Title: IA: Initiate
Author: John Darryl Winston
Publisher: Purple Ash
ISBN: 9780991609109
Pages: 218
Genre: YA / Supernatural Suspense
Author Interview with John Darryl Winston
Today we are talking with author John Darryl Winston of “IA: Initiate.”
PBR: What do you want readers to take away from Naz’s story?
I want readers to take away 3 things: one, there is more out there than our traditional senses tell us. We only need look inward and believe. B, the concepts of right and wrong, good and evil are often subjective. Truth lies between the black and white, in the grey area. And finally, there is no beginning or end just a never-ending circle that gives a chance at endless possibilities. I want readers to find the faith, follow that path, and experience those realities with Naz.
PBR: How many books have you planned out for the IA series?
I’ve planned three books in the IA trilogy with a bonus novella between the 2nd and 3rd books. I’m also in the process of writing a standalone prequel to the trilogy and three subsequent books collectively titled “The Soph. Jr. & Sr. Years” all continuing to follow Naz. So, my math says eight books total but don’t grade me on that.
PBR: Why did you choose the YA genre?
I’m a middle school public educator and coach, and I teach just about every subject including reading and writing. I’ve become increasingly concerned about my students’ lack of imagination in every aspect of life. I think their imagination for the most part is being hijacked by other forms of media and there’s no other way I can think of to strengthen the imaginative muscle than experiencing the written word. The reader has to translate, interpret, and construct the story, including, setting, character, and action from basically symbols the writer has created on the page. Simply put you have to use your imagination and the YA genre gives me the opportunity to carry out that mission.
PBR: Authors tend to draw inspiration from their own life. What aspects of yourself are in the story?
I draw a lot of inspiration from my own life in the IA story. I have a son and a daughter just as the main character’s father does. Add 30 or 40 points to my IQ and you have Cory Andersen (Naz’s father). Meridian is like my daughter, Marquette, in almost every respect. If you read the novel, you know my daughter. The main character is a combination of my son and a student I was teaching at the time the novel was conceived. In fact, I used the student’s name and just changed the spelling of the last name. At the time of this interview that student is a senior in high school with aspirations of becoming a doctor. I also teach in urban settings, and those settings and real life scenes make up a lot of the world of IA.
PBR: When did you start creating the world of IA and how long until it was published?
I started creating the world of IA over five years ago in a ‘Boy’s Read’ program for students who lacked motivation in the language arts overall. It was intended to be a story about them and for them with a supernatural flair, without limitations, and I’ve remained true to that intention. It took me a year to write the first two books, which was originally one book and then another year to attempt the traditional route with agent submissions (never was a patient fella) before I published the book myself.
PBR: What is the biggest obstacle as a self-published author and how have you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle as self-published author is getting your work out there and noticed. There is not set way, although others would have you believe this, and things are always changing. Once you think something is working, the method becomes old, dated, and increasingly less effective. Also the competition is fierce. Everyone wants to write a book, so much so that has become the easy part. I overcome those factors by endeavoring to think outside the box in the way of marketing and promotion, being relentlessly persistent in all things, never giving up, and accepting nothing less than the best concerning my craft, continuing to improving myself at every opportunity.
PBR: What advice do you have for other authors hoping to follow in your footsteps?
My advice would be to decide what they want to write and who they want to write for and to develop their craft accordingly by reading, critically, as many books possible in their chosen genre as well as participating in a writing community where they feel safe to express themselves creatively. If they are interested in reaching a wide audience and achieving commercial success, my advice would be to think outside the traditional box, look to a higher power and then proceed with persistence.
PBR: Which authors had the biggest influence on you and your style?
J.K. Rowling
John Edgar Wideman
Suzanne Collins
Orson Scott Card
PBR: What is your writing system like (schedule, writing environment, etc.)?
I like to write at 4am for 2 hours when all is quiet and serene in my writing space, which I tailor to the situation I’m writing about. For example, if I’m writing an action scene, I may have pictures, models, or things that I’m actually writing about in my presence. I also like to write at lunchtime for about 45 minutes to an hour also in a quiet place (other than my office where I can be easily disturbed) to add to my morning word count. Then I like spontaneous times out in public as well to just add things that come from connecting with a random environment or nature.
PBR: What keeps you writing even when you hit obstacles and setbacks?
A belief that I am serving a neglected population of readers keeps me writing when I hit obstacles and setbacks. If I don’t write these books about superheroes and superheroines of color, origins stories that paint a broad picture of the hero’s journey, and tales that blur the lines between good and evil, they will never exist.
To learn more about “IA Initiate” please visit: Pacific Book Review
