Interview with Joshua Griffith

Author of The Decaying Destiny of Bobby the Zombie

 

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

I currently reside in Salem, the state capital of Oregon, less than an hour from Portland.

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

I’m originally from the Midwest, grew up in a small country town in Oklahoma and lived there before moving out west in 2010. I was in a loveless, abusive marriage. I had a friend offer me an escape so I saved up money and flew out to the Pacific Northwest to start my life over from scratch.

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

I was living in Portland at the time, working the night shift at different mental health facilities, passing the time reading books from the likes of Kresley Cole, Kim Harrison and the ideas of stories kept creeping around in my head. I also attribute catching the creative writing bug from living here because Portland. The city gives off an air of artistry and creative passion like no other place I’ve ever lived in.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

I will admit, I struggle with this just because I have a difficult time classifying what genre my novels fall under. My work is a mixture of paranormal romance, fantasy, post apocalyptic/dystopian horror. Also I feel a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable describing my work because I fear what others will think about it. I feel like it’s my child and I’m an overly protective parent. I will say trying to sell myself and my work is a huge obstacle for me to get around. Each novel is different from the other, but theme is generally dystopian supernatural thriller/horror and I give an overview of the plot just enough to hopefully draw people into my weird world by saying that as dark as they can get, I put a message of hope and healing in each one.

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

I’d say horror fans. People that love supernatural stories that have ghosts, demons, witches and shifters. Fantasy in the form supernatural creatures like elves, vampires, Sasquatch. People that love characters that struggle to survive and grow in the process in a dystopian setting.

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

Being an indie author, I had little to no knowledge about what I’m doing so there’s a lot of trial and many errors. I’ve learned that my writing style needed tweaking, I tended to mesh both active and passive voice in my novels. I had to learn how to format my files for both ebook and paperback and I learned that cover art means a great deal despite the old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.”. I feel that this has been a journey of growth by taking the lumps that came along the way and has made me grow as an indie author.

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

I’d say learn what it takes to make this happen and polish my work better and learn to make a few character sheets, something I still don’t do because I write what’s in my head and I will later pull my hair out as I find the continuity issues later.

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

As many as possible would be great. I’m not that good at self promotion or marketing for that matter. I got into writing not thinking I will make it big like Steven King or JK Rowling, but because it’s fun and part of my heritage as a Cherokee storyteller. I want to give people a fun escape from the craziness of their stressful lives for a while. I want people to enjoy these unique stories and the weird characters that can be so memorable that they will make them smile and make those around them what’s so funny.

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

Currently, I’ve been struggling with a head injury I sustained a severe concussion from an assault from a patient I work with at the state hospital a couple of years ago. It’s made writing difficult and painful at times, so my novel writing has slowed down considerably. My latest novel, The Decaying Destiny of Bobby the Zombie, is my first publication since the injury and it makes me proud and has added to the healing process. I have multiple WIPs at the moment so I’m not going to let this injury keep me down. I will keep writing.

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

Writing is something that I love to do. I write with an idea of what it is about and maybe how it will end, I tend to let the stories tell themselves and see where it goes from there. Having the knowledge from previous self publishing, I’m have enough experience to to not only publish a great novel, but can help others learn how to do it too. Marketing I’m still figuring it out by using different marketing services or using social media.

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

My weakness when it comes to my writing is the head injury. I get headaches, confusion, and brain fog so trying to focus becomes difficult and it’s slow going. Publishing is hindered by having nothing finished to publish. As I stated before, marketing is my kryptonite and I have no clue what I’m doing with it or how to get better at it.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I have several stories going right now so I’m hoping to get at least two of them published in 2020. I have fantasy about a little girl that befriends a grouchy dragon as she tries to help her mother keep a roof over their heads as the greedy war mongering king keeps increasing taxes to justify his campaigns. A modern day paranormal romance that involves a witch in an intense abusive relationship and ghost that falls in love with her. Another one will be a series with an antihero that is a 3 foot tall half vampire/demon that gets booted from an assassin guild for his antics so he sets off to create chaos and mayhem.

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

I’m self published because I wasn’t sure any of the traditional publishing companies would accept my work because it doesn’t fit into specific moulds. I tried a crowdfunding publishing company with terrible results but as discouraging as it went, I knew my stories were worth publishing so I chose the self publishing route and I haven’t looked back.