Author No. 3… John J. Horn!
Our third and youngest (so far, at least:) ) author is,
John J. Horn!
The youngest of three children, John J. Horn grew up in New Jersey and Texas and now lives in North Texas, where he is an executive at an advertising agency. His childhood years were filled with great books by authors, most of them dead, who inspired him to pull out his keyboard and add to the millions of books published since Gutenberg introduced his press. He enjoys visiting new countries and so far has explored Italy, France, England, Scotland, Wales, and Australia.
Here are his books. I’ve only read two of them, and can’t wait to read the third!! they are a must-read series, especially for boys(and men)!!
And here is the interview…
Tell us about yourself in one sentence.
I’m a Christian author who works in advertising by day and spins story-webs at night.
How and when did you start to write? What (or who) influenced you to go down this road?
I began writing as a child, and I’ve always been fascinated by the written word. Voracious reading led naturally to me wanting to create my own stories. I wrote my first book, “The Boy Colonel,” when I was 15, and that and my next book were both published when I was 16. The impetus to actually attempt book-length projects probably came by watching the example of an older friend, who would share with me bits of the mystery series he was writing.
What held you on the track (of being a writer) through all the obstacles and trials toward being a published writer/author—before and after you first got published?
I was blessed in that I had connections with the publisher who first published my books, so while I still had to write good material, I didn’t go through the same challenges in finding a publisher that many aspiring authors face. I’m excited to share my stories with the world, because I think they’re fun and a unique combination of 19th-century adventure stories combined with modern pacing and structure, and that excitement helps keep me going. Granted, there are many times when I don’t feel like writing, and the best way to combat that is to create and stick with a routine.
What is most important to you when writing a book?
The most important thing to me in writing is glorifying God. To do that, I need to write the best possible book I can, with the wittiest dialog, most exciting action, grandest adventure, etc.
How did the novel “Brothers at arms” came to be in existence? What inspired it?
The characters came first. I loved the idea of contrasting two very dissimilar brothers and throwing them into constant conflict. The plot grew out of that, and I chose the 1830s because I had already written about that time period in my previous book.
What advice do you have for budding authors—like myself—out there? Any sagely words of wisdom?
I’m no sage, so I have no sagely words of wisdom. 🙂 I have two pieces of advice. 1. Think of writing as a craft, and study it. Read books about writing (dozens of books), attend writing classes, look for mentors and people with constructive criticism. 2. As Nike would say, just do it. Establish a routine where you write five or six days a week, and set a goal, whether that’s hours or word count (I use word count when I’m working towards a deadline), and don’t give yourself excuses for not writing.
Do you have any favorite quotes about writing?
“I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write.” ~ Augustine
Thanks so much for coming on with me, John!!
And if any of you would like to visit his website, it’s over here.
I hope y’all enjoyed this.
God bless!!!