J. Webb Garrett is a science fiction and fantasy author who grew up surrounded by the corn and soy fields of a tiny Central Illinois town. The only child to a loving single, working mother who instilled in them a love of fiction and fantasy. From that bloomed a love of storytelling, prompting J. Webb to make up their own stories with friends as they were growing up. Many, many hours were spent running around their grandparents' farm waving sticks around pretending to be epic knights, elvish warriors, and super-powered cyborgs. 

An independent author, J. Webb Garrett graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Masters in English and creative writing. Their first published full-length novel was NEON Calico, with The Eye of Balor and Curse of the Black Dog published the following year.  

Interview:

1.     Will you tell us about your most recent published work?

My most recent work is titled Curse of the Black Dog, the second book in an urban fantasy series titled The Morríghan’s Song, following The Eye of Balor. Both books follow Morgan, a reincarnation of the Irish goddess The Morrighan, a deity associated with crows, fate, death, and war, as she seeks to understand who she is and how she came to be. In this book, she encounters a black dog, a barghest, and is bitten, suffering its curse. With her deific powers further limited due to the curse, she has to delve further into the supernatural world to find a way to reverse it. 

2.     What personal challenges do you face as a writer?

The greatest personal challenge I face as a writer is believing in my own work. I am always comparing myself to others, specifically to some of the great writers of our time, and feeling as though I come far short of them. I often have to remind myself "authors are not in competition with each other," which helps me to focus on simply telling my own stories and not worrying about how I compare to others. 

3.     What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Inspiration seems to come to me in either a flood or a drought. While I seek to write every day, not every day is a mad flurry of fingers on a keyboard as I struggle to get all my ideas on paper. There have been many days where it has been a challenge merely to get a few sentences written, much less the 2000 word goal I always set for myself. 

4.     How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Publishing NEON Calico showed me I could be an author, I could get my work published. Since then, it has been far easier for me to complete projects. Until NEON Calico, I would rewrite and rewrite and rewrite the same material and never see it finished, never finish a draft. I would doubt myself, or come up with a different idea, and switch gears entirely. There is one book I have yet to finish which has seen more than 10 different versions at this point because of my not being able to finish a project. This has changed, and hopefully, that book will see the light of day later this year. 

5.     How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? Will you tell us about them?

Aside from the book mentioned above, an epic fantasy I've had rolling around in my head for more than a decade now, the only other half-finished project would be the original version of what later became The Eye of Balor. In the first version, Morgan herself wasn't even a character. Jess, her best friend, was the title character, and her personality was far different than it is in the published version. She was something of a combination of who she is now and Morgan, all wrapped up into one character. Once I came up with the idea of Morgan herself, I did an early version which saw about 25,000 words. In this version, she was only just discovering her deific status and it was more about her struggling with it, only in this version I realized she wasn't accomplishing anything herself and was utterly dependent on others throughout, so I changed the story to make Morgan herself more independent and self-sufficient. 

6.     Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

I read reviews for my books all the time. The positive ones are the biggest inspiration boosts I've ever had. Knowing there are people reading my books, and liking them, is a huge push for me to continue writing and giving them more stories to enjoy. I also read the negative ones, and while they can hurt, I see them as necessary. They help me to learn, to become a better writer. Well, the well-written critiques do. Ones that read, "This sux and I didn't like it," I ignore, as they don't tell me anything. 

7.     Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Cameos. In NEON Calico, characters appear who will mean nothing to most readers, but my close circle of friends will know who they are. In The Morrighan's Song, I set the books in my hometown, so there are lots of locations I use which are important to me for various reasons, though these are typically public areas, so it's not like others can't go and visit them as well.

8.     What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

I've made a great number of author friends over the past few months. These include J.M. Brister, Andrew C. McDonald, and Matt Whiteside, as well as others. Our main goal is to encourage one another, to have a place to vent and to share, to express ourselves creatively and personally. They've been such a fantastic source of encouragement, and they help deal with a lot of the emotional and mental hardships that come with being a creative author. 

9.     If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Trust in your work. Don't worry about making it perfect on the first draft. Let yourself make mistakes. Once you finish a project, then you can go back and make it shine. 

10.  What are common traps for aspiring writers?

There are so many traps aspiring writers can fall into. Self-doubt is a big one, as is the infamous "writer's block," and these are just on the creative side of things. Once you actually have a book in hand you want to start selling, there are so many obstacles which will attempt to block you. To these writers, I would tell them, as above, trust in your own work. Believe in yourself. Find a writer's group or anyone else who will believe in you and your work for you. These help to encourage you to move forward and never stop writing. You've got stories to tell, and no one else can tell them but you.

11.  What’s the best way to market your books?

I've found I reach a great audience through Twitter, through Facebook ads, and Amazon's various services through KDP.

12.  What is your favorite childhood book?

ElfQuest by Wendi and Richard Pini. It is what started me on the path to writing by introducing me to the power of storytelling and fantasy.

Social Media Links:

Facebook (@jwebbgarrett)

Twitter (@J_WebbGarrett)