Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’ve lived in Missouri most of my life, but I was born in Minnesota and still feel an affinity to it. I enjoy entertainment and arts of all sorts, but have a special liking for music, movies, and sports. I’m a born-again Christian, happily having found my Lord and Savior. I hate politics as a whole, but lean Libertarian in a lot of things.
I’ve written a lot of stories in my life, but I’ve published two novels: They and The Dawning. They is about a man who discovers an amazing story and simply has to write it. The Dawning is about a boy growing up in a post-apocalyptic country and discovering what his life is meant to be.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My books were published simultaneously, but I’ll discus They here. They was a book that spent almost seven years in my head before the first word was even written. I would think about high-drama scenes, character traits, and what message I wanted the book to have, and I slowly pieced it together. It only took me four months to write once I started actually writing, though. The main character They is everything I would like to be while being very little of what I actually am.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to have conversations with my muse, sometimes out loud. Quite awkward when someone else is in the vicinity.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always had a special love of classics. Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and C.S. Lewis are my favorites, with J.R.R. Tolkien and Stephen King also influencing me. Though I don’t write horror (and don’t care much for reading it anymore), I love how King can be so wordy, yet very few words are wasted. 1984 and Gulliver’s Travels both had an impact on me as well.
What are you working on now?
A sequel to The Dawning is in the works, as are two supplemental pieces to They. I’m also writing a story about an expansion baseball team that sets an MLB record for losses in a season, and a series of memoirs written from the point of view of a park bench,
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m admittedly a terrible promoter. I need all the help I can get.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be honest about your abilities, and get feedback from people who you can trust to be honest in their feedback. A gaggle of yes men never helped anyone.
Also, write with subtlety. Don’t tell me who a character is; show me who they are.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you’re good at what you do, and you enjoy it, nothing else matters.
What are you reading now?
The last thing I read was Where the Crawdads Sing. My new life as an independent author has left me little reading time.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The next book I finish will probably be the baseball one, though all of them have been started. I’ll go where my muse leads, though, as always.
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?
The Bible, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Count of Monte Cristo.
Author Websites and Profiles
J.T. Moon Website
J.T. Moon Amazon Profile