What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?

Hello! My name is William Joseph. I have many books I am working on, but my first is currently in the process of publication! It is Military, Thriller, Action, and Romance I would like to say and fiction of course. My others are all over the place!

How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

Honestly it’s quite an interesting story with how I came up with it! When I was about 16 I went to sleep one night and had the most powerful dream I have ever had in my entire life. My dreams have always been lucid and vivid, but this was something else. It was as if I woke up and lived every day, night and living moment up until I was about the age of 50. This book doesn’t go all the way though, just to a spot I really thought was a great place to end it! When I awoke, I was back to being 16 again. It actually impacted me very hard. I had longed for that life that was erased. It was as if I matured overnight and completely changed and lost it all. My grades dropped, I became depressed, and then decided that I needed to write my story because it was a story I needed to tell for myself. Even if no one else read it, it was for me to get it out of my system. A form of therapy I suppose! I started writing it several years out of High School and a couple years later I was done.

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?

This particular book was just an experience I had that I needed to tell. I don’t have a specific love for a certain genre. My other stories I am working on range from Horror, to Children’s Books, to Sci-Fi to even Crime.

What kind of research did you do for this book?

There were a lot of technical aspects I researched for specific military vehicles. There are certain things I had to make up along the way or kind of get creative with, but for the most part I tried to keep as much realism in my story as I possibly could. Hopefully the audience finds it create a realistic sense of emersion!

Do you set a daily writing goal?

I get up at about 5:50am every day. I get ready real quick and drive almost an hour to my office on the other side of the state. I work from 7am-3pm every weekday doing graphic design for a Beer Distributor. Then I drive home and relax. The rest of my day is mine. I balance that free time between writing, doing photography, or playing video games. I write wherever and whenever. I’m really good at writing in a crowded location with a lot of people. For some reason a lot of noise helps me. I suppose that I find peace amongst chaos. I have a daily writing alarm go off at 9pm every night. I need to get back into my routine of writing from 9pm-11pm every night.

Do you have a new book in the making and if so, what’s the name of your upcoming book?

“This is War” is the one finished book that I have that is currently in the process of being published by BellaTulip Publishing. Out of all of my other stories, the closest book to being done is “Of Vultures and Kings”, a Children’s Book I am very excited to finish and hopefully share with the world one day.

Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

Yes. Character names for me are everything. I want them to have a nice balance. In “This is War”, the character names are based off of people in my actual dream experience, and a mixture/combination of people I met in my life or when I had a short stint in the US Navy, to even people my Father served in the Army with. No names match with anyone, but combine to make unique characters. In some of my other stories characters are given unique names I find in baby name databases. If the name matches the character’s personality and traits, I will probably use it.

Where do your ideas come from?

My imagination and dreams are where most of my ideas come from for the most part. Sometimes personal experiences and sometimes I’ll watch a movie and suddenly get an idea completely unrelated to it but of a similar genre.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Editing. I’m good at spelling, but I admit my faults and limitations with grammar.

 Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I think I know what a book trailer is. If it’s like a movie trailer but for a book, then yes. Those are super cool! I actually made one for “This is War” for fun using different clips I took from action movies years ago when I was writing it. When I needed some motivation I would watch it to get myself psyched up. Sadly I don’t have it any more. It wasn’t anything well-made but it was fun to do though!

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

Hmm. I am going to have to say finding out that I’m getting my book published. I’ve had my photography published over 65 times. This is something a little different. Photography is collaboration between the model and I, and it’s their image that gets noticed. Writing? It’s me. It’s all me, all of me, and nothing but me. No one else can take that from me or say that they did it with me.

What’s the best thing about being an author?

Sharing my stories with others and hopefully invoking some sort of an emotional response. Whether good or bad, it’s about experiencing and connecting with an audience member.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully with an array of published books.

Have you always liked to write?

Ever since I was a little kid. It never fully clicked however until I had that first story that I felt had to be told.

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Never stop. There were many times where I went months without doing anything. I wasted so much precious time that way. Even if you sit there and force yourself to write a single word, it’s progress. Eventually I found that if I got stuck on one book, I could keep the creativity at least going by writing in another. When I returned to the original book, I was able to write again.

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

Besides writing I already have an established photography career. I have been published over 65 times nationally and internationally. Making enough to survive off that alone would be pretty awesome. I love creating.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

Good or bad it is all constructive. You’re always going to have people who don’t like it. Chances are I want to hear from them more than those who like it. I’ve always been that person who wants the bad news first. I want to grow, become better, and become the best I can at everything I do. Sometimes that means swallowing your pride.

What is your least favorite part of the writing / publishing process?

Having a unique moment you can envision, but can’t quite find the right words for!

What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on “Of Vultures and Kings” while “This is War” is in the process of being published.

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

Think “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” meets “Alice in Wonderland”. There is a war going on in the Animal Kingdom, and a little Boy named Billy accidently stumbles right into the middle of it.

Why did you choose to write in your genre?

If you write in more than one, how do you balance them? I don’t focus on a specific genre. It’s just about telling the stories I want to tell and where they fall is where they fall. I don’t choose my stories, they choose me!

Where did your love of books come from?

I have always been one to have a vivid imagination. I love telling stories and picturing these little worlds and characters in my mind. Now it’s just a matter of letting them come to life.

Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?

I used to be a huge fan of Stephen King and Stephanie Meyer. Anne Rice is also a personal favorite. I don’t read much honestly unless my own work counts haha. As for favorite books, some would be “Water for Elephants”, “Flyboys”, “Moby Dick” and “IT”.

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favorite and why?

Jack. Jack is the main character in “This is War”. He is me and I am him. Honestly there’s a little bit of me in every character. I try to make each one as unique and original as possible as if they are real people in real situations.

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?

As of now I do not have a website. I should probably get on that! So for now, I somewhat post about my work on Facebook.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

A little of both perhaps. There are moments where I am sitting there with my heart racing already knowing what’s going to happen as I write it but it’s so intense and I get so into it that I’m living with the character in the moment. After, I’ll be just as exhausted as they are. I live vicariously through my characters.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Reading other people’s books actually. If I focus on another writer, their style can conflict with my own and throw me off!

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Original. I haven’t really had anyone dictate to me what to write. I have plenty of stories and worlds in my head I want to share. I’m not sure I could force them to be something someone else wanted. My characters have a life of their own.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

J.L Clayton. She kind of found me in the vastness of digital space in my desperation to find readers for my work when I was in a contest. She’s led me in the right directions ever since and now I’m getting published!

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

“The Story of Billy”. This was an easy question for me to respond to because I have been writing an autobiography!

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview?

How would you answer that question?