Supernatural Sunday with Reese Johnson

Please help me welcome author, Reese Johnson! Reese is the author of Soul Searchers, Sex & Chocolate, and his newest release, GRRR, all released by Noble Romance Publishing! His tagline on his website is “Chocolate never tasted so good”. Yum! Sheesh! That tagline elicits multiple provocative thoughts for me! :D

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GRACEN: Do you have a movie that you must watch every Christmas? What's your favorite Christmas movie? Do you have a favorite Christmas character or character type?

REESE: We like to watch It’s A Wonderful Life, the b&w version only.



GRACEN: Do you have any Christmas traditions like decorating your house, having house parties, making cookies etc.?

REESE: We live in the mountains and have a very simple life, where the decorations are simple and old fashioned. We hunt, we fish, we ride 4-wheelers, grow our own food…and everyone in the family has at least one weapon, usually more, so it was only natural that my niece would give our angels their own weapons! (See Christmas tree pic) Mostly, my tradition involves watching others decorate while I eat all the goodies!



GRACEN: If you do make Christmas Cookies, what kinds will you be making this year? What was your all-time most favorite Christmas Cookie that you ever made? Why? Care to share the recipe?

REESE: I love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and I get a batch every year, but believe me, you wouldn’t want a recipe from me unless you want to know how to make eggnog!



GRACEN: Do you send out greeting cards to your friends and family? Why or why not? What greeting do you like to see on the greeting cards you send? On the ones you receive? (For example, “Merry Christmas”, “Season’s Greetings”, etc.)

REESE: I don’t send out Christmas cards, I’m not much on keeping up with people that way. I have a phone if I want to tell someone something. I think everyone makes a big deal out of whether to say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings. I think everyone should be free to say whatever they want, according to their own beliefs. This whole country has gotten so caught up in being politically correct, all anyone does is complain about someone else. Say what you gotta say and be done with it, if someone else gets offended, that’s on them not you. I think it’s the spirit of the season that counts.



GRACEN: If you could be any Christmas Character, who would it be and why?

REESE: Santa-my lady’s favorite character. My beard’s all ready white and by Christmas, my belly’s pretty round too!



GRACEN: Other than money (because who doesn’t want more of that), what would your ultimate gift be?

REESE: I’m pretty content with my life and really don’t want for anything. But I guess I would want to be able to give my loved ones their ultimate gift.

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Reese’s Christmas Tree

Thanks so much for sharing it with us, Reese. It’s lovely!

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GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing. Why the paranormal romance genre? What was the draw for you?

REESE: I really don’t know. I tend to lean more toward sci-fi when I read for pleasure, but I let my writing kind of go wherever it wants to.



GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

REESE: My tagline is chocolate never tasted so good…I think that line intrigues readers and makes them want to find out what I’m talking about. When they see I’m a black man who writes erotic romance, it becomes a double entendre.



GRACEN: With the current movement to encourage people to give books as gifts, what, in your opinion, makes your story unique? What makes it stand out among all the others?

REESE: I write for fun in every sense of the word. Although sometimes my stories come out with a deeper meaning, I think people like to read for the fun of it, especially when it comes to erotica. The whole point is to titillate and tease, so hopefully, I accomplish that.



GRACEN: Do you prefer throwing snowballs or serving hot cocoa? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

REESE: I’m a snowball thrower, but I want my cocoa too! So yeah, I guess that would show through in my writing. I like characters who are strong, sure, go after what they want and don’t care what they have to do to get it. That’s my wild side, but conversely, while the characters might be aggressive, after they get what they want, they are loyal, caring and fiercely protective.



GRACEN: Who decides what your characters do, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one stuffing the stocking?

REESE: Sometimes I’m the windshield and sometimes I’m the bug! LOL So it goes with my muse. Sometimes I’m the fingers on the keyboard and sometimes I’m actually directing the entire scene too. As for stuffing the stocking, ahem, that takes my mind to a completely different place!



GRACEN: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

REESE: I don’t think there’s any I wouldn’t want to meet. Not that they’re all good guys, but none are more than I could handle.



Where Reese can be found on the web:

Website http://reesejohnson.webs.com/
(there’s a links page on my website)





BLURB:

Do you like it rough? Rico and Katia are drawn to one another and share a night of passion, then go their separate ways but can’t stop thinking about each other. After a string of one nighters, they meet again, and this time the fur is gonna fly!

Excerpt:

As the music played, Rico danced with the grace of a panther and tossed his partner about as if she weighed nothing. When the music ended, the crowd applauded and the redhead clung to Rico as if she was his Siamese twin.

“Thank you for the pleasure of your company,” he said smoothly as he returned to his seat.

“No, thank you. That was amazing! You’re the best dancer I’ve ever met,” she said, gushing over him.

“May I buy you a drink?”

“Cosmopolitan.” She actually batted her lashes.

“Of course,” he said with an amused smile and waved a waitress over.

“I’m Kim,” the redhead said.

“Rico,” he replied.

