About John Wheeler:
I live on a farm in Virginia’s “wine country” with a couple of dogs. At one point in time I was a copywriter, and I also ghost-wrote some books for other authors, but these days I mostly write crime and horror novels when I’m not dealing with my broken-down truck or dried-out crops. 😉
What inspires you to write?
I can’t *not* write. It’s in my blood; if I didn’t do it, I’d lose my mind. I like writing the things that I like to read: crime, noir, horror, thrillers. Someday I aspire to be as good as Stephen King and authors like that, but for the moment all I can do is plug away at it.
Tell us about your writing process.
I don’t do outlines — I think I’d get too bored trying to write from one. Instead I crank up my old laptop, open up Word, and churn away 2,000 words every night. If I don’t make that word goal, I feel bad. Fortunately, I suffer from insomnia, so some nights the word-count comes really easily (even if I feel really awful the next day). My kitchen table doubles as my writing space, and if I’m writing something that demands research, the piles of books can get in the way of my actual cooking, which is never a good time.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I laugh at what they say, and I tend to agree with what they do… even the villains. If I get a good head of steam while I’m writing, it’s more like I’m listening in on their conversations than trying to fill their mouths with words.
What advice would you give other writers?
What can I say what hasn’t been said. Write, write, write, write, and, for variety, write some more.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Publishing via Kindle seemed cheap and easy. I definitely prefer it to the Nook platform, if only because Kindle offers some promotional goodies (such as the ability to give the book away for free). I think new authors should spend some time creating a network and researching the best ways to promote their work before they publish — that way they can hit the ground running, as opposed to publishing and then scrambling to build up an infrastructure to actually support your work.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the rise of e-books are a blessing and a curse. On one hand, they level the playing field for everybody; but on the other, there’s a lot of crud out there. It’s a good time to be a writer because it’s sort of like running your own business now, instead of depending on some big publisher in New York; but in running your own business, you’re also stuck with everything else — promoting, getting the word out, etc.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Thriller, Horror, Crime
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Link To John Wheeler Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Twitter
