Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I guess you could say that violence began my journey, because I would never have been alone for hours in a college library while my mother finished her classes for the day if not for a military takeover that led to us leaving Liberia for the U.S. In Liberia, I had cousins to hang out with, in America; I dressed, acted, smelled and even ate differently from everyone else. I didn’t have a close friend until a year after we came to this country. Books filled in the gaps. I read everything I could get my hands on. I disappeared from my mother’s side in every store we went to but she never panicked because she knew she could always find me wherever the books were.
Eventually, I wanted to harness the magic for myself and I started to write. My first story featured my best friend, Jay Michael Watson and I being shrunk down by a mysterious ray from space to six inches. I don’t know exactly how I picked six inches, maybe I wanted to be small but still be able to tower over my GI Joes. Anyway, I stored that story and others like it for years in one of my mother’s discarded college three ring binders. Eventually some well-meaning adult told me that writing wasn’t a good way to earn a living and I started to let my dream die slowly.
My mother and my Aunty Womi were both constantly urging me to publish, but I was always intimidated by the prospect of multiple rejections. I never doubted that I would be rejected. All of my literary influences, including both Roberts (B. Parker and E. Howard) experienced rejection at one time or another. To paraphrase Jesus, “The student is not greater than the master.”
I didn’t write creatively again until college. Professor Earl Braggs made me not only keep a journal but also create three pieces of original, creative fiction. I couldn’t stand that class! I was more interested in pledging a fraternity and girls.
I wrote random pieces here and there, even edited the Black Student Association’s campus magazine but I focused my energies on nonfiction pieces for the most part. Then once again, some well-meaning adult brought up the years of rejection writers face and the low wages entry level journalists earn. Strangely enough, no one brought up the possibility of me freelancing to build exposure and hone my talent while working another job to pay bills.
Again writing fell by the wayside.
Then one day while sitting next to a howitzer outside Fallujah, Iraq, bored but grateful that no one from the other side was currently shooting at me, I idly picked up a notebook and started to write. I completed twelve chapters of that novel while deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. Unfortunately for my writing, I eventually returned to my day job as an insurance claim adjuster and had no more time to write. This time though, I’d seen how my life could be and I was dissatisfied with a future spent in a cubicle even if I had the only one by the window.
I ditched the cubicle and worked electrical construction for the next five years. With a little more free time, I freelanced for the now defunct e-zine Digital Media Buzz and loved every minute, cranking out a tech article a week despite being woefully ignorant about tech topics and working ten hour days as an apprentice electrical lineman!
I contacted potential sources at 6:00 p.m. after I got home and in front of my home PC, this was in the early days of cellphones before smartphones made the Internet readily accessible. Because most of my sources were on the West Coast, my contact efforts would get them in the afternoon when they were either winding down their days or else I’d just schedule an interview for the next day. My pitch was always, “I tell you what, let’s talk at 9:00 a.m. your time so you have a chance to get in the office and get settled before we talk.” They loved that I never tried to jump on them first thing in the morning. The real reason was that 9:00 a.m. for them coincided with my construction crew’s 12:00 noon lunch break! I’d jump in a spare truck by myself, break out my digital recorder and make my call. Lunch was only thirty minutes long, so I had to be concise with my questions if I wanted to be able to eat. I’d wind up the interview, telling my source that out of respect for their schedule, I’d just email any follow up questions and they could respond in the same way. They definitely loved that! But I couldn’t have them calling me at random times while I was in a ditch laying PVC pipe now could I? Anyway, despite all of that, I prided myself on never putting out a single article that looked like it was written by someone who just climbed out of a ditch.
After DMB folded, I was a little at a loss. The best time in my life seemed over. Then one day, my son Marshal turned off the radio while we were running errands around town and requested that I tell him a story. And that’s how Zac was born.
I live far enough away from Atlanta to avoid having to help pay for the long neglected sewer systems but close enough to enjoy its legendary traffic. This gave me plenty of time to give Zac a girlfriend and problems to both of them. I’d stop the story when we exited the Jeep and he’d pester me to resume whenever we got back in it. He was so into Zac’s and Mya’s story that I gave him the printed manuscript as a fifteen birthday gift. Just holding that bound manuscript from Staples snapped some of the fear chains off of my soul.
I have one published work, a completed manuscript currently in the cover design process and another that’s about to go to editing.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title is “Pit Stop (A Different Kind of Giant)”. I created it originally to enter in a magazine contest. I felt my chances of acceptance by traditional publishers would improve if I already had a fan base for the characters in “A Different Kind of Giant” so I created “Pit Stop” as my entry. When it was rejected, I decided to try indie publishing. So I imposed a deadline on myself and started to do all of the things an independent author does. I paid for the copyright on my work, editing and cover design. Finally, on December 14, 2013, I became a published author. I stared at the notification email that “Pit Stop” was on the site for about twenty minutes before I could talk enough to tell my wife. Dream come true.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My family thinks it’s hysterical that if I get an inspiration, I’ll stop what I’m doing and immediately go jot it down! Maybe weird is a better word, but I’d rather have a wet carpet ’cause I got an idea in the shower than lose it and be kicking myself later!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As far as the writing process, there are many, but Robert B. Parker’s stuff stands out. Especially the Spenser series. Todd Strasser’s “Boot Camp” is a recent read that I really learned a lot from. Oddly enough, I’ve picked up a great deal from reading the acknowledgments section of Eric Jerome Dickey’s books especially Chasing Destiny, which describes the process of building a character from a writing workshop and his “Gideon” series, which are helpful in talking about the process of entering a new genre. I enjoyed actually reading those books as well, but EJD’s acknowledgements are like taking a day workshop.
