Interview with Jamell Crouthers, Author of 'Code Blue' @aquarianmind1

Jamell Crouthers is a poet, author, blogger and podcaster who has taken on a journey of writing in the prime of his life. He has been writing poetry since the age of 13 but never thought he could utilize his talent to tell stories and write books. He is not the traditional author as he writes his books in poetry format with a focus on storylines and societal issues.

After publishing 11 books (so far), his goals and plans are to continue writing books on taboo subjects that aren't discussed enough in today's world and bringing those main subjects to the forefront. Jamell's blogs tackle societal issues, how he writes his books, his journey as an author and some motivational blogs that will get you to focus on your goals. His goal and moniker is, "to change the world, one book at a time."

Jamell’s Code Blue series can be purchased at Amazon.

Website Address: www.aquarianmind.info

Blog Address: www.aquarianmind.info

Twitter Address: www.twitter.com/aquarianmind1

Facebook Address: www.facebook.com/aquarianpoet1

About the Series:

The Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun series chronicles a police officer named Gary who has been on the force for a few years. He soon is entrenched in a lot of lies, corruption, racism and agendas being pushed by his superiors. The question throughout this series is whether he as a good cop becomes part of the corruption or does he report it?

Part of this series features his son Gary, Jr who is a young teenager wanting to be like his father and go into the police force. He soon learns through the news daily that the police force is not what it really is. Gary ends up having to share the truths of what goes on at work and the relationship between him and his son changes because of it. Now it becomes up to Gary what he is going to do about what goes on at work.

Title: CODE BLUE: AN OATH TO THE BADGE AND GUN – Part 1
Author: Jamell Crouthers
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 87
Genre: Poetry prose/literary fiction

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Title: CODE BLUE: AN OATH TO THE BADGE AND GUN – Part 2
Author: Jamell Crouthers
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 89
Genre: Poetry prose/literary fiction

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Title: CODE BLUE: AN OATH TO THE BADGE AND GUN – Part 3
Author: Jamell Crouthers
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 99
Genre: Poetry prose/literary fiction

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life!  Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process.  Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning?  When did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I came up with the idea to write the first book through watching all that's going on in America with police officers and citizens. There was so much news coverage about it, the country was in chaos and there needed to be a story written about it. The plan was to write 2-3 books in the series but as I started developing more story lines to Gary and Gary, Jr. I felt compelled to write 5 books where it will keep the readers engaged in what will happen next.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

It was very hard, only because we always see the news coverage, the victims, their families grieving but I had to think of how to write this but from a different perspective. I decided to write it from a police officer's perspective. There is always the question of whether good cops know who the bad ones are and what exactly is being done about it?

The biggest tip is to write what you love, not necessarily what's trending right now (romance, erotica, etc.). The market always changes, people's interests always change. Do it because you love it, not for just the money. Utilize the internet to find book review websites, marketing and promotion websites and people who are willing to help you out without breaking your pockets. I have found some great websites and gems that I share with up and coming authors and writer so definitely reach out to me and I will do all that I can to help you out.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I have been fortunate and blessed to have self-published every book I've written. When I started this journey two and a half years ago, there was never a goal of getting a book deal. I wanted to have control over every aspect of writing, editing, formatting, synopsis, book covers, promotion, marketing, pricing. I'm very hands on and I have to always be in the know of what's going on so if I'm doing it all, I'm holding myself accountable for everything.

Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

The biggest surprise would be the amount of content that you soak in when you first start. It's trying to find the right people who will help you on your journey. Some are out to get money from you, some don't have good intentions and you end up making a few bad investments. The good part is you meet some great people who see your vision and understand your goals. It's also very hard to get book reviews, thankfully I found some good websites that help you with that.

Q: What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

Where do I begin? I'm working on so many projects. In December, Code Blue Parts 4 and 5 will be published which will end that series. In February The World We Live In Parts 4 and 5 will be published which will end that series. From April thru June, The Struggles and Growth of a Man Parts 3, 4 and 5 will be published and that series will end in the beginning of June. Then in the fall in September, a new series with start with Kids With Guns 1 and then Part 2 will release in December to end the year. Six out of seven of the books are already written and completed.

Q: What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

I write all of my books in a poetry prose format, it's not the traditional book that you would pick up and read. It's totally different than the average book you would see in a bookstore or on a website. My books are a combination of societal issues, poetry prose, and literary fiction all in one. My books aren't necessarily one specific genre but I like it that way because it makes me different and it allows me to stand out from the pack

Q: Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

The message I'm trying to get across is there are a lot of issues that are going on in the world today. I write these stories so people can see things from a different perspective. I want everyone to understand that we can't turn a blind eye to what's going on around us because it won't happen to us. We should collectively be working on making the world a better, safer place to live and we should be able to trust law enforcement in any situation that comes up and not be fearful of something bad happening when they are called.

  

Q: Thank you again for this interview!  Do you have any final words?

You never know where life will take you, embrace the journey.

My quote for my writing is, "Trying to change the world, one book at a time."

Website: www.aquarianmind.info where I post weekly blogs, my books are there also along with my audio books if you like to listen to stories.

Podcast: The Aquarianmind Podcast (on iTunes and Podbean)