Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Creative soul that I am, I’m always reading or writing something! To date I’ve written and published four books on Amazon, each one very different from the next. My Guide to Hot-Water-Bath Canning was my first book, published on a learning curve to be sure. I’m currently working on an update for this book with my husband. Together we are creating a brand new Guide to Hot-Water-Bath Canning, 2nd Edition, where we have added many more details and descriptions, and even a few recipes thanks to the suggestion from a few of my reviewers. There’s still a bit of work to finish on it. We expect it to be live on Amazon very soon.
Passionate about life issues, it seemed only natural to share a short book of essays ranging from womb to tomb. It’s not so much about being politically correct, as it is about recognizing all of humanity, and respecting our right to live and die in peace. This short book focuses on many life related issues including suicide, homelessness and elderly abuse, as well as the more politicized issues of abortion and euthanasia. The goal of this book is to promote healthy attitudes toward life, acknowledging everyone’s right to life, and the need to treat each person, regardless of our differences, with dignity.
Written to inspire and encourage, Letters to Self is the third book I published on Amazon. As encouraging and soothing as this book is, it also provides a much needed challenge from time to time, kicking oneself in the butt as it were, to remind us that life is not always about getting a nice pat on the head. Sometimes life is about picking oneself up by the bootstraps and moving forward already, without dwelling on the past or things we simply don’t have the power to change. Letters to Self remains unbiased in its recognition that sometimes, we are our own worst enemies. With a gentle but firm hand, it pushes us forward to move past all that, and become our best friend again.
M. J. Joachim’s Book Review Guide: How to Get Positive Reviews for Your Book was written for all the authors out there. As an avid book reviewer, this book was written with the heart and soul of a writer, and the guide and appreciation of the reviewer, for all those who publish books and desire the best reviews possible for them. I get it! I write and publish books, and I want positive reviews on them too.
Life and family have needed much of my attention and focus these past couple of years. Grandma duty arrived a few years ago, twice. The joy of getting to be so close to my two grandkids cannot be measured! Writing and publishing books was put on the back burner for a while. It’s slowly moving it’s way forward, something that excites and scares the daylights out of me. It’s not so much the writing, as it is the publishing and marketing that seem to be the most daunting of all tasks. Many thanks to Awesomegang for diminishing some of my fears about it right now!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
M. J. Joachim’s Book Review Guide: How to Get Positive Reviews for Your book was inspired by hundreds of authors and the books I reviewed for them, as well as hundreds more who’s books I couldn’t review, since there is simply no way to review all the books I get offered and requested to review. It was written to help and inspire authors, because as much as I want to read and review every book I’m sent, there’s simply no way to get to them all.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Choosing to write in the kitchen, I’m extremely adept at tuning out the family noise and activity around me. It’s become a bit of a family joke, where my kids will sometimes mimic my extraordinary skill when we are all sitting around enjoying some much needed quality family time. All of this is past tense now, as my kids are grown and two of them have kids of their own. It seems I’ve handed down the art of nodding without truly paying attention to at least two of them. My legacy lives on.
Truth be told, when my kids were teenagers, they used to use this unusual skill against me. They would purposely interrupt me when they knew I was intently focused on something, ask me a question about doing something they knew I might not approve of, or use it to get extra privileges and such. Later, when a friend of theirs was spending the night and I didn’t know about it, they’d remind me that I said yes, when I looked up from my computer and nodded. Naturally, I wouldn’t remember the conversation at all, and too often went along with their assessment of it. After a while, my standard response became, “Ask your dad.”
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Reading and writing are activities where thoughts percolate for days, months and even years in one’s heart and soul. I’ve read and reviewed some amazing books; so many have touched my heart and made me grateful to the author. My best response for all the books that have influenced me is to give them a positive review, in essence thanking the author for taking the time to write such a powerful book. Getting to know some of these amazing authors has indeed been my joy and pleasure. They are amazing people, sharing wonderful stories with the world.
What are you working on now?
Guide to Hot-Water-Bath Canning, 2nd Edition is so close to being finished and live on Amazon, I can feel it. My guess is this will happen before the week’s end. My husband and I are currently putting the finishing touches on it.
A new crochet pattern book full of square motifs is the other project I’m working on right now. I’ve been reworking old patterns and creating new patterns for this book. So far I’ve designed and tested about 20 patterns. I keep getting new ideas to add more, so as much as I hope to publish this book soon, I’m going to take my time to add as many new and exciting square motifs as possible, for all those who love to crochet.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, I haven’t spent much time marketing my books at all. I didn’t know where to go or what to do about getting the word out. I would post a link here or there, tweet about them and share them on my blog, but that’s about it. I sent out a few emails to anyone I though might be interested in my books. I was a little nervous about being too pushy with my marketing techniques for my books.
It wasn’t until recently that I decided to get serious about marketing my books. I’m on a few book email list, so I looked them up online and read their submission guidelines. Then I thought, these can’t be the only sites out there that help authors promote their books. I did a simple search and found an article on Kindlepreneur that shares over 100 sites where authors can get free promotion for their books: https://kindlepreneur.com/list-sites-promote-free-amazon-books
Awesomegang is the first site I decided to submit to from their list, and here I am sharing an author interview too. Thanks Awesomegang! You’ve made this marketing process a whole lot easier, and a whole lot less scary!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Dear New Author,
It is not enough to write and publish your book. You need to make sure it is done professionally, and that doesn’t mean you have to hire someone to edit it or make your cover. It does mean you should take the time to use every tool at your disposal to proofread your book, often putting it down for periods of time to give your eyes a break, and most certainly sharing it with a trusted family member or friend who wants you to succeed as an author.
There are ways to present your book professionally, using the many tools readily available to authors. The trick is to use these tools correctly, following all guidelines and specifications for your particular project. Cover creators have wonderful templates to make amazing covers. Editing tools are readily available for anyone to use. While I won’t discourage you from purchasing these services from others, I also know that money is tight for many authors. The tools are available, and it will take longer while you learn how to use them, but you can produce a professionally written and published book if you put in the learning and effort required.
Once you’ve done all that, you need to market your book. You need to reach out and shout it from the rooftops that you are a published author. Take it from someone who knows. If you’re not marketing your books, they will just sit there in your author profile. They won’t sell. Take the time and get the word out about your book!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Perception is reality! Dream big and don’t let anything stop you! Miracles happen everyday! You are as successful as the effort you put into anything you do. Okay, that last one I made up just now as I was writing this. It’s good, don’t you think? Dreams really do come true, but not if you don’t do anything about them. So put in the effort and make things happen.
What are you reading now?
I am currently about 40% finished with All the Things We Lost by Kayla Tirre. I’m 70% finished with my Goodreads Reading Challenge for this year. I’ve shared a lot of good books on there if you are interested in checking a few of them out. I’m also reading Midshipman by Vanessa Ravencroft. I’m only on Chapter 5 in this book, so it’s going to take me a while yet to finish it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Marketing is my biggest hurdle as a writer, and it’s one I’m determined to overcome. I don’t want my books sitting in the big black hole with little or nothing to show for it. I’ve also got a few ideas for a few more crochet pattern books. And believe it or not, I’m planning to attempt writing a fiction novel at some point in the future. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so I think I will have to make it happen.
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 Bible, hands down. A journal and pen to log my daily life. A gardening resource book, so I could recognize and grow the food I need to eat. A technical book to help me rig up my tablet and make it work. This way I could read all the ebooks I’ve already downloaded on it.
Author Websites and Profiles
M. J. Joachim Website
M. J. Joachim Amazon Profile
M. J. Joachim’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Thanks, Awesomegang! This turned out great! Much appreciated!