The Author Interviews: #17: John MILTON

In this series, I'll be interviewing self-published authors about their books and their lives as writers. For my seventeenth interview, I had the privilege of interviewing John MILTON on 21/06/2016. MILTON writes science fiction and fantasy. His latest release is Rise of the Trekken : The Blood War Chronicles, Book 1.Let's get started!What made you want to become a writer?I really got into reading when my mom started me on the Hobbit and the Book of Three. I didn’t want to wait for my parents to read with me, so I started on my own. The more I read, the more ideas started popping into my head for cool story ideas. I thought it would be cool to be able to give someone the same type of enjoyment that I have always gotten out of books.Why did you choose to write in this genre? Have you ever considered trying other genres?I started writing fantasy novels, because they are the books that I most enjoy reading.What do you love most about writing and why?I love seeing something emerge and take shape from what is just an idea. My first book ended up going in a totally different direction that I originally intended and it was really cool to see where the story lead me as I got further along in the writing process. Seeing the actual paper copy of the book was a real high.What do you dislike about writing and why?I dislike the copy editing that is a necessary part of producing a polished work, but fortunately my wife is a journalist and contributed significantly to the editing of the book. I also dislike the marketing, which is an essential part of having a successful novel. With ebooks and the explosion of independent authors like myself, it is a continual challenge to get in front of the reader. You can have a great book, but that is irrelevant if no one opens it.If you could trade places with any of your characters, which would you choose and why?I would trade places with my main character. I was an infantry captain in the army, so I draw heavily on my experiences for many of the scenes, but it would have been much cooler if I had access to magic like he does. Plus, he is an elf. Who doesn’t want to live for five or six hundred years?If you could live in any of the worlds you have created, which would you choose and why?I would love to live in the world that I created for my series, The Blood War Chronicles and be an elf in the Elven Federation. Magic has replicated many of the creature comforts of the modern world that I would hate to give up, like running water and modern medicine. How cool would it be to live in a giant tree the size of a skyscraper? For me at least, the answer is: Pretty Cool!What's your writing routine or schedule like? Do you struggle to find time to write? How do you stay organised and keep to your deadlines?I write at night. It is difficult to find time, since I have a full time job and a wife and two little girls. I don’t really watch TV, although I read for an hour or two every night, so writing has been taking the place of a lot of my reading.Who or what inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration?I am inspired to write every time I open a book by another author and am transported into a really cool story. I think it is so cool to be able to give others that same enjoyment. What really pushed me into trying to write consistently is that I was looking for a way to raise money for the families of classmates of mine that were killed while serving (I am a West Point graduate). My classmates set up a fund to help send their children to college and I thought this might be a good way to help supplement what I already contribute on my own, which is why 20% of everything I make is donated to that cause.Do you have a favourite author and if so, why do you enjoy their work?I love Jim Butcher. The reason I enjoy his work so much is that he not only has really well developed characters with believable flaws, but I also find his world building amazing.What do you find most challenging about being an indie/ self-published author and why?The marketing is definitely a challenge. Trying to get your book in front of readers, many of whom may not make past the top 100 lists is difficult.Thanks to John MILTON for this interview. Good luck with your books! For more information about this authorplease click here.