John Howell

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I tried writing a book while I was working. I guess I started in about 1993. I finally finished the book in 2000 and printed it off to edit. After fifty pages, I realized trying to write a book, and work just didn’t mix. I waited until my youngest graduated from college and then started writing full-time. That was in April of 2012. I have finished four books since that time. Oh and the original manuscript? I found an excellent use for it. The printed document that is over one hundred thousand words holds the laundry room door open. I currently live on a barrier island off the South Texas coast with my wife and spoiled rescue pets.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am getting ready to publish the third book in the John Cannon Trilogy titled Our Justice. The John Cannon Trilogy is inspired by my sister, and I making a visit to the Aircraft Carrier Lexington, which has a mooring in Corpus Christi Texas. Our father was a naval aviator and served on her during World War II. As I was standing on the flight deck which was massive, it was evident there was no way to protect this monument to America’s strength if a terrorist group decided to destroy her. Once I left the ship, I worked out a plan to destroy the Lexington and then a plan on how to prevent it. The story just grew from there. The other two books are titled My GRL and His Revenge

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if my habits are unusual but I demand of myself to write at least a thousand words a day. Once I have done my daily goal I am free to do other things like tackle the to-do list around the house. While writing I have to listen to music. I enjoy iHeart radio because I can design my own music and pipe it through Bluetooth speakers. I’m partial to lite rock and beach music.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was influenced by On the Beach by Neville Shute because I was impressed in the manner that he could make up a fictional situation and characters and craft the situation so that it seemed real. Kurt Vonnegut influenced me in several books by how he could use actual situations as backdrops to a fictional story. John Irving gave me the courage to write about whimsy and do it with a boldness that allowed the reader to believe the appropriateness of a sometimes outrageous situation to the storyline

What are you working on now?
I have finished the first draft of a book titled Circumstances of Childhood.It’s a general fiction story about two friends who dream of becoming successful business people and NFL stars. The protagonists are two friends named Curt and Sammy. Curt’s family takes Sammy in after his troubled mother slashes her throat during an Eagle Scout ceremony leaving him an orphan. Sammy and Curt are highly talented and go on to play for the University of Texas until an unfortunate accident takes Curt’s life with Sammy at the wheel of the car. Sammy needs to go on in spite of the oppressive guilt of his mother’s suicide and Curt’s death haunting him

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use a number of forms of social media to promote my books. The best method I have found is those sites which have a large following. I can think of Awesomegang and Ereader news as two of the best.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would advise anyone who wants to be a writer is to do just that write every day. Also, do not show your work to anyone until it is complete. Kindly comments don’t help, and critical comments stifle the motivation needed to write. One a piece is complete there is plenty of time to hack it apart and make improvements.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was from Elmore Leonard during a class I took from him. He said if your work sounds like writing then it is probably not good writing. What he was saying is overly descriptive scenes do nothing to move the story along and are frustrating to the reader. If a writer has an unfrustrated and happy reader the goal of goal writing has been met.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading only Indie authors. My current read is Passion & Struggle by Indie author John Feroavanti. It is a futuristic story about a fictional planet Genesis where the population has been governed by the same group of religious zealots for seven hundred years. The folks in charge decided that it would be wise to give democracy a try since a visit to the planet Earth impressed them on the advantages.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am currently thinking of another thriller where a cell phone is found on the beach and contains very sensitive information about terrorist plans. The couple that finds the phone turned it over to Homeland Security once they found some very disturbing pictures on it. The terrorists want the phone back and will go to any means to get it.

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 first would be Desert Island Survival for Dummies. The second would be the Canterberry Tales since I don’t know how long I will need to be entertained. The third would be a medical book for obvious reasons. The fourth would be Our Justice by John W. Howell because you never know if a rescuer needs a good read.

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