Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was working as a news anchor toward the tail end of my radio career. Guys from the other stations called us news-types, because all we did was type news. I don’t know how many thousands of words a day I typed to keep up with live and prerecorded newscasts for two markets. At the time I was reading the Left Behind series from LaHaye and Jenkins and I wondered how they were going to present the next plague.
The answer hit me like a revelation- by putting words on paper…
It was then I knew I could make anything happen in exactly the same way. That’s what prompted me to start writing fiction.
I wrote 17 episodes of the Eusta Diddoo (Yoo’-stuh Did’-doo) Runaway Pony series as scripts for a cartoon, and a sci-fi novel for adults and young adults. Along the way I wrote several short fantasy stories for children and middle grade readers. Then when I couldn’t make the connection to sell a cartoon to any of the animation producers, I started converting it to books for middle grade readers and adults who like cartoons. I don’t know the exact number of books I’ve written. It’s modest though- somewhere around thirty.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book I wrote is the first one I’ve published. It’s the pilot episode for Eusta Diddoo Runaway Pony. The main character is a horse who leads a double life. After finishing the chores on his owner’s grain farm, he goes into town at night to have fun. He has a job delivering pizzas and takes piano lessons. The cartoon series just dropped the audience into his happening life with a brief explanation of how it started. For the book series I felt the need to start with an episode that shows events leading Eusta into his extra activities in town. Thus my latest work and first release is Episode 1, Fired Up – a cartoon in print. It retains the identity with descriptions of sound effects and visual tricks that can only happen through the magic of animation.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t write in the bathtub or anything like that. I like it quiet while I’m creating stories initially. But when I edit or rewrite, I play some favorite music like Yes or Beatles. It seems to help organize the whole rewriting process to hear something familiar. I’m not sure how unusual that is.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Isaac Asimov, Gene Roddenberry, Charles Schulz, Animator Genndy Tartakovsky, and Kurtzman and Gaines of MAD Magazine
What are you working on now?
I’m in the final stages of the line edit going back and forth with my editor. Amazon lets you put books up for pre-order with an unfinished manuscript. The official launch date commemorates my parent’s anniversary on June 10th.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I went to Awesomegang first, but I’m just getting started with promotions.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Hire a professional editor and professional book cover designer! Oh, and above all, believe in your writing. It’s obviously worthwhile if you took the time to do it. Now take the time to make it into something that can benefit others.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Self publish an ebook!!! My wife and brother-in-law seriously encouraged me to do this instead of waiting to find an agent who thought my stuff was worth investing time into. Most didn’t even take the time to read what I sent them- never mind. The last agent I looked at wanted records of my platform and business plan. Well, if I have a platform and business plan, then what do I need an agent for?
What are you reading now?
A cheesy star wars novel and a bunch of books about marketing and business plans for authors.
What’s next for you as a writer?
It’s funny how all the business takes authors away from writing. I’ve got the first eight Runaway Pony episodes ready for my editor already. I’m devoting my early morning time to rewriting my sci-fi novel. It needs a lot of work. Apparently I write like a screenplay writer with too many scenes and too much dialog running together. Any other free time I get goes to figuring out good marketing options for the new release.
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 be tempted to just take the four books on my desk- a bible and three part reference library consisting of a dictionary, thesaurus, and punctuation guide. Although that would only work if there was a computer on this desert island. I don’t know what I would take to just read. How nice would it be to have time to do that?
I typically don’t read anything twice. I would still want the bible and the only other book I would want to revisit is Moby Dick. Then I would probably take some of the new sci-fi stuff I’ve been wanting time for like Beyond the Hidden Sky by Marcha Fox and Crystal Deception by Doug J. Cooper.
I’d make sure they had cellophane cover wraps to soot reflections at passing planes though. I couldn’t get by with just four books for very long!
Author Websites and Profiles
Jonra Springs Website
Jonra Springs Amazon Profile
Jonra Springs’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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