Up Close & Personal with 'WEEKS' Jasyn T. Turley #upcloseandpersonal

 

Up Close & Personal is one of The Writer’s Life newest features. Here we feature authors who don't mind spilling the beans and telling what it's really like to write, get published and sell that book.  Today's guest is Jasyn T. Turley, author of the scifi/post apocalyptic/zombie novel, WEEKS.  You can visit Jasyn's website at https://turleybookinn.com/.

On Writing…

How did I become a writer? I don’t think it was by traditional means, I actually hated reading when I began. I didn’t hate books, for the very reason of such historical events, like The Nazi Book Burnings, the burning of the Library of Alexander, you get the point. But I wasn’t a reader though. But there was this story in my head, one which blotched out everything around me, and the only catharsis was to write it down. So I did, in the summer of 2009 on a road trip from Kansas City, Missouri to Colorado Springs. On the return trip, I wrote the rough draft to my second book. It became a snowball effect as I just continued on writing and writing. Eventually, I developed an interest in reading and now, I am both a reader and a writer.

On Being Published…

What does it mean to be a published writer? The answer is two-fold for me. The first is that it means I am now moving up as a writer; maturing and exploring the depths of the passion for writing that I found. I’d love to make a blog about this sometime in the future. But for now, I leave it at that. Second, it’s an accomplished goal. From 2009 to 2020 all I could ever want was to be a published writer. But being too impoverished to do anything about it, plus I was a minor so I didn’t have a job for a good deal of time. When I was working and making my own money, I didn’t know where to start. Traditional or independent writer. So I researched for a long… long time until finally, I made up my mind. Independently I’ll publish myself. It was intimidating and scary for sure, but a great many vloggers on youtube and bloggers I found across the web, helped me piece together a mosaic outline of how to do so.

 

Now I am a published writer, and I feel more confident as I move to publish my second book, using this same mosaic outline of the process. That was my first dream, just get my foot in the door, now onto my second dream; to become a full-time independent writer. If it took me ten to eleven years to become a published writer, then I feel confident I can press for a while to achieve my second dream. And with WEEKS Book Two coming out this December, I am one step closer to it.

On Publishing Industry…

What is my opinion of the publishing industry? Well, I’m still new to the whole world of publishing, so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt as I am still learning. My views remain tentative. I don’t need to list the pros and cons of traditional versus self-publishing. There are a plethora of articles on the web which I’m sure most, if not all, readers have an understanding of.  That being said, it’s a changing industry for sure. Companies are more and more offering self-publishing services more than they had in the past; ground and momentum are being gained for the independent writers looking to self-published. They're being taken more seriously.

Such changes should come with a warning of caution though. Anyone can just write up something, do the quick and simple work of running it through the loops of say Amazon KDP, and boom release something they gave little to no thought & effort on. These folks do exist, and we need to be vigilant on whom we’re paying attention to. Those who write for the sake of writing, to tell stories, to inform or to practice their civil liberties, God-given rights; from those writing to make a quick buck, or just for the honor of saying they published something. I find myself respecting people of the former more and more as I become aware of what self-publishing services allow on the market.

Then you have traditional publishing services. This is something I find interesting, and even to a point, I might consider if the opportunity presents itself. I’ve heard of writers self-publishing, just getting their names out there, going through the hoops, and building up their platform to call the attention of a literary agent and/or publisher. I don’t see anything wrong with this, as you become more educated on the process of publishing and writing. As such it’s plausible that you become a more viable writer that traditional routes might desire to publish. It’s an interesting use of both methods of publishing, and one I wouldn’t entirely write out, but would highly weigh the options of signing a contract with a said publishing house.

My mistakes? Gosh, there are many, I’m not perfect neither is my writing. But for mistakes, I can list quite a few things. I find comfort in routine, a system, and predictability. This optimizes my efforts in pursuing my passion and helps me to be as consistent as I can be. But it does apply restrictions (that I put on myself). You can’t predict everything and a plan never survives once you meet opposition to it. It alters and it changes, a proponent of life I both hate and love. I hate change, I love consistency, but vice versa as well. It’s a very hard balance for me to maintain, not to mention the cynicism I find in myself when my routine or planned out-week is interrupted. I can be very bitter and angered if someone throws a wrench into the engine just out of the blue. It’s a personal flaw as well as a literary flaw, as it can also affect my writing. Sometimes writing without a sense of passion behind it, in which I have to take a break to refocus myself and my heart back towards the book. It’s been a difficult flaw, more than a mistake, to wrestle with, but with the grace of God, I manage it at the very least.

On Marketing…

Golly, I’m terrible at this. It’s a hard thing to learn and try to utilize effectively. Everything from talking about my book to doing online book giveaways and my first book signing coming up in a few weeks. But from what I’ve researched, the most essential marketing technique is to keep writing and publishing. Not to say, just keep throwing out book after book. No, you need to take your time and the book will finish itself if you allow it. But the more books you publish over the years, the more widespread you become. This I take to heart, and where my strength & flaw of constituency and routine is at its full strength. When I’m not working, or taking a break or being an adult, I’m writing. It’s that simple. If you have a dream, love, and a passion, you nature it, watch it grow and build itself up. You become just as much a tool as the pen and paper essentially, and the book will make itself if you allow yourself to be committed to it.

On that being said, there are many marketing techniques out there, a great many vlog and blogs on this topic. All of which I’m not as qualified to detail, but the one thing I hold above all other marketing techniques is the aforementioned. Keep writing, but don’t compromise or lose your passion and dream in the process.


On Goals and Dreams…

I think in all the above paragraphs, the answer is found. There is just one more thing to add though, that I touched on above. Maybe you can call it my Theological-Ideology. That is, I believe with all my heart, this passion and desire to write and tell stories is a gift from the Holy Spirit, whom I accepted into my life back in the summer of 2008. It’s how I believe I love on others, by telling them stories for whatever they might get out of it. In all, if I don’t achieve my second dream of becoming a full-time writer, that’s okay. Because I’m telling stories, as my Heavenly Father is a storyteller. And I can’t prove it, but I do allow myself to be entertained that this gift of the Holy Spirit will serve some kind of loving-purpose in the ages to come. I want to love people, not hate them, and if doing that as a small Indi-writer in this life is all I get, I can live with that; I’m already whole inside.

About the Book

 

 

 

Phil, Tim, and Dakota are three survivors taking refuge in Atlanta, Georgia. The year is 2027, ten years after a nuclear fallout decimated the known world and left it in shambles. With hordes of the undead flooding their once safe home and a city now depleted of all resources and supplies the three must make a daring gamble. To trek across the States and Canada, looking for a new place to call home; safe from the monsters that plague the lands.

In their daring gamble this trio encounters more than just zombies. They are relentlessly pursued and hunted by both an old and new nemesis’. Trying to survive and stick together, no matter the odds, they must rely on their faith, bond, and past experiences to live through their tribulations. In this world, a fool’s chance is usually their only chance.

 

Order Your Copy

Amazon → https://amzn.to/2Fw5Jc7