During the summer I stumbled onto, a relatively new author, John Anthony Miller who has now written several historical thrillers set during WWII. At the time, I was in the process of rediscovering my love of this genre. Mr. Miller was gracious enough to send me a copy of his second novel In Satan’s Shadow. Needless to say, I was hooked.
After reading his third book When Darkness Comes, I had some questions that I wanted to ask. About that time I was starting this book blog and thought maybe others might be interested also. Mr. Miller was gracious enough to take the time away from his work on his fourth novel to answer a few questions. What follows is the result of those burning questions.
ME: Do you ever have writers block? If so, how do you overcome it?
MILLER: I don’t actually get writer’s block – more often it’s getting stuck on a scene or character where it isn’t turning out the way I want it to. I usually move on to something else, maybe research another aspect of the book or a completely different book, or I go for a walk. The distraction normally makes the solution come.
ME: What motivates you to write?
MILLER: I think the motivation for me is learning about the imaginary world I’m creating, which takes quite a bit of research. I love to learn.
ME: Are you more concerned with what the reader wants or are you writing something that interests you? Do you have to comprise between the two or do you find equilibrium?
MILLER: I think it’s a combination of both. I have to be very interested in the plot or story-line to do all the research it takes to create the story. But readers also have to enjoy what I write. I think readers would be surprised to learn that my agent and publisher also have a say in what I write. Now that my fourth books is about to be released, and the first three have done fairly well, they’re both more willing to give me the freedom to explore different topics.
ME: Are there any authors that have helped along the way?
MILLER: There are two authors who I admire and have helped with my writing. James A Michener taught me that the location of a book is just a much a character as the imaginary people that inhabit it. And Ken Follett taught me that it’s important to keep a story moving, that the story should twist or turn or change direction every five or six pages.
ME: You stated in the past you have lots of ideas. How many of the ideas do you think will make it into future books?
MILLER: I have about fifteen different ideas, many of which will become books. I don’t discard any of them, but if I start on a topic and I lose interest in the research, I usually pick something else and move the abandoned idea lower on the list.
ME: Do you keep a notebook or journal with ideas?
MILLER: I have a list of projects saved on my laptop, and I keep a notebook near my bed; sometimes I’ll scribble ideas in that. I am also addicted to index cards. I take a colored card – purple, or red or green – and put a book title or tentative title on it. And then any idea I get, or a correction I have to make to a work in progress, I write on a white index card and file it with the title card.
ME: Is there a place you like to write that makes you feel the most creative?
MILLER: I have a very strange writing style. I have a laptop in the living room, beside a pile of research books regarding the draft I’m writing. I initially write there, usually with the TV on, for the first draft. The first draft for me is a purge – I write a plot with little description or character development that is usually about 150 pages. Then I do a second revision, still in the living room, and work through the timeline and some others ideas, and end up with 200 pages. Then it’s time to get serious, and I go upstairs to my library where I have an old 1930’s desk and leather chair, and a different laptop, surrounded by books cases. There are no distractions from this point until the book is issued. I do the third revision and, when that’s complete, a few advanced readers go through it. Then I do a fourth revision, sometimes a fifth, continually polishing and enhancing. Then it’s off to my agent.
ME: Is there currently any one story idea that is nagging you to be written?
MILLER: Yes. I want to write a medieval story about a noble knight, a lady betrothed to another, and a witch, all in a castle under siege. I originally started a draft as my second novel, but my agent requested another WWII novel. I still have it on my list, maybe for next year, which would be my sixth book.
ME: Once you have a solid idea, how long does it take you do get to the final product?
MILLER: It usually takes me 6 – 9 months to complete the draft that I send to my agent (which is after 4 or 5 revisions). The draft is then sent to fact-checkers and advanced readers, after which I have to reconcile all the comments – either make changes or explain why changes are not required. That usually takes another 2-3 months. Then the book is sent to the publisher – usually a year after it’s written. The publisher then takes anywhere from 2- 6 months to issue it. There are normally different editing processes during that publishing timeline, as well as cover design.
ME: Does the writing or the editing take the longest? Why?
MILLER: My first revision – just the plotline – takes me 6 to 8 weeks. Each revision after takes a little longer because more detail and description is added. After the publisher has the book, it’s not uncommon for them to take three months for an edit – then return it to me with tracking comments to disposition – but only let me have ten days to address the issues or make corrections – sometimes less.
ME: Do you tend to identify strongly with the main characters of your books? Why?
MILLER: I think all main characters have a piece of me in them – whether I do it subconsciously or not, I’m not sure. But sometimes when I do the final edit – which is called the layout, a review of the actual book to make sure the printer got spacing, quotation marks, etc. correct – I will read the book objectively and see that there’s a little more of me in it than I originally thought.
ME: Do you have any advice for someone just starting out?
MILLER: Yes – I have two suggestions. First, try to write every day once you start a book– even if it’s fifteen or twenty minutes, or just scribbling ideas about a character in a notebook. I think the routine and consistency are important. Second, don’t let family and friends discourage you with negative comments. I’m sure they all mean well, but some people will not take your seriously until you show them a publishing contract.
ME: What literary award would you most like to receive?
MILLER: I would like to receive an achievement award for helping others through my literary success. My goal would be to help children battling diseases by providing financial assistance to them personally or for medical research. To some extent, I do this now, but I wish I could do it on a much larger scale and maybe serve as a role model for others to do the same.
ME: Have you written any short stories? If so, do you think you ever publish them?
MILLER: I have not written any short stories, but I have written many songs (I am also a musician) and poems. I just used a few poems in the draft I’m writing, which will be my fifth book – due for release next summer (my 4th will be released in January)
Mr. Miller is currently hard at work on his fourth novel due out in late January 2017. He resides in Southern New Jersey with his family. You can find more information on him and purchase his books at Amazon.