Today I'd like to welcome Josh Grant. Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a self proclaimed Bond villain and a thousandaire
philanthropist (like a billionaire philanthropist, just with a lot less
money). I survived a flash flood,
encountered numerous bears, and sailed the ocean blue. I love to read, write, play video games, and
occasionally read up on the crazy science that’s happening in the world, but
most of all I just enjoy getting people together to love, laugh, and grow
alongside each other. Currently, I make
a living teaching and working with kids in various environments, with the
occasional novel always in the works.
I’m also the creator of Diabolic Shrimp, a website designed to help
authors and readers connect that also gives thousands of dollars to causes that
help uplift humanity at large. I’ve
published two horror novels and a young adult fantasy and have about three more
coming shortly.
I've been to Josh's site Diabolic Shrimp. It's a great resource for authors as well as for readers looking for great books to read. I highly recommend everyone checking it out. Josh, what brought
about the idea for this book?
I wrote each of my books largely because I ran out of similar
stuff to read. My two horror books
Pandora and Jericho spawned from a nightmare I had once. I coupled this with a cruise I took (I love
the ocean) and my love of the Resident Evil video game franchise. The Fifth Ascendant (my YA series) is very
near and dear to my heart. It was the
result of me wanting to write something fun and witty after finishing months of
writing horror. It’s my ode to things
like Final Fantasy and Avatar The Last Airbender that I grew up with, and it’s
essentially a love story since I’m a bit of a romantic at my core.
Currently, what are you working on?
I’m putting the final touches on my
Silly Tales from Albanon, a goofy collection of unrelated characters in the
same fantasy world that end up making quirky decisions that lead to a big world
shattering twist. It’s quirky and filled
with tongue-in-cheek humor and I’m really enjoying it after I just finished my
second horror book. I’m also pushing
forward with a Terminator-esque robot apocalypse novel called Nexus and the
fantasy follow up The Sixth Ascendant.
Sounds like you have your hands full. What has
been the most difficult thing you have struggled with since you began a career
in writing?
Probably like most writers it’s finding the time to write. I’ve got like twenty books crammed inside my
head right now and I’m just trying to find a moment to get them on paper.
I agree, finding time is always the struggle. You just have to snag them moments whenever you can. What was your favorite scene to write?
My favorite scene in any of my books
is the twist. Every book I write has a
big twist and it’s really fun to spring it after all the build up. The Fifth Ascendant has some of my favorite
scenes ever since I packed it with a lot of action and heartfelt moments. For that book I made it a rule for myself
that every situation had to spiral out of control. As such, it was fun to plan how every heist
could go sideways. That one is also a
love story, so my scene where one main character leaps into oblivion to save
another from death despite the fact that there’s no hope of either ever
returning will always stick with me.
How do you promote your books? Any tips you can share?
I have three pillars of promotion:
public, personal, and quirky. Public
promotions are just general announcements on things like Goodreads, and taking
out ads. These make a difference, but
don’t expect an immediate response.
Personal promotion is the most useful.
This is where you speak to individuals, and taking an interest in the individual
makes the biggest impact. Participating
in discussions, helping others before trying to get them to help you, and just
generally being a friend to others is what really makes the difference. The fun one is quirky promotion. I try to think outside the box now and then
just to keep it fresh. I did a book
raffle at a haunted house for my horror books and am doing a giveaway on the
cruise ship I began writing my first horror book on. Just oddball stuff like that. Not sure how well it works, but I’m having
fun and that’s really what it’s all about.
My website Diabolic Shrimp is all about free promotion as well. I buy authors’ books, review them, and give
them away to readers for free. Again,
it’s about that personal kindness to others that makes the difference when it
comes to promotion. Good things do
happen to good people.
I think most authors are so great about helping and promoting other authors books. It is something I didn't expect getting into this business. It's been a wonderful surprise. Do you have people read your drafts before you
publish? How do you select beta readers?
I actually don’t let anyone read my
work before I publish. Maybe it’s a
terrible idea, but I believe that if I get one of my pieces to the point that I
love it, at least a hundred other people will love it as well. That being said, I’m a strict critic of my
own work and only publish it when I’ve put it through the wringer and feel like
it’s professional.
Josh, who designed the artwork for your cover? Or did you
design it yourself?
I’ve had the joy of working with a
couple of very talented artists. My
horror series is illustrated by Ari Bach who has a trilogy of his own and is
currently working in the film industry in California. The Fifth Ascendant’s cover was done by Tyler
Edlin, an incredible artist who worked on projects like Zelda Breath of the
Wild. I sought out both specifically
because their styles were perfect for what I was trying to accomplish with my
stories. I was very specific with what I
wanted for each cover, and they were both great at taking the choppy drawings I
provided and producing something worthy of looking at. :)
I think all the covers are great, but I really love the cover to The Fifth Ascendant! How do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?
I’m a big softy, so not so well
(haha!). I’m super critical of my own
writing, but it’s hard to hear criticism from others when it comes to something
so near and dear to my heart. At the end
of the day though, it doesn’t affect me too much. My philosophy is write something you
personally love to read and only release it when it’s the best it can be. People will either like it or they won’t.
No one is ever going to please everyone. I agree, the first person you need to please is yourself. If that happens others will follow. Is there something you learned from writing your first
book?
That I can actually write something
people enjoy, that it feels really good to publish a book (I seriously just
kept staring at it when I passed by), and that I definitely need to use less
commas! :)
Commas still confuse me. Thankfully my editor takes care of those. Which do you find more challenging inventing the hero or
the villain? Why?
Neither really. I absolutely love writing both and they come
pretty easy, largely because I build a lot of depth and background into
them. It’s the side characters I
struggle with. I often have to go back
and make them less one dimensional or boring.
That’s one of the many things I loved about The Fifth Ascendant. I made it a rule that there were no side
characters in that book. Everyone
mattered and had some deep connection to the plot. It made it fun and actually way easier to
write.
How many times do you think you read your book before
going to print?
I typically read my books through six
or seven times before polishing them up.
My final read through usually happens after I’ve shelved a book for a
year or so just to give me a fresh read of it.
Josh, any last words?
This has been so much fun so thank
you for the opportunity! If anyone would
like to connect with me or is interested in any of my work, both writing or
promotions, come visit me at www.diabolicshrimp.com!
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and share with us today Josh! Check out more about Josh at the links below. Happy Reading!!
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