The Interrogation Room with Gerald Johnson
Please give a cold dead welcome to a fellow romance writer and good friend of mine... Gerald Johnson!
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What were you like at school?
In school I wasn’t nearly as outgoing or as verbal as I am now. In truth, I was pretty much that loner kid that you see off to the side just watching the world behind a pair of sunglasses and talking to the few people who took a chance to stand around talking to me. I did a lot, and I do mean a LOT, of reading and because I was a loner I was always writing something. I used my stories to make up the friends that I didn’t always have. It wasn’t until I got into high school that I starting gaining my “confidence” and it was with the constant pushing on my English teachers that I began to really get into my writing. I was on the journalism team and my stories always got rave reviews and this really began to set me off into the realm of wanting to really become an Author. At the age of 16, I wrote my very first full novel, but I never did anything with it because once I was finished I watch the movie Conan the Barbarian and realized that our stories were just too close. After that I became the biggest fan of Mr. Robert Howard, the author of the big Cimmerian.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
My ambitions… well I currently have not quite a dozen completed manuscripts right now(no my publisher hasn’t killed me yet, but she has made the threats). What I am looking forward to happening is becoming one of those authors who top the New York Bestsellers List … I am also preparing to teach myself Final Draft so that I can began doing screenplays of the books that I have… I am hoping to one day see some of these books on the big screen for the world to see. AND, one thing that I’d love to do is sit down with some of my favorite authors and just have lunch and discuss books and writing and seeing it all come together.
So, what have you written?
WOW!!!! Let’s start with what I've actually had published because that’s a shorter list LOL… Currently I have had 4 books published. My first was a book of poems that I wrote in the mindset of my alter ego, Damien Darke, and it was titled Pitch Darke: the Poetic Chronicles of Damien Darke. This was a series of poems all pretty much centering around a darker period of my life.
The next book was a series of erotic poems and short stories titled Liquid Eroticism. This was a steamy collection of stories and poems that I’d written most of them at the behest of friends. I wanted to see this collection together and Liquid Eroticism just seemed like the perfect name for them.
The next books published are a part of my very first set of novels. The Tainted series came along after complaining to my publisher about some of the urban/street literature stories I’d been reading while I was in the hospital dealing with my leukemia fight. I wanted to read something that didn’t sound like something else that I’d already read and my publisher’s words to me was,
“Gerald, if you're not reading something that you like… then you need to write it.” That’s exactly what I did, and thus Tainted: the Book of Revelation and Tainted: the Book of
Retribution was born. This series follows the life of a young lady who is given control of her husband’s multi-million dollar business after he discovers that his business partner and best friend has been poisoning him. Now she must deal with a group of men who are out to kill her and anyone trying to help her in order to take back the company they feel should own.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
In my Tainted series my main character’s name is Courtney Roulette. She was born in Missouri but she’s lived in Tampa, FL since college with her best friend Nina Carleton. I would consider her pretty naïve to begin, you find out quick that she’s been on the run with her drug dealing boyfriend because he’s being hunted by men who think he’s double crossed them. She winds up in California with him before they’re trapped in a hotel and he’s finally captured by the police. Once she gets back to Florida she works on getting her life back in order and she falls in love with businessman Sydney Roulette. It’s on the night of their honeymoon that she finds out the truth of her husband’s business dealings, and that his best friend has been poisoning him to take control of their company… he offers to train her so that she can take over the business. Courtney must come to terms with the fact that she’s now dealing with men who have no problems killing as a bull’s eye has been put on her back… she must now grow up in ways that she’d never dreamed up, she must become just as ruthless as the men she’s dealing with. Her growth is gradual but distinctive… it’s believable and doesn’t just happen over the course of One book. She has to learn to trust the people around her helping her through this process, as she fends for her life against the sharks that are out to kill her. She becomes my tribute to Urban Drama, and I love the response I've gotten about her and her growth.
What are you working on at the minute?
At this minute, I'm working on a one of three novels I began during the NaNoWriMo in November. The title is Driven Obsessions, and I am, I hope, about 2 to 3 chapters from being complete. The book is already around 60000 words.
What’s it about? (*if relevant) This book centers around a national bestselling author named Ladarrious Cross and the women in his life. He quickly finds out that his ex-wife is stalking him and right the beginning she almost has him arrested because of a beating she’s taken and initially she blames him. As the story unfolds, Ladarrious finds out that women he’s been involved with since he’s separated from his wife are now being killed. There’s a series of twists and turns and the book has a lot of erotic scenes(definitely not for those under 18), it’s wrapping up to be a beautiful piece of work.
Have you written any other novels in collaboration with other writers?
