Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a laid back kind of guy, pretty easy going. I love traveling and seeing new places, and hate spending my entire days in front of the TV. i have been writing all my life, though I’m sure a lot of writers say that. I’m a humanist, agnostic and politically independent. Which is typical of me because I always try to see the issue from both sides of the fence and find common ground somewhere in the middle. I also am a huge fan of Ghostbusters and Star Trek.
I have written 6, including two novellas. I have self published two of the six, though I’m making plans for a third sometime in the future. It takes me close to a year to get the books in proper shape, usually other people have to read it at least three times. Me probably double that amount.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, “Say It Ain’t So”, is inspired by a Weezer song by the same name. It’s actually in the story, at a pivotal moment. That, and I thought it made a wonderful title and fit the story very well. Once I began editing it for publication I kept looking up copyright laws, I was so worried about that because while writing it I had no intention at all of sending it out into the public, I just wrote it as the story demanded it. Turns out, I could mention the song and band name but that was it, and since the title is pretty generic I was okay with using it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have no set writing schedule, which honestly bugs me something fierce. I get mad at myself! Pretty silly, I’m sure, but i have a huge issue with self discipline. I wish i had a set writing time every day, but for some reason I am just a mess in such matters, so I sit down to write whenever I can.
I also tend to listen to a lot of music while writing, and usually it’s stuff that fits the tone and feel of what I’m writing, just like a film soundtrack (actually, I kinda make my own fake soundtracks to the books, geekiest thing I probably do).
I also write with a typewriter connected to a computer via a USB port, which is probably weird to some people I’m sure. The typewriter allows me to work slower, so I’m doing more thinking and being careful with my words-among a lot of other valid reasons.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many. I actually have a stack of them sitting on my writing desk. The first novel I ever read was The Gunslinger, by Stephen King. I was huge on King back in the day, then it was Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger. That novel blew my mind at the time, I was a junior in High School and Holden’s story really showed me that a novel could speak to a person without having to be in a universe where dragons or zombies exist, it could be something far more relatable. I think ever since I read that in some way i’ve been trying to follow the same path.
I was also greatly influenced by hunter S Thompson and Jack Kerouac. i pair the two of them because they’ve influenced me in similar ways. They’re both literary rebels, extreme and loud and alive and I was enraptured in their tales. I wanted to venture the world beside them, and I think in many ways their high powered writing made its way into my work.
There are so many I think I’d be here all day….but really I try to draw influence from everything I can get my hands on. Even the worst novel in the world can teach you something.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on short stories, with the hope of sending a few out to some publications. I also have a handful of early stuff i’ve posted online that I want to drastically revise so that they’re not so embarrassing (and maybe post a few more new things).
Next year I’ll be editing my third novel, and hopefully still working on the short stories. The idea is that having something published will be a feather in my hat, because i want to go the hard, long way. I don’t want to stay in self publishing, as great as the indie author community is, i want to make my way to the bigger pond.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
From the experience i’ve had, it’s Goodreads. I have a lot of other indie authors who read and review my book and i do the same for them, and once the reviews started coming in, people started to take notice. I would just go to all the groups I participate in, and just start posting all over the place. There are many people who are far more stern than me, they shove their books down people’s throats. Some of them get more readers, but I think a majority of people are pushed away. DON’T BE LIKE THAT.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you really, really want it, then be prepared to work yourself to the bone. You have to draw blood. No matter which choice you make, indie or major publishing, it is a battlefield not for the timid or scared. But if you love doing it and want it out there in people’s hands badly enough, all of the hard work will be worth it.
In other words, fight hard and never quit. Never, EVER quit.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Even if its crap, get it on the page”.
I wrote that in bold permanent marker on a three by five card and posted it on my wall, I love it so much. Just get it down, and don’t worry about how it is until later.
What are you reading now?
A collection of 50 short stories from the late 1800s to the 1950s, and….Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace, which is killing me at the moment. It’s a work of genius but….maybe too much genius for my taste.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Walking further down the road i’ve been on the past four years. I’m studying english in school, writing and reading in my spare time, trying to learn all I can about the craft. Itching towards more and more exposure, and hopefully, someday, major publication.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Just ONE? That’s impossible, just thinking about it my brain melts. I’ll try and write a small list of them, how about that?
The Catcher In The Rye – JD Salinger
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald (easily everyone’s favorite)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson
On The Road – Jack Kerouac
A Farewell To Arms – Ernest Hemingway
Dubliners – James Joyce
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest – Ken Kesey
The Dead Zone – Stephen King
Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Ok so that’s more than a few, I couldn’t stop myself.
Author Websites and Profiles
J.C. Henderson Website
J.C. Henderson Amazon Profile
J.C. Henderson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
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