Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Treesong. Yes, that’s my real name! I legally changed my name in 2002 after having some profound spiritual experiences in the Shawnee National Forest and elsewhere. My birth name was Justin Patrick O’Neill.
I grew up in and around Chicago. My family moved around between several apartments in the city and suburbs before eventually settling down in Brookfield.
So far, I’ve written two works of full-length fiction, one short story collection, one work of nonfiction, and several small books of poetry.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest full-length book is “Goodbye Miami: Tales of an American Climate Refugee”. I had several inspirations for writing this story.
First of all, I have a strong interest in all things related to global warming. Because of this, I’ve spent most of my professional writing career focusing on climate fiction (“cli-fi”). Second, I’ve had a lifelong interest in .
I’ve also had a lifelong appreciation for several other genres that influenced Goodbye Miami: science fiction; political fiction; dystopian fiction; post-apocalyptic fiction.
Last but certainly not least, I was thoroughly impressed by a zombie fiction series called “Living With the Dead” written by my friend and fellow author, Josh Guess. Goodbye Miami has nothing to do with zombies, but it does owe its format — a series of first-person blog entries — to LWtD. After reading LWtD, I also checked out a few other blog fiction pieces, and a thought occurred to me. What would it look like to write a climate fiction blog set in the near future when the effects of climate change have become more disastrous? The moment I had that thought, Goodbye Miami was born.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What qualifies as unusual? Each author has their own unique approach to writing. I don’t have any writing habits that I consider terribly unusual, but I may not be the best judge!
I sometimes hear other authors talk about writer’s block. I rarely if ever get writer’s block. What I do get, though, is what I half-jokingly refer to as “non-writer’s block”. This is when my non-writer work interferes with the time and energy that I had intended to set aside for my writing. I wish I had a nickel for every time that I had the ideas and felt the enthusiasm but just didn’t get around to putting the words down on the page. Now that I’m a published author, this happens less often. However, it will probably keep happening semi-regularly until I transition into being a full time author. Even then, it will probably happen occasionally because life is full of interesting and unexpected twists and turns!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been influenced by too many authors to list! A few prominent ones that come to mind are Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Starhawk, Alan Moore, Robert Heinlein, Barbara Kingsolver, Margaret Atwood, Phil Brucato, and Josh Guess.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently actively working on two projects. One is a sequel to my first novel, Change. The second book in the series will be called Order. It’s actually a bit unusual in that it takes place at roughly the same time as Change and involves a few characters who were introduced in Change. However, it also introduces new characters and examines the fundamental questions and conflicts of Change from an entirely different perspective. In Change, we see how the activists are responding to climate change. In Order, we see how the insiders are responding.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s a good question! Honestly, I’m still figuring that out. I’ve done several free book giveaways through Amazon and one through Goodreads. My latest approach is to make one of my books (a short story collection called “Strange Beginnings”) permanently free in ebook form. The idea is that people will read my stories, enjoy them, and check out my paid books and/or sign up for my monthly newsletter. It’s still too early to tell how well this strategy will work. Wish me luck!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write. The first step is to write as much as possible. Once you have something that you feel is marketable, get some good help promoting it. If you’re self-publishing or working with a small indie publisher, the work of promotions will be 95% to 100% on you. The business end of things may not be as exciting as writing fanciful tales of adventure and excitement, but getting paid is what will enable you to keep telling those tales. Work hard at promotions, and don’t be afraid to ask friendly sources for advice and support.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
See the advice above. I didn’t come up with it on my own. Other authors gave me this advice and it helped me to get to where I am today.
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading a wonderful book called “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline. I’m just now starting a short story collection called “Pump Six and Other Stories” by Paolo Bacigalupi. I’m only on the first short story, but so far it’s very interesting.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next step as a writer involves two interrelated projects: finish my next novel and improve my promotions so that I can transition into being a full time author. I feel quite proud of what I’ve accomplished so far as a part time author, but I really want to produce more volume, and that will require going full time. Given my activist tendencies, I doubt I’ll ever go 100% full time into my writing! However, it would be really nice to have this be my one and only paying job.
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?
Ideally, I’d bring a solar charger and an ebook reader filled with thousands of books! In all seriousness, though, I wouldn’t know where to begin. Even when I love a book, I usually don’t read it again. If forced to choose, I suppose I would go with some very random and nerdy choices: Watchmen by Alan Moore; Mage: The Ascension (2nd Edition) by Phil Brucato et al; and the MaddAddam trilogy.
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