Wednesday, August 11, 2010

John Pearson Interview




1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

As one of your earlier interviewees mentioned, we teachers don't have much free time throughout the day until we get home, so I find myself writing in the evening.  During the summer months, I try to get some writing done in the morning and afternoon, but I still find that evenings and sometimes even late nights are when I really find my flow.

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

I guess I am relatively old school, as I still write things out in a notebook first, then type it in, print it up, and make corrections on the printouts with a red pen.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

Most of my writing has been about classroom situations, so I have drawn inspiration from my students and fellow teachers.  The humor has come from my family and years and years of sitting glued to the boob tube.

4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down to write such as word count?

I really don't.  I pretty much just try to get as much down on paper as I can before getting distracted or unmotivated.

5: Are you a published or a self published author and how do you come up with your cover art?

I am self-published, and I designed the cover art for Learn Me Good on my own, using MS PowerPoint.  I can probably serve as an example for finding a graphic artist.  I hope to have a much more enticing cover for my next endeavor.

6: What drives you to choose the career of being a writer?

Actually, it is not a career.  My career WAS engineering, but for the past 8 years, it has been teaching.  Writing is something I do on the side, and through luck and a little perseverance, I've enjoyed some modest success with Learn Me Good.

7: Do you own an ebook reading device?

I did recently get an iphone, so I have access to books in the ibookstore.  I do not own a Kindle.

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?

My favorite authors are Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Douglas Adams.  I am currently reading Heart Shaped Box, by Joe Hill, Stephen King's son.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

I find them fascinating, though they are tricky to make.  I do have one for Learn Me Good, though it was filmed in the style of an infomercial, with a tip of the hat to the late Billy Mays.

10: How did you come up with the title of your latest book?

Learn Me Good is a phrase that has been in my family for a while, and it just sounds like something an engineer would say.

11: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

I am working my way through a sequel to Learn Me Good (Learn Me Gooder?), and I am thinking about writing a book about my fantasy football league this year.



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