I am currently in the process of writing a book with a fellow author. I love her work and she wants to branch out from Romantic Erotica. Ms. E. G. Weeks and I are working on an Erotic Thriller. The book is about a deadly lovers’ triangle that I believe once we get it all put together people are going to be amazed that two people wrote this book.
When did you decide to become a writer?
I don’t think I ever decided to become a writer, I honestly believe that I was always meant to be a writer. I've been doing this for so long that I cannot say when I actually started, and until I can’t do this any longer I know I’ll always be writing something.
Do you write every day, 5 days a week or as and when?
The overall attempt is to get something done every day. It may not be on any of the books, it may be a few poems, but I want to write something daily to keep the ideas running and flowing. My time with my ex-wife was the only time when I wasn’t able to write as I wanted to, and since I left that situation I've made it my BUSINESS to get my writing in on a daily basis.
Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
It can really depend on where my mind is that day on the words I’ll try to get in. Now, if I am working on my books I do have a word count that I aim for per chapter because I feel that it makes for a more complete chapter and that’s anywhere between 2500-3000 words. I try not to go any less than the 2500 words, but I have been known to blow that 3000 words with ease.
Where do the your ideas come from?
The ideas can come from anywhere. I have a flash fiction piece I’ve been working on called A New Hulk and it’s based on a female hulk that’s more like the original Hulk in origins, and I got this idea after seeing this young lady walking down the side walk downtown wearing a hoodie over her head and a carrying a backpack. I immediately heard the old t.v. theme song for the Hulk playing in my head, and so I came home and there it was. The stories just happen, the voices begin talking and the words just flow. I have I don’t know how many notebooks on my laptop and tablet filled with story ideas that I’ll eventually get to.
How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
I must say that I love my evolution as a writer. I got my start from comic books and story books in school. I love Edgar Allan Poe and I’ve written stories similar in style, and my first full novel was based on my character and adventures in playing Dungeons & Dragons in high school. Over the years I’ve learned and developed my own voice as a writer, two voices if you consider that my alter ego has his own style of word play. And, I think that we’re just at the summit of the mountain with so much more to learn and grow.
Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
One person I’d love to meet right now is Mr. Robert Patterson. I love his work ethics towards his books and his writings, and I would love to just sit down over lunch and just pick his brains about his rise to be such a successful and world renowned author.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
My two biggest pieces of advice would be Write, Write, WRITE and Read, Read, READ!!! Oh and please get an editor DO NOT edit your own work. To keep mindful as a writer we must write even when we’re not feeling it we need to write because this just keeps the juices flowing. When writing in specific genres a writer needs to read the works in that genre just to know the ins and outs of that genre. Even if they’re planning to just that genre in a different way, its good to know that genre, to learn that genre before diving into that genre.
Editors are NEEDED because we as writers know what we want to say, but that doesn’t mean we want overlook the mistakes made during the writing process. This is where editors are our best friends because they keep our ideas clear and concise and they help to minimize the efforts of our readers in enjoying our work. SO PLEASE get an editor and do not trust your own editing abilities.
Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?
This has definitely been one of the more fun and more diverse interviews that I've been a part of and I want to say thank you for inviting me to be a part of your blog world. I'm always available on most of my social sites and if you cannot reach me there please always feel free to shoot me an email because that is linked to my phone.
I look forward to hearing from you all and thank you once again for taking a moment to step into my world.
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Thanks so much for joining us Gerald! Follow this man all over the internet folks! You wont want to miss anything.
Website: http://grjwritesandmore.wix.com/grjj
Blog: http://darkeschemesinwriting.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gerald.r.johnsonjr2069
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GRJWrites_More
Instagram: http://instagram.com/grjohnsonjr2069
Lnkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grjohnsonjr2069/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mrdamiendarke/
wordpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/GeraldJohnsonJr
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrDamienDarke
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00B1JM70U
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8845563-gerald
Book Links:
Tainted: the Book of Revelations
ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Tainted-Book-Revelations-Gerald-Johnson-ebook/dp/B00HGTRB5A/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Tainted-Revelations-Gerald-R-Johnson/dp/098839393X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Tainted 2: the Book of Retribution:
paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Tainted-Book-Retribution-Gerald-Johnson/dp/1943159017/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Tainted-Retribution-Gerald-Johnson-Jr-ebook/dp/B01D94HI44/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7PEYTMR9P6AXGRVNM2BP
Tainted 3: the Book of Redemption
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Tainted-3-Redemption-Gerald-Johnson/dp/194315905X/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1483978544&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=tainted+3%3A+the+book+of+redemption
Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Tainted-3-Redemption-Gerald-Johnson-ebook/dp/B01N69N7N5/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1483978365&sr=1-2&keywords=tainted%3A+the+book+of+redemption
