Interview with Esther Jones

Author of Tedenbarr of Have Lath

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

Originally I was born in the UK, but I currently call America my home.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

My family moved to the states when I was a kid, which thrilled me, since I’d fallen in love with America on previous visits to family and friends.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I’ve always loved writing and telling stories, and when I was a teen the titular character of my debut came to me in a dream, clearly formed, with his name attached. The only thing I didn’t know was his story, so I set out to write it and have been going ever since.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Hopeful. The characters may go through hard times, but if they persevere, their endurance will be rewarded at the end.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Anyone who is looking for a sense of adventure and a way to escape a little bit from everyday life.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

The characters really can take over your story and lead it in unexpected directions!

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Just keep doing what you’re doing – reading books, all kinds of books, and studying the craft.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Is 7.5 billion people too ambitious?

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

My biggest challenge has been learning the marketing process from scratch.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

I type quickly, so that helps with the actual writing process. With publishing (since I’m self published), my ability to navigate back-end title setup has been rather helpful. As far as marketing goes, I’m decent at creating attractive graphics to advertise different book deals I have going on every so often.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

I like to use the word “that” a lot. I’m always on the hunt to eliminate it from my prose! I haven’t experimented with Indesign yet, so formatting my books for publication has been a bit of a challenge. With marketing, figuring out how adapt to the ever changing algorithm of the bigger social media sites can be quite tricky.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’ve already started! It’s still in the drafting process, but there are words on paper. I’ve also got a completed YA Sci-Fi novel which will be coming out in 2020.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I’m an indie who self published! I love the creative control I have over every aspect of the process, and it’s fun to write without having to keep up with the publishing world’s fast changing trends.