Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a software engineer and IT administrator by day, and a bit of a writer at night. So far I have two released novels, named “Rescue at Waverly” and “Rebellion at Ailon” which are the first two entries in a six-book series titled “The Thaddeus Marcell Chronicles,” following a mercenary as he searches for Earth, seeks redemption for some of his less-than-honorable actions, and gets sucked into a mess of interstellar politics.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Rebellion at Ailon” and it’s part-two in my plot to put my main character through hell and change him into a different and better person. He goes undercover to a planet that is enslaved, partially because of his own past actions, and has to confront some of the terrible things he’s done as a mercenary and pirate.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Probably, but I don’t really spend time with other writers so I don’t know offhand. I suppose the biggest weird thing is that I wrote my own word processor to facilitate my workflow because I didn’t like Microsoft Word and didn’t really want to purchase more commercial software.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole, Aaron Allston, Tom Clancy.
What are you working on now?
I’m skipping around a bit. I have plotlines for two series, “The Thaddeus Marcell Chronicles” which consists of six novels, and “Secrets of Earth” which is set about 30 years later and will comprise four or five more novels. My immediate concern is “The Prince’s Revenge”, book 3 for the first series, but I’ve actually been skipping around a lot and working on all of these at once.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest, I don’t really have that figured out yet. I submit my work through a number of different websites, usually timing them with a discount period on Amazon, but I don’t have enough data to outright say that “This one works better than that one” or whatever.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just go for it! Self-publishing through Amazon is so low-risk that there’s no reason not to try. This isn’t the old days where you had to convince a publisher that your work is worthwhile and find yourself locked down by external deadlines, or forced to change your story before they’ll accept your work. And gone are the days of spending thousands of dollars on self-publishing and ending up with pallets full of paperbacks that nobody will buy from you.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be persistent, be prolific, and be thick-skinned.
What are you reading now?
Currently, I’m reading “Apocalypse” which is the final novel in the Star Wars Fate of the Jedi series. I’m also reading “Blackcollar” by Timothy Zahn.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have quite a backlog of work since I’m planning out two related series, so I just need to keep plugging away at them.
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?
That’s a tough call. A Bible for sure. Beyond that, maybe Timothy Zahn’s “Heir to the Empire” trilogy or Aaron Allston’s “Wraith Squadron” books.
Author Websites and Profiles
TJ Mott Website
TJ Mott Amazon Profile
TJ Mott’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile