Thursday, February 18, 2016

The Long Walk by June Hardison Interview

 


Title: The Long Walk by June Hardison
Genre: Inspirational Fiction


Synopsis
Donovan Evans, high school baseball standout, has everything going for him, including his ego. Trying to escape the pressures of parents and prospective college coaches, Donovan finds himself arrested and headed towards community service, where he makes an unlikely friend who reminds him of the person he was intended to be. This is a story about an athlete and a multi-disabled young man, and how two people from very different backgrounds can change each other’s life.




About the Author
June grew up in southeastern New Mexico playing sports and reading books. Married with two boys, she is having a blast watching those two boys grow up into men. Her time is mainly spent with family and helping others through her job with working with special education students. She feels blessed to be able to share stories that entertain and inspire.

Interview:

1.  When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve liked writing since I was a kid. I remember writing short skits for class and church. I wish I had kept them, because they were so much fun to act out. I always had the desire to write a novel, but it wasn’t until I was an adult and had taken many writing classes and read many hundreds of books that I was able to realize this.
2.  How long does it take you to write a book?
I’ve written several picture book stories. They normally took me a few days to write. This novel, The Long Walk, took me a little over a year.
3.  What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I work full time so I write when I get the chance. When I am in the middle of writing a lengthy piece, I try to not go longer than a day without working on it for at least a little while. The best time for me to write is early morning or during my lunch. It probably isn’t optimum for most people to have a schedule like this, but it works for me right now and I try not to stress about it too much.
4.  What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know if it is a quirk or if every writer does this, but when I am writing, I have the ability to filter out the rest of the world and turn on a screen of sort in my mind where I can watch my story play out in movie form. If I can’t visualize it, then in my opinion, it isn’t a good story and it definitely will not be for my readers.
5.  How do books get published?
Through persistence. I am self-published exclusively at this time, which is a good avenue as well. There are pros and cons to both. I will continue to plug my work into publishers, but ultimately, it is ok for me to go the self-publishing route. My book is currently available on amazon in both print and electronic form, which is pretty amazing to me.
6.  Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
I get ideas at all times of the day and night. Because of this, I keep a notebook with me so that I can write down those ideas. Sometimes, I might get a visual for an entire scene or just an idea for a character. Most of my ideas come from observing the world and people around me and trying to figure out what story might have happened at a location or what a person’s story might be based on their appearance or their personality.
7.  When did you write your first book and how old were you?
My first skit was written when I was about 8 years old. I wrote my first picture book when I was around 26 and this my first novel at 39. Wow, am I really 39?!
8.  What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I love reading, exercising, and spending time with my family. They are the best!
9.  What does your family think of your writing?
They are super supportive and encouraging. I appreciate their patience so much through this whole process, because it does take time away from them occasionally. My husband is awesome and has probably heard every page from my book at least four times, but yet he still listens and offers advice.
10.             What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
What surprised me the most was just how systematic it became. Meaning, the organization that is put into writing a novel is so structured with the laying out of the characters, beginning, middle, and end, and the outline of the chapters. I actually love writing this way. It helped keep me focused and on track with where I ultimately wanted the story to go.
11.             How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
This is my first novel to write and I love it.
12.             Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Pay attention to your story organization and staying true to your characters and what point of view you have chosen to write from. Focus on dialogue, making sure that you never lose your character’s voice.
13.             Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I love hearing from my readers and have gotten such great feedback. They have said how much the story has touched them. It has caused them to look at others differently as well as take a critical look at themselves and how they view others.
14.             Do you like to create books for adults?
I think that I would. It seems that all the adult fiction I have seen has to include horrible language and scenes that I don’t particularly feel comfortable including in my stories, so we shall see. Many adults have read my current book and seriously love it.
15.             What do you think makes a good story?
A good story is one with characters you can relate to and a story line that even if far-fetched, the author commits too and in turn makes a believer of the reader.
16.             As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
For the longest time, up until I was a 9th grader actually, I wanted to be an astronaut.
17.             What would you like my readers to know?
I hope that if you get the chance to read my book that you will. My hopes in writing this novel was to not only entertain but also inspire others to think differently about themselves and the world around them. I also hope that they will me touched.
Thanks so much for featuring me in your blog!!



Connect with June:


2 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for including me on your blog!! Best wishes!!

    ReplyDelete
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