Interview with Lloyd (Jason) Kaneko (Shohara)

Author of Kami Jin

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

I was born in East Los Angeles, California (Boyle Heights). I now live eleven miles east of Los Angeles in the city of Whittier, California.

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

My parents resided in downtown Los Angeles in the Little Tokyo District and gave birth to me at the Japanese American Hospital in the Boyle Heights district of Los Angeles (East Los Angeles). Our family moved temporarily to a neighborhood in Boyle Heights and rented a home there for a couple of years there and eventually purchased a house in Monterey Park where I grew up from the 4th grade elementary class through graduating high school in Montebello in 1969. Since then, I worked in Long Beach for an aerial mapping/surveing company and was sent to Algiers, Algeria in 1979-1980 to instruct a computer operations staff similar to the one I was supervising in Long Beach. Later, I resigned from that company and moved on to become a Training Manager at Hughes Aircraft Company in El Segundo for about 7 years then moved residences to Redondo Beach, CA, then on to Bellflower, CA after rent hike at the Redondo apartment forced me to move out of the beach community to an inland community where rent was more affordable. Eventually, my best friend, soon to be my wife, talked me into renting a house in unincorporated part of Whittier, Los Nietos where we resided there for about 12 years. Then purchased a house in Whittier proper where we now live for over 24 years.

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

The nation’s problems with homelessness and my becoming near homeless after being unemployed for over 4 consecutive years inspired me to write my first book about a college professor in the 23rd Century who becomes victimized himself by automation in the classroom. I sought out ways to end homelessness and end wars by writing a science fiction novel which carried the two underlying themes under the title “Kami Jin.” Which, in Japanese, translates to “Paper People.” Think of it, people are being discarded out of companies now under the guise of being “laid off” as if they were nothing but commodities – or, like trash – like, “paper plates” if you will. They are being treated as anything but like “humans!” Imagine, if you will, a world flooded by an unemployment rate of over 95% with homeless people flooding the streets.

The second book, “A Vision for Humanity – Moving Mankind in the Right Direction,” is my book to do just that, inspire mankind to create the grandest vision for the world by coming together as one from a dialogue of many (wealthy though poor, famous through the unknowns, out-spoken though the meek and shy – many, many people). I call people to come together through common threats using philosophical and religious similarities, cultural similarities, and similar threads. I call people to drop their differences and share their commonalities to strengthen those bridges together in order to come as a one universal being. It’s not going to be an easy process – people are going to present barriers into the process. But eventually, the task will manifest itself and we will all come together, united as one.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

My books are not for the fast reader. IT’S A SLOW READ! But both books are very thought provoking. In order to change the world, this requires a lot of thought-provoking, intelligent thought and wisdom. But both books are available in electronic formats so the reader has the convenience of taking the book electronically via tablet, iphone, or android and reading the books at their own leisure anywhere in the world.

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

Readers who care about the future of humanity and the world.

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

The unexpected thing I found about publishing was how some publishers do not stay in business for a very long time. The print-on-demand publisher that printed my first book, Kami Jin, only stayed in business for about a year after I had the book printed in paperbacks. Fortunately, I continued to publish the book electronically through Smashwords.

For A Vision for Humanity, I was working on a limited budget as a self-published author and worked with a small publisher in Florida who published my book for $800 and printed 100 copies during the first run. I still have about 60 printed copies available but the electronic version is still available either through Smashwords or through Amazon Kindle.

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

Be open for new opportunities – especially the ones that you don’t have to make a major investment in. Some self-publishing companies are willing to work with you for a hefty price. Stay clear of those operations. Do your homework. Be patient. Don’t be in rush to publish. By all means, work with an agent if you can land a relationship with one. But remember, you are in business for yourself, you are the entrepreneur. The success all depends on you.

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

With the loss of my print publisher, I would say that the possibilities are very limited. However, with new electronic technologies emerging for readership, the possibilities of reaching out to a wide audience is unlimited.

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

Marketing and getting the word out on both books. That, plus there are a lot of people that don’t like to read printed material any more.

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

I am a very creative individual. The problem is, do I have the financial resources to do it since I’m pretty much doing this as an independent entrepreneur on a retired income.

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

Finding the time and staying in good health. Staying in good health when one is getting older can be a challenging issue.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I have an autobiography in the works plus a new original screenplay.

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

I am self-published and I used a hybrid small publisher.