Interview with Justyn Simon
Published 2020-08-04.
When did you first start writing?
I was at the age of 16 when I started to self-publish, but I started writing when I was 8
What motivated you to become an indie author?
Brandon Grant, I saw that he started being a self-published author at the age of 13, so I thought I might have a go at writing books also, back in March of 2013 when I was 16 years old. Of course, about two years later I changed my mind about being an author
Who are your favorite authors?
Rick Riordan, Christopher Paolini, John Flanagan, J.K. Rowling, Brandon Mull, Kathryn Lasky, Diana Wynne Jones, Michelle Paver, David Clement-Davies, Jonathan Stroud,Jack London, Chris Heimerdinger, and Brandon Grant,
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
By making art. Currently blogging is my main form of writing
What do you enjoy drawing?
Dogs, Nature, Fan Art, and stuff from my imagination. for my Art blog DArHook at darhook.wordpress.com
How do you approach cover design?
When I was an author, I made a cover drawing based on an idea of what the story would be about and then updated the cover to what it has become.
What social media sites do you regularly use ?
When this was made in 2014 it was Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Goodreads. In 2020 it's now Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Deviantart, and Tumblr
What do you Blog about ?
Back in 2014 when this question was made it was the Books I have written, the art I have made, stuff that I have reviewed, videos I have produced on YouTube, pictures of my dog, or what simply what I believe in. In 2020 It's now the art I have made and videos I have produced on YouTube
What is your e-reading device of choice?
In 2014 it was a kindle touch, now in 2020 it's my smartphone.
What do you read for pleasure?
I enjoy fantasy books about dragons, talking animals, dogs, action, mythical creatures, the future, the past, and a combination of some, or all
What is your writing process?
Research, Outline, Rough Draft, polish, add more stuff, add story to a document, check for errors, add more convert file to what type I need, check for more errors, publish, check for conversion errors, then fix if any. This is how I've decided to do this as this is somewhat easier then the path that I took while writing my 1st book
What do your fans mean to you?
A lot, as I hope to become famous some day
What do you write about ?
I enjoy writing about adventure. Right now I'm working on my 2nd book - Rufus in Teralupis. It's in my 1st series - Brindle stories, which is an animal fantasy genre series
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes, Hamster land. I wrote this 9 years ago back in 2004 when I was 8 years old. Anyways had to do with my thoughts on why a Hamster was called by that name. Until writing the Adventures of Molly, my 1st self published book, I wrote for personal enjoyment. It's either lost to time or hidden somewhere
What is your view on Religion ?
I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Why did you stop writing books ?
There are multiple reasons why, but the main reason is that I've found that sharing stories through drawing and painting instead of writing is easier for me to convey what I'm saying without it stopping me from accomplishing other activities throughout the day. The other reason is that I've had an easier time sharing my art rather than the story I posted on this site, as the process for getting it the exposure was more challenging than any art I've posted online
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
