Interview with J.M. Franco
Published 2015-10-03.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I grew up reading comic books actually. My father owned a comic book store and I would read X-Men, Starman, Hellblazer. They made me think in ways I did not normally think. I liked that.
How do you approach cover design?
I like a cover that tries to encompass the over all world. So when you first see it, you wonder 'What's that about', and after you finish reading you look tot he cover again and muse over how well you understand the one picture.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
The Great Gatsby, A Farewell to Arms, Old Man and the Sea, The Art of War, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
I like each because they entertain, they expand my mind and heart, and they are all worth reading more then once.
What do you read for pleasure?
Fringe and established physic books. Stuff blows me away. No one makes me laugh like a physicist.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Honestly, I cannot stand reading on digital devises. I like paper that I can drag around, beat up, close if it starts to hurt my eyes, flip back fast to read an old line that connects to the new one. I love the smell and paper stock and feel and how a real book ages with me. But, I do have the heart of an old man.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
Oh god, none, none at all. I have a terminal case of bad luck, and if it ever lifts I will not admit it for fear it would run from the light shown upon it.
Describe your desk
cluttered with stuff I need to put away, but it'll just migrate back.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in a sad house with sad parents in a sad city so close to the beach. It was in the West. I think that beauty haunts me. The forests were beyond the river, the desert beyond that, frozen in winter, like the sun in summer. Slums surrounding skyscrapers of marvel beauty. It was a terrible and beautiful world. But you can't go home.
When did you first start writing?
I've always created something. Tried writing on my father's word processor, if you remember those, before I hit double digits. What horrible stories those were. No matter how bad my works are now, how much greater there are then they were.
What's the story behind your latest book?
Ever watch Akira? If not, do it. It's that, but longer, and more violent.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I'm not indie anything, I'm just me. I write cause it's how my mind it. And better to say it, then to do it, yeah?
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Let's see, shall we.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
It's like giving birth and watching them grow to their apex. You boys are and girls and everything in between are just so beautiful and greater then you'll ever be. It's what you always want for your kids.
What do your fans mean to you?
Oh, I hope they mean a lot, if I ever get any.
We'll have a drink, I hope.
What are you working on next?
'Neural Output'. Mean stuff.
Who are your favorite authors?
Oh, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Nietzsche, Thompson.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
The hope that today will be better. It's hit and miss.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Putting out fires these days.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Well, i don't read ebooks, I buy my books are goodwills and local little book shops. I read books that socity mention and i give a look into to see if it's worth it for me. Sometimes TV and movies name books and peak my interest. For example, I read Slaughter House Five because Kevin Bacon mentioned it in 'Footloose'.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Oh no, but I have most of the original characters in my head, evolved and into now grand lives.
What is your writing process?
Chaotic. Getting into my character's head too. That's dangerous, but gives them good flesh and blood.
What do you cook best?
Tacos.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
Books by This Author
The Heart of a Monster
by J.M. Franco
In the dead of night a strange drifter strides into a anthropomorphic town, quickly being taken in and starting up trouble. Once the local law suspects the drifter, Midnight, of being an infamous and immortal killer, enemies of his past begin to show up and rock the foundation of the small desert city. Midnight soon finds himself torn between his need for vengeance, and protecting those he loves.
