy food. “Less excuses equal more results” states that you need to be accountable for your actions and for your lack of action.
What are you reading now?
I am on my 42nd read of the Art of War by Sun Tzu.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I really don’t know. I want to conquer my anxiety and be able to take walk without thinking I’m wasting time.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Mein Kampf by Adolf
Behold a Pale Horse
The Cuckoo’s Calling
and The Silkworm, just in case I liked the first one.
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