Interview with Joshua Jennings
Published 2014-09-30.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I was too young to remember the first thing I read, all I know is that it and others that followed were used to keep me occupied to the point where my toddler mouth would hang open of its own accord and food could be shovelled in. Allegedly it was the only way I would consent to being fed. The first story I actually remember reading would be the first Harry Potter novel when it initially came out. It was being read to me by my mother at first, but then that proved too slow and I carried on by myself. I was six.
How do you approach cover design?
Commission an artist to hand draw it, then scan and upload.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
The Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
Artemis Fowl
Alex Rider
Percy Jackson
I've always had a great love of speculative fiction, with leanings more toward fantasy than sci-fi, as well as adventurous series in general. The Lord of the Rings is what made me want to write, beginning around 10 years of age. The depth, complexity, attention to detail, and accuracy, where applicable, are the things I love the most about series such as these.
What do you read for pleasure?
Anything I have to hand in my bedroom that I haven't read yet. Action adventure story books with a fantastical bent are the most preferred, but anything I haven't read yet in my room (which is a lot) is what I'll grab, whether they be fiction, non-fiction, young adult fantasy, scientific literature, comic books, ancient history, video game review magazines, medieval poetry, or trash mags. Whatever I have to hand.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
iPad.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
I've only just started, so I can't really say.
Describe your desk
Bombsite. On a good day.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Brisbane, QLD, Australia, but I wouldn't say the place itself had any sort of impact, certainly much less so than the people I hung around with (a.k.a nerds).
When did you first start writing?
At 14. It was monstrously bad and we will never speak of it again.
What's the story behind your latest book?
My stepmother asked me to write a short children's story for my (then) three-year-old step-niece for her birthday. She would do the artwork and I would write the story. Nothing ever came of it, so instead it eventually ended up published here on Smashwords.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
Lack of being published mainstream-wise.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
Books by This Author
Boonie the Baboon's Lost Balloons
by Joshua Jennings
Boonie is an eight-year-old baboon living in the African savannah and currently celebrating his eighth birthday with his three best friends, Rupert the rhino, Charlie the cheetah, and Erik the elephant, each with their own particular balloon. However, a sudden dust-twister appears and causes the balloons to be hurled off in every direction, setting the four friends off on a quest to retrieve them.
