Bringing a Story to Life: Author Interview with Jared Morrison

What inspired you to write your first novel? 
Writing had always been on the periphery of my life, but until I wrote the novel it had been a secondary focus, mostly taking the form of journaling. I thought I might write non-fiction, if anything. My mom, knowing this, gave me a copy of Stephen King's On Writing. I'm pretty sure it stayed on the bookshelf for far too long, but as I started compiling a book I remember spotting it and thinking, "Well, even if he doesn't write non-fiction," (the title in question notwithstanding) "he knows a thing or two about writing." 

I finally cracked its covers and I was hooked. Reading his memoir led me to read his novels, which I hadn't touched since high school. I had read very little fiction since high school, in fact, but picking it up at this point in my life did two things: caused me to fall back in love with the written word, and kindled a long-dormant imagination. Before I knew it, I had story ideas of my own. With little clue of what I was doing or how it was going to go, I started my first novel. 

How long did it take to write? How many revisions did you do?  
The first draft took about three months, once I got serious about it and committed to a daily practice. I aimed to write 500-1000 words per day. I did about three and a half revisions--the "half" being less of a revision and more of a painstaking comb-through for typos. All told, the process took approximately 18 months, from the first word to the last edit.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?   
The first draft. It's scary as heck, because even if I have a general sense of the story--even if I've sat down and plotted it out--it tends to take on a life of its own very quickly, and that can feel daunting. Most of the time it feels like the story is just out of reach, that its form is just over the horizon. This, despite the knowledge that as long as I keep going, I'll come over the side of the hill and be able to see it in its entirety. I haven't figured out how to get rid of that feeling (that I don't have a hold of the story). The only thing that works is to keep writing, which feels paradoxical when one feels like they don't know what they're writing.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing? 

Keep going. It's as simple as that. Or, to quote the aforementioned Mr. King: "Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel **** from a sitting position." I always find it funny, later on, when I read back on previous work: I can rarely tell which sections of writing felt good when they happened, and which ones felt like pushing a boulder up a hill. Which suggests to me that judging it while I'm writing it is useless. What's useful is to write, period.

For encouragement, I'd highly recommend On Writing, any of Steven Pressfield's books about writing (The War of Art, Turning Pro, etc.), or Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

Marketing is the biggest key to getting sales. What is the best marketing source you've used that has produced more sales rather than just clicks?  

My newsletter. I've tried a lot of different things, at this point! But nothing seems to replace a direct connection with a reader.

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner? 

That the hardest thing about writing is, as Steven Pressfield writes, never the writing itself. The hardest thing is sitting down to write. I can't explain (apart from Pressfield's explanations about "Resistance") why it's still, to this day, so difficult to sit and start doing something that I know I love to do. But if one can sit down, open the laptop (or pick up the pen) and start writing, the battle is won. (For the day, at least.)

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give? 

If you have a story inside of you, you're the only one in the world who can write that particular tale. Even if the theme is familiar, or the trope has been written many times before, there is no one in the world who will write the story exactly the way you will. Because of that, it's imperative that you write it, otherwise it will never exist. It's not your place (or anyone else's) to judge it. Your job is to create it, in tribute to the life and story you've been given. Please, give your gift to the world.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis? 

The Crossing will be published around November of 2025. Synopsis:

"Taylor Durant is going nowhere fast. A has-been child actor turned struggling screenwriter, he’s chasing his next big idea—and a reason to believe in himself again. Then, one evening, an inexplicable encounter sets his world spinning.

She was there. Then she wasn’t.

Convinced that the fleeting encounter holds the key to his destiny, Taylor channels his energy into a screenplay that blurs the line between reality and imagination. Yet, as those closest to him start to question his grip on the truth, Taylor’s search for answers takes him to places even he can’t explain."

That's all for today's interview. If you'd like to learn more about Jared's writing, use this link and get a free eBook copy of Eleven Letters, a prequel of sorts to Of Dreams and Angels:https://BookHip.com/NFWMRGD 

It's All About the Birds: Author Interview with Cheryl Johnson

What inspired you to go from promoting your photography to writing children’s books? How long did it take to write that first book? How many revisions did you do?
I started doing nature photography in 2016 and became quite enthusiastic about it to the point where my friends started referring to me as “the crazy bird lady.” As a creative person, I certainly do photography because it brings me joy, but as a businessperson I was also looking for an outlet to share my art with others. I tried selling photographs online and at shows, but the competition is just fierce, and I wasn’t achieving the level of success I wanted to justify my efforts.
 