I love Robert E. Howard’s work, especially Conan and Solomon Kane, because of his ability to create multi-dimensional characters who defied then conventional wisdom to essentially create a new literary genre! I like the Bran Mak Morn stories too because they show how he developed along the way to creating Conan.
James Byron Huggins showed me that action heroes don’t have to be faithless or agnostic to be compelling.
The Batman stories, especially Frank Miller’s take on the character, and EJD’s “Gideon stories” showed me how to build a tragic backstory into a character.
In terms of my approach to this business, I’d have to say Michael Sullivan, Hugh Howey and Amanda Hocking as well as Charles Saunders, the creator of the Imaro series. Concurrent to my rejections from publishers and literary magazines, I learned that Riyria creator Michael J. Sullivan’s work was rejected for ten years but took off when he self-published. That night, I saw an article from the March 8, 2013 edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution discussing Hugh Howey’s success with the “Wool” series. I have that article on the wall in my office and I still read it occasionally. Charles Saunders, author of the excellent “Imaro” series, (if you enjoy sword and sorcery grab it!) was the first author who I saw begin as a traditional author then switch his product to print on demand. Information like that really influenced my move to indie authorship.
What are you working on now?
Primarily, I’m promoting “Pit Stop” and trying to learn all I can about this business. I also have a blog that I update weekly but I try to write something every day even if it’s just a series of tweets.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now, Twitter and Facebook seem to be the most successful methods but I’ve got some other irons in the fire right now that may pan out as well.
I also learned that simply connecting what I read and review any way on Amazon to my own writing is a way to attract readers although I don’t necessarily only read in the genre in which I write.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. ACT on your dreams. Remember the barrel ride? If you wait until the river is smooth and free of attackers before you start the journey, you’ll never get anywhere.
2. PAY for editing. Too many author published books have reviews that begin with, “Could use an editor”. I’ve read somewhere that one negative review has a greater impact than five positive ones. I tried using friends and family as editors. No Bueno. But I was too green to know where to get help so I sent out an SOS on LinkedIn and Denise Fuller answered. She’s been a Godsend; insightful, patient and supportive.
3. PAY for the copyright! Do I really have to explain this one?
4. DON’T be social media obnoxious once the book is out. I just saw this again in a great post by Jason Matthews and basically that means don’t pull a John Greaves III and generate tons of posts urging people to buy your book, thanking people for buying your book, etc. all with helpful hyperlinks to your sales page to people you barely know. Thankfully, I’m past that.
5. KEEP writing! You don’t know which one of your books will resonate with readers and all books don’t grab all readers. However, people tend to buy multiple books by authors they like, so write a lot to increase the number of fish hooks you’ve got in the water.
6. BECOME a student of your craft! You are a wordsmith. What good would the finest swords be if the blacksmith never learned the path to getting his sword to market where warriors could buy them?
7. CHECK YOUR PRODUCT SALES PAGE IN ITS ENTIRETY! I couldn’t understand why readers who viewed my book also were viewing some pretty risqué romance novels until I scrolled all of the way down and discovered that Amazon had mistakenly listed my book under erotica! That also meant that Pit Stop was excluded from general searching and difficult to find by my young adult target audience! This was at Christmas time when I was trying to take advantage of any new Kindle sales. This took several phone calls and emails to resolve but I’ll never know how bad the financial impact was!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Three things stand out:
1. I’ve heard this from several authors through the years but I most recently read it in a blog by Charles Saunders, “…concentrate on writing good stories with fast-moving plots, compelling characters and intriguing backgrounds. Readers will be attracted to those stories provided they become aware of the stories’ existence.”
2. From Joanna Penn, “Authors are owners of a small business whose product is their writing. Ultimately, no matter if they have agents, publishers etc. or not, they’re responsible for the marketing and quality control of the products that business puts out”.
3. From Professor Earl Braggs at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, “Trust and distrust your intuition”. Not every 3 AM inspiration is a winner, but not every idea is a loser either, hone your instincts to be able to tell the difference.
What are you reading now?
Fiction: “Fargo” by John Benteen, this is a reprint of a classic adventure series following a soldier of fortune from the early 1900s. After that I’m planning on picking up the “Black Pulp” anthology edited by Tommy Hancock, Gary Phillips and Morgan Minor.
Non-fiction: “My Father, My Father” by Sam Soleyn and Nicholas Soleyn. I just finished “With: A Practical Approach to Informal Mentoring” by Alvin L. Reid.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The prequel to “Pit Stop”, titled “A Different Kind of Giant” is in the cover development phase and will be out in March. Fans of “Pit Stop” will get the chance to see Zac and Mya’s backstory and experience the twists and turns that led them to a motorcycle ride in Alabama. The book after that, “It’s Not The Size Of The Dwarf In The Fight” is the sequel to “Pit Stop”, taking us back to Zac’s hometown in Rhea County, TN where he encounters a dog fighting ring. That’s going through the editing process right now.
After that, I’m switching gears to complete a manuscript for a historical fantasy novel, featuring Cain, Abel and Jesus Christ. That one will surely cause some controversy.
So my year is pretty packed out.
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?
I’d want the Bible and “Cain” by James Byron Huggins for inspiration. I’d also want Kon-Tiki Across The Pacific On A Raft and the SAS Survival Handbook to help me get out of there.
Author Websites and Profiles
John Greaves III Website
John Greaves III Amazon Profile
John Greaves III’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account