Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After graduating with a degree in journalism from San Jose State University, I was accepted into the Copley Newspapers Editorial Program and then worked for 10 years on daily newspapers in San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Sunnyvale and in Florida. I have written two books, a nonfiction titled HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR HOME BUSINESS, and a novel, THE ROAD TO REVEILLE. I have another novel under way now.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel is titled the ROAD TO REVEILLE and is featured on Amazon in paperback and ebook. The ebook version can be downloaded free from August 1 through 5, 2019. The book follows the exploits of a teenage Irish street thug in 1904 Manhattan who makes the mistake of trying to rob a tough old rancher in town visiting his sister. The story tracks the two of them from New York to the wilds of Wyoming cattle country.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For some reason I’ve always been more productive when writing in the late afternoon and evening. I’m a slow, methodical writer and always write with the reader in mind. Readers love a good story that’s easy to follow, one that’s entertaining and imparts a theme or life lesson without being heavy-handed about it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Elmore Leonard, Martha Gellhorn, Ron Hansen. I’ve learned different things from the style of different authors. I’m influenced by clean, clear, tight writing.
What are you working on now?
I have another novel under way. It’s about two brothers, one of whom is just released from prison after serving years for a murder committed by his now very successful brother.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still exploring that. Publishing has changed radically from the days that a publisher would assign anyone to either edit or market your books – unless you’re in the top echelon of authors. There are many fine books that never get properly marketed. And many good authors are not comfortable pushing their books from a platform composed of blogs and whatnot. It’s a different world now.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, only write books that a publisher will recognize as a money maker. For agents and publishers, making money is the prime point. Many will publish a promising writer who’s not yet a money maker, but they are few and far between.
Just write the best book you can, keep readers always in mind, and learn how to craft a short, excellent query letter to land an agent.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Anybody who thinks that ‘it doesn’t matter who’s President’ has never been drafted and sent off to fight and die in a vicious, stupid war on the other side of the world or been beaten and gassed by police for trespassing on public property or been hounded by the IRS for purely political reasons or locked up in the Cook County jail with a broken nose and no phone access and twelve perverts wanting to stomp your ass in the shower. That is when it matters who is President or Governor or Police Chief. That is when you will wish you had voted.” – Hunter S. Thompson
What are you reading now?
An Incomplete Education.
The Kid, by Ron Hansen.
The Heavenly Table, by Donald Ray Pollock.
Who Killed Palomino Molero? by Mario Vargas Llosa.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting another agent to get me a publisher, and a producer to pick up on my screenplay based on my novel.
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?
To Kill a Mockingbird, and all of the books in The Outlander series.
Author Websites and Profiles
John McLain Amazon Profile