Things changed when, in 2019, a friend reached out and asked me if I would put together a picture book of bird photos as a gift for her god daughter. Let me say, even though I have been a professional writer most of my life, prior to that moment, I had never said that I wanted to be a children’s book author. But, as I started working on that first book, gathering photos, adding words, and discovering fun facts, I realized that it was an unexpectedly fun and creative outlet. And, as a businessperson, I felt that there was an opportunity to target an untapped niche of children’s nature books featuring actual photographs of the creatures being described.
 

This project for my friend evolved into my first children’s book, “My Backyard Bird Book.” I was having so much fun putting it together that the ideas literally poured out of my head resulting in 4 more books written almost simultaneously: “My Bird Scavenger Hunt,” “My Texas Bird Book,” “Plumology,” and “Amazing Birds Book.” I think the first versions of all of them were written in about 2 months.
 
My plan was to pursue self-publishing, but on a whim, I submitted the books to a publisher (not a vanity press or hybrid) that was accepting submissions directly from authors. They picked up four of my books (not “My Texas Bird Book” as they thought the interest would be too narrow), and the books went on to sell a combined total of about 30,000 copies. The company went out of business in 2023 and I finally got the copyrights back for the four books about mid-2024.
 
Because everything happened so fast (from writing to traditional publishing) I didn’t really have a chance to think about the concept and what I wanted the books to actually accomplish. 

When I started working on my 6^th book, “Backyard Critters and Creatures” I realized that there were some major issues with the content that I had been developing. 

That’s when I took a step back and really thought about what I wanted these books to do. Ultimately, with the help and guidance of some teacher friends, I decided that the goals of the books were to:

1. Reinforce elementary school science terms and concepts 

2.Encourage kids to get outside and discover nature

3. Teach safe explorer techniques
These goals were specifically created to serve as a hook to get my books into schools either for author presentations or for districtwide purchase.
 
At this point, I completely revamped and rewrote the books I owned the copyrights to and once I got my other titles back from the publisher, I began the process of revamping my older titles. To date, I’ve written a total of 8 nature books and I have revamped 6 of them.
 
It generally takes me about a month to create one of my nature books, but there’s a lot of pondering and thinking before I sit down to start putting things together. Because I have my formula down, I don’t generally have many rewrites, just corrections and fine tuning.
 

Bird Nerd Publishing is your own imprint, correct? What made you decide to do your own imprint?
Yes, Bird Nerd Publishing is my own imprint. After my first go around with a publishing company (which wasn’t a bad experience by any means) I decided that I really enjoyed having the creative and business control of my books, so made the decision to stick to self-publishing. That being said, I had a very happenstance meeting with a literary agent over the summer (I wasn’t looking for the meeting, it just sort of happened) which resulted in my books being pitched to a division of Penguin Random House. So, now I have an agent and a pending publishing deal. The publisher is very excited to bring me on board and have offered me a 3 book deal… two of my existing titles and a new book to be developed. Needless to say, I’m thrilled with the opportunity and even though it wasn’t my original plan, I think it’s going to be a great partnership and adventure.
 
I read recently that for the first time ever, self-published authors are making more money then traditionally published authors. This deal I have pending is a very interesting concept in that they are working more as a distributor rather than a traditional publisher. I retain the copyrights to my books, and they handle the printing and distribution. I think it’s an exciting evolution in the publishing world where traditional publishing houses are seeing the value of self-published books and looking for creative ways to partner with self-published authors.
 

How many pictures do you take for each of your books to get just the right look? How do you go about researching your book factoids?
Billions… I take billions of photos! Seriously, I literally have over 100,000 photos in my nature library. Now, that’s not 100,000 good photos, but ones where the creature is in focus and maybe I might be able to do something with the picture at some point. That being said, generally when I’m working on the concept for a new book, I always start with the photos. For example, I’m currently working on a new book titled “Texas Critters and Creatures” about the different members of the animal kingdoms (not including fish) that can be found in Texas. When I began creating the book, I started by making lists of the different creatures that I had photos of grouped by animal kingdom. Then I started whittling it down to the ones that had the most interesting stories and fit the theme the best until I ended up with approximately 4 creatures per kingdom (4 birds, 4 mammals, 4 invertebrates, etc.). For the most part, I’m using photos that I already have and working the content around those photos. But with this particular book, I want to include the “state animals” so have had to do a little work to fill in those holes. For example, the state reptile is the Horned Lizard. I didn’t have a photo of that creature, so I arranged a visit for the San Antonio Zoo. They are conducting a reintroduction program with the lizards so are raising them and allowed me into their labs to get some photos. I have a few other photos for this book that I still need to get. But, generally speaking, I write a book with the photos I already have which is possible due to my extensive photo library.
 
