Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an IT professional by day and author by night; I’m also a dad to a teenager soon to be an adult; I enjoy a variety of activities, from an active fitness lifestyle to water rafting in the summer and binge watching movies/shows or playing video games in winter. Road trips are something I enjoy. I read across different genres—poetry, supernatural/horror, fantasy, and science fiction—and disciplines like philosophy, mythology, and psychology, which have informed my philosophy and writing as a whole. Currently, I have written one book and two more I plan to launch by Halloween of this year.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Cool and Warmth of Hearts is a poetry collection of romantic poems where many of the poems in it go as far back as high school and spent most of their time archived on DVD discs until in 2019 I revisited all of my written work and pursued the path to be a self-published author. This poetry collection contains an overarching theme with sub-themes about love and romanticism where the inspiration varied from personal experience, second-hand observations of family, friends, and more; also philosophy in my dealings with the concept and anecdotes of those experiences. In addition, I received further inspiration by the works of classical poets from Shakespeare era to Lord Byron and Emily Dickinson that helped further inspire this collection with form, meter, sensibility, and imagination.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I haven’t really thought about this, but I have a writing routine outline in steps and I don’t always adhere to every step, but it guides my focus and revisit when there is an area I feel lost or stuck in. Sometimes I’ll listen to classical music while writing or in between every writing session I would get up and walk around until I identify the chosen words to write and I have instances where I have writing bursts—sometimes I write in the early morning before work or sometimes after work or spend most of it on the weekend because of my weekday job. Lately, I have separate writing days from reading, research, and marketing which has been helpful on which activity to prepare for the day.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Poets from 1500 to 1800 definitely played a big role in their varied style and diction; however, I kept revisiting specific poems or poets I enjoyed the most, like William Shakespeare, Andrew Marvell, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Edgar Allan Poe, and Emily Dickinson, that influenced with each revision I made in the book.
What are you working on now?
I have two books planned for release on Halloween Day of 2022; one is a poetry collection on the shadows of human nature and a short story collection of supernatural horror—think Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Machen, and H. P. Lovecraft.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As a first-time author, I found having a marketing strategy and picking a couple of marketing channels to reach readers. In my case, that’s email marketing with a reader magnet and Instagram because of its popularity with poetry; a book launch strategy is also important to have at minimum two to three months before launch day in order to set up your book for success. Also, I recommend reaching out to genre specific book review bloggers, bookstagrammers, and lining up discounted or free promo days with book promotion sites (FreeBooksy, AwesomeGang), ARC reviews (harder to come by if you’re new but paid services like Book Siren can help with that), editorial reviews, word of mouth with family and friends. In short, plan a marketing strategy with two marketing channels and a book launch plan to ensure you have time for reach outs to help promote awareness of the book.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you aspire to be an author, see it through no matter what—I always wanted to publish a book for many years and I doubted my ability to do so until I found the courage to put pen to paper or in my case finger to keyboard. I recommend reading on the craft of writing and also publishing and marketing too. Develop a ritual to help reinforce good writing habits and stick to a schedule with a deadline. It helps to let people who are supportive hold you accountable; join a community of like-minded writers if it helps you stay accountable. Writing is a lonely endeavor, and it’s important to remember why you write and why you want to publish a book—of course you will do it for yourself; however, if you plan to do it for the long run, remember the value you provide to the world with your written words those who wants to read your book and find joy and insight that brings them value will motivate you every time you have doubts about writing your book.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I live by the motto “Amor Fati”. It means “love your fate” basically accept it, embrace it, love it, and make the most of it and don’t waste time hoping for a different (past) fate. This doesn’t imply take to things as they’re, but your response to it plays a role in shaping your next thought, behavior; especially when you have aspirations to write a book, and the next one and draw meaning for the value you get to provide not just yourself but also for others and take pride in it and be humble by your experiences, “Amor Fati.”
What are you reading now?
I’m reading a variety of books in fiction and nonfiction right now; I usually organize my reading list based on my next writing project, in this case I’m reading the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Classic Supernatural Stories by Barnes & Noble, Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene and a few more to help inspire my next two books.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My dream is to become a full-time author that provides outstanding books for readers to enjoy and cherish; I’m designing my life towards that lifestyle and one day transition away from a day job into one where I could produce several books a year and engage with a community of both writers and readers.
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?
Complete works of William Shakespeare
Complete works of Edgard Allan Poe
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
Complete works of Lord Byron
Author Websites and Profiles
Jose Santana Website
Jose Santana Amazon Profile
Jose Santana’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile