I recently read one of John R Littles books and I really enjoyed it. He is an Uncle of a friend of mine, who I recently had the pleasure to learn about. Immediately I was hooked, how wonderful to be related to an author. I downloaded one of his books from amazon called Dreams in Black and White and I loved it. It was a mixture of dreams, photography and fantasy, and nicely tied together in a compelling plot and engaging story. I was hooked. I needed to learn more about this fascinating man. So I kindly asked him for an interview; and he agreed! So here is the result of my interview with John R Little, dark fantasy author.

What inspired you to write a book?

I started writing fiction when I was 12 years old and I have never stopped.  It just seemed to be a natural part of my life, like breathing.  I have no clue what caused me to want to write that very first story, but I remember even now how awesome it felt to create a story just using my imagination.  It was another dozen years before I sold my first story, and I continued with short fiction for many years after that, learning how to write better over time.  I finally started to write a novel after I learned as much as I could, and that book; The Memory Tree, was published in 2007 to very nice reviews.  Since then I have concentrated more on longer works, and my fifteenth book has just been published.

What are your passions in life?

My family.  I am very fortunate to have a loving family who make me feel fulfilled every single day.  Beyond that, I love to read, write, browse bookstores, and watch silly reality TV shows.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Do not give up.  Fiction writing takes a ridiculous amount of practice to get right.  For most of us, there are no shortcuts.  You have to work it out yourself.

What are three things you want to do more of?

Write, travel, and laugh.  There is never enough time to write as much as I would like.  There is never enough money to travel as much as I would like.  As for laughing, life is too short to take things too seriously.

3 places you want to visit around the globe and why?

Italy for a start.  I have been there once before and absolutely loved it.  I would love to travel up and down the country one more time.  Eastern Canada, because I have seen the rest of our country but never the areas east of Quebec.  The third place would be the eastern seaboard of the U.S.  I have been there when I was young, but it has been a long time and I would enjoy that trip again.

Any tips for your fellow writers?

Ignore advice from other writers and do it your own way.  Everyone has their own road to travel, and it is always a unique path.

What are you really proud of doing in the last year?

Planning for my upcoming marriage on August 22.  On the writing front, I have a new novel coming out on August 14 called ‘Soul Mates’ that I am very pleased with.

What was your motivation for writing your book? 

I will answer this specifically about Soul Mates because every book is different.  I sometimes think about ideas for years before they finally jell into the book that wants to be written.  For this one, I had an idea about five years ago about two identical twins.  One falls in love with a magician and also becomes part of his stage act.  As with most of my books, bad things happen to good people, and there are lots of twist, thrills, along with a bit of romance.  Publishers Weekly compared the book favourably to Alfred Hitchcock’s work, which I loved to hear.  The main character is modelled after my fiancée, which was another source of inspiration for me.

Publishing Tips?

These days, there are lots of options about how to get your work published. There are traditional large publishers, small presses, and of course many people choose to self-publish, usually with Amazon. There is no right or wrong choice. Every writer must follow what feels right for them. The only thing every writer should do is make the work as good as you possibly can, so that however your readers find you, they enjoy what you are offering and come back for more.

Thank you John for your inspiring words. I am very impressed that you have published so many books, let that be an inspiration for all of us writers out there! Check out his new book Soul Mates, you can order on line from Amazon, releasing this August.

Anita xx

If you would like to contact me for an interview and for your chance to feature on my blog please contact me at anitaozo@hotmail.com