As far as the content and factoids, I do a lot of reading across different websites. As we know, just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true. I generally do a broad search on sites like Wikipedia to get a general sense of the creature I’m writing about. Then I’ll dig a little deeper or verify specific facts on more scientific based sites. Luckily, the internet makes researching easy.
 

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
My husband and other authors! Seriously, I wouldn’t have gone down the author road if it wasn’t for my husband’s encouragement. He’s been my biggest cheerleader every step of the way. That being said, when I start talking to him about my latest newsletter topic or the creatures I’m going to feature in my next book, his eyes will glaze over a bit. About a year ago I struck up a friendship with another children’s book author and it has been life changing. Not only has she become my best friend, but we can totally geek out with each other about the different ideas we have, a plot line we’re struggling with, newsletter ideas and just about everything author related. To have that person (or persons) who shares the same challenges and interests has been monumental in my growth as an author and publisher. I really can’t stress enough the importance of developing that professional network.
 
Marketing is the biggest key to getting sales. What is the best marketing source you've used that has produced more sales rather than just clicks?
Hands down, I sell more books on Amazon than anything else. I’m still trying to figure out Amazon Ads, but have been using a technique called the “lottery” system. There are a ton of YouTube videos on it. I like it as it keeps my advertising costs at a manageable level and I’ve seen my sales and profit go up ever since I started using it. In addition to that, I’m out in the world as much as possible. From public speaking events to school visits to markets and shows. And it never fails, whenever I’m out at some sort of public event, I see a jump in my Amazon sales. 
 

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wished you had known sooner?
I really wish I had put more emphasis on gathering a tribe of other authors earlier in my journey. Having that support network of other authors has been such an amazing and positive experience that I wished I had invested the time into developing those relationships sooner.
 
Also, it took me a while to come to terms with the fact that I create my books backwards when compared to other authors. For me, it starts with the pictures and the layout. Once my book is completely designed, then I start adding the words. Also, I tend to be more productive when I’m working on multiple projects at the same time. There really is no wrong way or right way to create a story and I would have saved myself some frustration if I had allowed myself to follow my natural creative process rather than trying to fit into what I thought was “the norm.”
 
Are there any other points about your books that you would like to add?
I’m very much a “let’s throw the pasta against the wall and see if it sticks” kinda businessperson. And by that, I mean I like to try different things and see if they work. If they do, I move forward with them, and if they don’t, I move on to a new idea. Essentially, I don’t have a long-term plan but am rather stumbling down this crazy, random path not really knowing where I’m going. My best friend is always harping on me about the importance of developing “my brand” which has actually proven to be a little challenging because I’m not much of a long-term planner. So, for 2025 I really want to put more of an emphasis on developing a path forward without losing the ability to allow things to evolve organically. It’s a funny balance for sure.
 

I read an article today with a quote from Oprah Winfrey. She said, “Luck is preparation meeting the moment of opportunity.” I have always felt like I have fallen into success as an author because so much of it has been unplanned, so this comment really resonated with me. I am one of those people who is always thinking and pondering so when opportunities have presented themselves, I’ve been in a place where I can so, “Okay, let’s try that.” But every step of the journey, I’m doing something I love so, succeed, or fail, I am guaranteed a good time.
 
Lastly, I’d like to say that being a self-published author isn’t necessarily a linear journey. By that I mean your success isn’t based on continually churning out more books. For me it’s been more about tossing out a net in all sorts of different directions… all built around my photography. For example, I wrote my nature books. Then I created a nature journal for kids to document their discoveries. Then I developed an Explorer Kit with all the tools a child needs to explore their world (a nature book, a nature journal, binoculars, magnifying glass, color pencils, compass, ruler, and flashlight). Now I’m in the process of a creating a game called Matchology (think Go Fish marries one of my nature books… Matchology would be their baby). All of these things are really different from a product perspective, but they all work together and complement one another in some very exciting ways because they all start with my photographs.
 
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
Well, the first two sets of Matchology will release on my website and Amazon in March or April of 2025. I also have a few book projects I’m currently working on and plan on releasing in 2025. The first, as mentioned, is a nature book about the critters and creatures found in Texas. I’m also working on a birding journal for kids so they can document their discoveries. This journal is created specifically to accompany my bird-related nature books. Lastly, I’m in the pondering process of a book about the birds of the rainforest.
 

That's all for today's interview. If you'd like to learn more about Cheryl's books, here are some links to get you started.

https://www.cheryljohnsonauthor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/backyardbirdnerd
And here's a special bonus for my readers... Sign up for her monthly newsletter, for continuing fun facts, activities, and giveaways. By doing so, you'll also get a FREE eBook (the one you see next to this paragraph. Do it  now! 

https://www.cheryljohnsonauthor.com/trailblazersclub