David Dell Johnson Interview

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

Mid-morning works best for me. The caffeine’s kicked in and I have lots of energy.

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

My book “6001 Things You Won’t Miss When You’re Dead” is not a book with a narrative. It’s basically a catalog of things you won’t miss when you go. The potential entries would basically pop into my head and I would quickly write them down so as not to forget them. At some point I’d transfer them to my computer.

3. What do you draw inspiration from?

Everyday irritants and mystifying crap that you won’t miss when your time has come. I can’t say it was inspiring, but it was challenging to see how many things I could come up with.

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

No. I would go in spurts with this project, coming up with 50 things on day and maybe just a few the next.

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

On this project I started out trying to get this published the traditional route. I had an agent who shopped it around, but ultimately found no takers. I then decided to go the self-pub route and try and have some fun with it. It’s definitely ben a learning experience because the onus is on you to get it marketed. As for the cover art I came up with it myself. I’m not an artist so it was kind of a fluke that I came up with something that’s gotten a lot of great comments.

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

Writing is not a career for me at this point. I have a full time career with the federal government. If I decide to pursue writing full time it will probably have to wait until I retire.

7. Do you own an ebook reading device?

I have a Kindle app on my iPhone and plan on buying a Kindle later this year.

8. Who are some of your favorite authors and what are you reading now?

I absolutely love Dennis Lehane. He’s got a new book coming out next month. Stephen King is always good. I also love trivia books such as “1001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*T Out of You” and “Why Men Have Nipples”.

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

I’d love to have one; however, it costs money to have one professionally made. Perhaps with some strong sales on “6001 Things” I could pursue it.

10. How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

For “6001 Things You Won’t Miss When You’re Dead” it was actually pretty simple. I wanted it to be direct and to the point. Something that would make someone say “Hmmm, interesting, maybe I’ll take a look.”

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

Nothing at the moment. I’m trying to market “6001 Things” which is a job in itself. I have some ideas on other projects, but they will likely have to wait.