Author Interview feat. JH Glaze

Welcome back to another week with our interviews. This week I have a pretty amazing author with us. Please help me welcome JH Glaze, author of The Spirit Box & Northwest. I have personally read and review both of these books. You can find my reviews by clicking the titles of each book above.

1. Please tell the readers a bit more about you.

I am a simple person, with a no nonsense attitude. I want people to tell me what they think, not what they think I want to hear.  So for me a bad review isn’t bad if there is a real reason the reader didn’t like it. I don’t get bad reviews often, but when I do, I assume it is because my stories aren’t literary gems. Instead they are gritty stories about people you might even know in your job, family or neighborhood. Hopefully those people haven’t killed anyone.

2. What types of books do you write?

I write mixed genre based in horror, but often with a bit of sci-fi thrown in. I also write a lot of short stories and some novellas. The short stories are usually inspired by suggestions from my readers. I challenge them to give me a word or topic to write about and I write the story using it. I call those stories The Horror Challenge.

3. Who's your main audience?

My main audience is ages 18-55, mostly female for now. They are people who are seeking stories they can escape into, become a part of, and emerge unscathed. I don’t really try to target my readers though. I just write stories that I would like to read. It seems there are others who are looking for something different and I appeal to those folks.

4. When it comes to writing, what are your strong points? What are your weaknesses?

My strong points - I have a writing habit that I try to adhere to. It is a discipline similar to the tortoise in the racewith the rabbit. Slow and steady does get the book written. My weakness is working at a computer connected to the Internet. I am rather ADD and can get distracted by email, Facebook or Twitter, and of course I am always playing with cover designs and can waste a whole day on it.

5. What do you think of this term - Writer's Block? How do you overcome it?

I think writer’s block comes from one or two things.  It can be a lack of ideas to begin with or a lack of interesting life experiences to draw from.  I have a lot of both of those things. Being crazy helps a lot too. When someone hits a block, maybe it is time to do some research or read someone else’s work to clear the thought palette.

6. How many books have you written?

Currently I have written 3 novels in the John Hazard series. I have 2 novellas, and 3 short story compilations. I am in the process of writing a new series and when that goes to edit, will write book 4 of John Hazard.

7. How many are published?

In the John Hazard Series, The Spirit Box and NorthWest. Book 3, Send No Angel is in Edit. One Novella, Forced Intelligence is published and the second, The Life We Dream is in edit. The horror Challenge Volumes 1 and 2 are published and Volume 3 will be out very soon.

8. Are you self published or traditionally published?

I am self-published. Any time I start thinking I would like to have a traditional publisher, I just talk to someone who is and any desire to do that vanishes. As a self-publisher, I have total control over my stories with no one trying to stuff me in a box. Publishers want something similar to something popular - the flavor of the moment. Besides, I don’t do well with being screwed over, having deadlines, or tolerating bullshit. A lot of publishers would hate me (except for the money they might make) if they had to work with me. I’m not a self absorbed, egotistic asshole, I’m just a no nonsense asshole.

9. What's the hardest part of the writing process for you?

The hardest part of the writing process is the promotion part. I do a lot of writing promoting the stories when I could be writing them. It is however a necessary and worthwhile part of the process.

10. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

I like reading horror and sci-fi, Stories off of the best-seller path. I like lots of action and imaginative plot lines. Things that make me go “Hmmmm”.

11. Who's your favorite Author?

I have a few authors who I will buy everything they write to see if it is good as their last work. Too hard to list them.

12. What's your all time favorite book?

The one that showed me I could write anything I wanted in a story and in fantasy, nothing is too crazy. It isn’t the best book ever written, it is just the one that set my inner writer free. It is called “John Dies at the End”.

13. How long does it take you to write a book?

The average first draft is about 3 months, then 2 months for 2^nd draft, then another month for finishing touches. Between 9-12 months. But I am also writing short stories and novellas at the same time.

14. Out of all of your characters, which is your favorite? Why?

My favorite good guy is John Hazard. My favorite bad girl is Karla, the stripper in NorthWest. She is a conniving bitch.

15. What is one of the most surprising things you've learned as a writer?

It is the way my life has changed. I am not only living my life in person, I am constantly living the stories in my head. They live there until the last word is edited. I am only free when the first print comes in the mail.

16. What does your family think of your writing?

Except for my wife, they could give a shit. To them I am just the, Dad, brother, son or friend that used to sell potato chips for Frito Lay or work in construction for a living.  If they would take the time to read one of my books, they might think differently. My Dad is 84. When he tried to read The Spirit Box, he couldn’t do it. His comment? “Do you have to say “Fuck“ so much?” My Answer, “Yeah Dad, it’s like real life. When you see your best friend eaten by an alien, you don’t say darn, you say FUCK!”

17. What does your writing schedule look like?

Monday through Friday I write for about 25 minutes a day in the morning.  Then I might write for an hour and a half in the evening. On weekends, an hour or two if I get a chance.

18. Do you manage to write every day?

I write something every day but it isn’t always stories.

19. What's the latest news you'd like to share?

Two new releases coming before Christmas. Both of my current novels continue to get excellent reviews.

20. Do you have any advice for new writers?

Form a writing habit.

Write straight through until you get your story out, then rewrite and fill in gaps.

Edit if you feel ready or re-write again.

Don’t expect success without a lot of promotion work, and don’t expect to make a lot of money.

Write because you love to write or you will be severely discouraged.

Real success can take years. Study the biographies of writers like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling and you will discover that their road to success was a long and hard one.

Don’t give up!


Thank you very much Mr. Glaze for stopping by and lending us some of your time. It was a pleasure having you here and learning more about you & your work.

For those of you interested in The Spirit Box or Northwest... please follow this link.