The Author Interviews, Round 2, #2: Joel R. Dennstedt

*cover image from author*Round Two of the Author Interviews continues with another fascinating interview withJoel R. Dennstedt, author of the Guanjo (2015).Where do you get your ideas from?They tend to just sprout up. However, I can write a poem, a story, or even a novel from one photograph alone, and I usually do. My SF Novel Guanjo came from a photograph of a longhouse atop one tree in the Amazonian rain forest. The Church of the Blue-Eyed Prophets, a literary novel, came from a lucid dream. Orange Cappuccino came from real life. And Hermit was just a daydream.Why do you write?Among the normal writer reasons, writing is the area of life I feel most able to challenge myself with some hope of succeeding, and the challenge seems limitless. Also, my lifetime passion for books makes me want to have mine out there with the others.What do you find most appealing about your chosen genre?I do not have a chosen genre. Against the advice of most professionals, I have chosen to explore several genres, including: science fiction, horror fiction, literary fiction, and poetry. And I have no regrets about that.How do you deal with bad reviews, rejection and criticism?Not particularly well. I finally dealt with rejection by self-publishing. Since then, I have not received bad reviews or particularly harsh criticism. That is not to say my writings may not deserve some; only that my books need more exposure.What do you find difficult about writing?Patience is extremely hard to nurture. I find it very difficult to take the necessary amount of time to make my writing polished. I do it now … even to a fault … especially while writing the first draft, which again goes against all advice by the professionals. Fortunately, the more I write, the stronger my patience grows.Do you ever outsource your work?No. That is something that would destroy my whole reason for creating. I believe in individual creativity … at least, that is the only thing that gives me true satisfaction.What is your opinion on indie vs traditional publishing?My opinion has transformed these past 5 years. I still think traditional, mainstream publishing offers the best chance for producing a highly polished result. And yet, there seems to be a consensus in mainstream editing that you must not use passive sentences, long sentences, adverbs, or anything that might stink of classical literature requiring a long attention span. Therefore, I love the individual styles I come across in Indie writing, and that is why I have a Facebook Page (Independent Book Reviews) where I share my professional reviews (Readers’ Favorite) of Indie books. Having now read a few truly outstanding works by Indie writers, that is where I stake my claim. I no longer submit my work to traditional publishers.Talk us through your creative process from start to finish.First I taste my ideas until I realize I cannot let one alone … like working a sore tooth … and then I just begin. I am not a heavy plotter. For me, I find writing a story to be like Michelangelo’s description of sculpting: the end is embedded in the beginning; you just have to remove the excess. And I write very slowly, sometimes a paragraph a day is an accomplishment. I do not take up the writing again until I know clearly what happens next, even though surprises still pop up regularly during the process. Mostly, I edit, edit, edit, edit ….. to infinity and beyond. Sometimes I hate the amount of time I spend deciding whether to use an and or a but or an if, or whether to use a comma or a semi-colon, or to use a the instead of an an …. And so on, and so on. No, I can’t just let it be. Something the reader may gloss over in a heartbeat, I spend multiple long moments pondering. Sigh.What advice would you give to aspiring writers?I do not give advice any more. Not at all. Every single piece of advice has its counterargument. What I give instead is encouragement. Just that.If you could go back in time 12 months, what would you advise yourself?Not to be facetious, but just the same as above: I would only give myself encouragement.I was also lucky enough to hear about this author's reading habits.Would you agree a good book must withstand more than one read?Well, yes. But the number of books I have read more than once could be counted on one hand. The good ones SHOULD withstand more than one read, but it ain’t necessary to do so.What do you look for when shopping on Amazon for a Kindle book? Highlight those you would consider. Are any of the below more important to you than others?Cover / Title / Author/ Price /Description/ Publisher /Sample Chapter/ ReviewsWho is your favourite author and why?Barry Unsworth – he is the most literate writer I have ever read, and I aspire to his quality.Do you shop for indie books online? If not, why?Sure. But most of them I read for my reviewer’s job with Readers’ Favorite. So I get to read them FREE!What would it take for you to leave a review on Amazon/ Goodreads?These days, just reading the book will do it. Especially if it’s an Indie read. I don’t often review the mainstream books I read. Odd, I guess. I just don’t feel the need.After downloading book one for free/ 99p or 99c on Amazon, do you ever return and pay more for book two? If not, why?Sure I do. I rarely consider the price when downloading a book.Do you ever visit an author's website and if so, why?Yes, both to learn more about them and to compare quality of sites with mine. Honestly, I am rarely impressed. We poor Indie writers pretty much do it all ourselves, and graphics and marketing are not usually a big part of our skill set.What would it take for you to sign up to a mailing list?An ongoing interest in the person’s activities.Do you ever enter giveaways and/ or order signed copies?Not anymore. I offer Giveaways every month as part of my Newsletter, and I cannot afford to purchase print books, both because I am traveling the world non-stop and because of the price. I am just a poor boy, though my story’s seldom told.What would it take for you to recommend a book to a friend?I do so every day of the year on my Facebook page, my Independent Book Reviews page, my personal messages, wherever and whenever someone will choose to listen.It was great to hear about Joel's writing and reading habits. Please show your support by joining the author on social media or purchasing a book from their collection.Thanks for the interview, Joel! Good luck with your work.