Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Joel Babbitt, and I’m a Lt Colonel in the US Army and a bishop in my church. I’m a happily married father of four, and yet still find time to write…
I’ve written 8 books, 4 of which are published.
Clan Lord is the first in a series of sci-fi shorts. It’s AWESOME! You should read it! And for only 99 pennies, who can resist!
The Trials of Caste (#1) and Into the Heart of Evil (#2) are the first two books of a fantasy series. They are a lot of fun, with intricate plots, humble heroes, and despicable villians. Oh, and did I mention that they’re all kobolds?
I also have a book on missionary work for the LDS crowd. Enjoy!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have been working very diligently on episodes 2 and 3 that come after Clan Lord. I’m right now going through the cover art, editing, etc process for episode 2 (Hunt Master) and I’m about 8K words away from done with episode 3 (Puppet Master). Hunt Master is AWESOME!!! It totally tears at the soul, yet makes you fly as well.
What inspired it? Well… so I grew up a red-headed, gangly, freckled kid among a bunch of people who didn’t look quite like me… so I had to learn to fight. Razz, the good guy in Clan Lord, does the same sort of thing. Through his own impetuousness and a stroke of good luck, he finds his true path among the clans of his home forest.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up at 0545 (that’s 5:45am in non-military speak) every morning and write for an hour before work. Is that so unusual?
What authors, or books have influenced you?
A bazillion. Okay, maybe only a couple thousand, but I’ve been a voracious reader now for about 35 years or so… so it’s hard to say. For Clan Lord, however, I would have to say Orson Scott Card and Bernard Cornwell, with a bit of B.V. Larson thrown in.
What are you working on now?
I’ve got a number of different projects:
– Hunt Master and Puppet Master (see above)
– Book 3 after Into the Heart of Evil: It’s written, but I’m editing, polishing, refining a few areas, etc. I want it to be everything my readers expect it to be, plus all they hope it will be as well.
– Ella Sister-Daughter: I’m a quarter of the way through with this one. It’s the delightful story of a Viking princess who just wants to make her own choices, despite what everyone else wants for her.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Kindle 99 cent promos so far, though I’m just getting into the free promos.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
First of all, write AWESOME stuff that everyone will want to read because it’s soooooo COOL! Then *publish* it!
Second of all, get an e-mail list and a website. Maybe facebook and blog, but those are really just time wasters for most authors.
Third, unless you all of a sudden become super-popular and your books just sell themselves, don’t read about super-popular authors, because none of them have a clue how their books actually took off and it will just depress you. Instead, read books on how to effectively market your books and be willing to put in the hard work of marketing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Kill your darlings” by Stephen King. What he means is that you must snip out the parts of your book that YOU love, but that your readers will find boring.
What are you reading now?
BV Larson’s Dust World, plus K.C. May’s Kinshield Saga, plus Samurai: the Japanese Warrior’s Unofficial Manual by Stephen Turnbull, plus Kindle Free Promo Hacks by Andrew Scott (it’s an awesome little book, but he needs a good editor), and I just finished This Kind of War (it’s military history)
What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing! Duh! Okay, okay. Ahem.
Next for me is to finish up episode 3 and 4 after Clan Lord and to get Hunt Master published. After that, it’ll be time to get book 3 after Trials of Caste and Into the Heart of Evil ready and published. Then, as a special treat, I want to get back to Ella Sister-Daughter (because her story is so fun!)
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?
My scriptures, the Encyclopedia Britannica (That counts as just one, right? Right!), the entire collected works of all british authors who write great stuff, and my journal so I could finally catch up in it (and a pen or two, of course). Okay, maybe I cheated a little on this question…
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