Author John Triptych, a man with a variety of interests, joins me today to talk about Pagan Apocalypse. Those are two words — Pagan Apocalypse — were certainly enough to pique my curiosity. Thank you, John, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?
Many characters are names of people I knew in real life, but with a few tweaks here and there so that they don’t sue me!

Give us an insight into your main character. What makes them unique?
Well, Steve Symonds is a young boy from London. The story is really about his evolution from a self-centred lad to that of a hero who saves the world, so to speak. Steve doesn’t have any super powers, rather he uses his wits and iron determination to succeed against impossible odds. The fact that he has a good friend who helps him out is also helpful.

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?
It’s a marathon, not a race! If you want to be successful in this, you must not give up and be ready to constantly try new things to not just improve your writing, but you must also learn the craft of marketing. You need to treat it as a business, which means that you have to learn ways to sell your work in order for people to find out about it.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?
I do occasionally read reviews and I do get bad ones. The one thing an author must never do is to respond to reviews. If I get bad reviews, then I take it as a learning experience and hopefully find ways to improve when writing future novels. The one thing I truly believe is that not everyone will like my books, so I just let it go at that and move on.

What is your best marketing tip?
Have a mailing list. The best way to reach fans of your work is to email them directly on news of your latest releases. The best-selling indie authors have them and use them to drive their book sales up at the time of release.

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?
The editing phase. When you have to read through your work over and over again to make sure you correct any minor mistakes or typos in order to get everything right. I have a professional editor, but even top editors may miss a misspelling or a typo once in awhile.

Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others?
Death scenes of main characters. A number of important characters in my books do die, and it is important for me to make it as meaningful as possible. I don’t like to write death scenes, but they are an important part of the drama in the story. Without death and sacrifice, events in the plot lose their importance.

How long does it usually take you to write the first draft of a book?
An average of about two months. I’m currently a full-time writer so I can devote at least 3-4 hours per day on writing. I write an average of about 3,000 words per day and take weekends off to recharge my creative batteries. I don’t follow an outline so I tend to just wing it as I go along. The hardest part is writing the beginning, but once I’ve established the setting and the main character, they begin to write themselves.

What are you working on now?
A brand new series set millions of years in the future. It’s a dystopian science fiction trilogy that focuses on a very powerful female character. The story is a complete world building exercise, right from the start. I’ve created new species of animals, places, myths and cultures from scratch. I am very excited for it and I hope it sells well so I can write more books on it. Think Star Wars, but with no spaceships!

Do you have any unique or quirky writing habits?
I’m a two-finger typist! I never learned how to type properly so I have to look at the keyboard every time I write. I make plenty of mistakes so I use the delete and backspace key all the time! Unlike most other authors I keep the internet on when I write because I tend to stop in the middle of a writing session in order to do some research. Yes, I’m weird!

Why should a potential reader buy your book(s)?
If readers are tired of the usual genre books and would like to try something different, then please check out my catalogue! My works are an unusual mix of genres. For example, my post-apocalyptic books deal with pagan gods returning to earth- while the usual books in that genre deal with zombies, vampires, pandemics, natural and man-made disasters and preppers. I try to make my stories as entertaining as possible, yet filled with information that readers would learn about. I have had a few fans email me that they were able to learn something new just from reading my books.

What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your book?
Whether a harpoon gun could be mounted on a riverboat and what type!

What’s the best thing about being an indie author?
Being able to get up in the morning and doing what you love to do, which is writing. I love the freedom of being able to write about what I want, without someone telling me whether it’s going to be sellable or not. I have absolute control over how my book is published as well as choosing the cover art for it. So the two best aspects is really the freedom and the control that you have over not just your work, but your life.

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | Smashwords | Goodreads