“It’s great meeting you. I’m a student over at Howard,” Kim continued talking. “Junior year and I still don’t have a major, can you believe it? But my dad’s been raggin’ me to do something or he’s gonna cut me off, can you believe it? I can’t. What a pain he is sometimes. If it wasn’t for my mom, he’d probably not even pay my rent or electricity or food or anything, can you believe it? I just don’t . . . .”

Yeah, he could believe it. Kim's Daddy was becoming easier to understand with each word from his little girl’s mouth. “Well, you know how parents can be,” he said just to get her to stop talking. She was beautiful and built like a sailor’s dream, unfortunately, someone had taught her how to talk, and not about anything important. He could deal with a lot of things, but stupidity wasn’t one of them.

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Website http://reesejohnson.webs.com/
(there’s a links page on my website)

Please Welcome Author...Reese Johnson!!

Thank you for taking the time to interview with us! Reese’s newest release is Soul Searchers. His paranormal, interracial novella became available in e-book in June 2008!

Reese’s Sites are:

Noble Romance Publishing http://www.nobleromance.com/BrowseListing.aspx?author=29
Website: http://reesejohnson.webs.com/
www.myspace.com/46teardrops
www.twitter.com/Reese_Johnson
http://eroticromance.ning.com/profile/ReeseJohnson

How long did it take you to become published?

I really was lucky there. My sister-in-law is an author and coached me on how to submit to publishers and my first novella, Sex & Chocolate was published. I did have to go through the same submission steps, editing and everything else that all the others went through.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

I’m a big Stephen King fan. I read James Patterson, L. Ron Hubbard, Dan Brown, and a lot of others.

Many authors are doing strictly e-books, do you think this is just a trend, or does it spell the end of real books?

Neither. I think print books will always be popular and I can’t imagine reading Of Mice & Men any other way, but e-books are designed for the busy life people lead today. With many people commuting by either bus or train is a long haul, so pdf readers are an easy way for them to catch up on their reading. E-books are definitely here to stay.

How long does it take for you to write books?

I’ve only written novellas so far. Sex & Chocolate took about a week for the first draft, and Soul Searchers took about three weeks for the first draft. Now the new coming out soon, A Purrrfect Mating took about six weeks because I started out writing one thing and then it turned into something completely different, which was a new aspect of writing for me. I’m not sure I ever sit down thinking “I’m going to write a book.” It’s more like the stories just form in my mind and I write down what I see there.

Is there any character in your books that you can really relate to?

Well, I would have to say the black men since I am a black man, but I don’t necessarily write from self-experience, I write mostly from the things and people I’ve seen in the past.

Do you see yourself writing in the same genre in 10 years? If not then what?

LOL If I’m still alive in ten years, I hope I’m writing something substantial and not just for entertainment purposes.

Where do your story ideas come from?

Do you use people you know as characters sometimes or even sometimes a certain event from real life happenings? Actually, I spent many, many years in prison. In 1966, Oklahoma was a very racial state and I was a young, black kid, stupid and hard headed and got into trouble for robbing a white motel clerk. I was convicted of robbery and sentenced to ninety-nine years in prison. I saw a lot of things in the years I was there, and I met a lot of people I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Prison is the most basic lifestyle a person can live. You have the bare necessities and anything extra is guarded like your last breath. Survival instincts are the only thing that determines the type of life you will live while inside, and because of that you get to see the worst in human beings. Occasionally you also see the very best, but these are the experiences I draw on when I write.

What is your favorite part of writing?

The finished work! Seriously, have that completed manuscript polished and ready for publication is a great feeling.

Do you have any projects you are currently working on?

Yes, I’m getting ready for the edits on A Purrrfect Mating, and I’ve got another little something I’m working on that’s not quite finished playing out in my head yet!

Do you write your stories out with pencil and paper first or do you work straight on the computer?

I’m a pen and paper man. I’m just learning the key board, so it’s difficult to write straight to the computer with my hunt and peck style, so I write my stories out on paper and then I have a little help with the typing.

You just recently were published. How does it make you feel?

I’ve had two books published this year with a third coming out soon—it feels unreal. Completely unreal like did I really do this?

Getting back to your books coming out soon. Tell us a little about what to expect from them.

A Purrrfect Mating is a novella about two shape shifters. One is a black man in his mortal form, and he’s a black panther in his cat form. The female is white woman in her human form and a cougar in her cat form. This is a humorous little cat fight that is really a good excuse for hot sex!

When and where can we purchase your books?

Sex & Chocolate, and Soul Searchers are both available from Noble Romance Publishing at http://www.nobleromance.com/BrowseListing.aspx?author=29, and A Purrrfect Mating will be available from Noble as well, but there is no release date at the moment.

How do you feel about fans doing fan fiction and/or roleplaying on the web based on your or other author's works?

This is a new one on me, but I’ve heard imitation is the finest form of flattery!

What are you reading right now?

The Second Virgin Birth by Tommy Thompson.

Are there any authors (living or dead) that you would name as influences?

James Patterson, Stephen King, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and others.

Favorite films?

The Boondock Saints, It’s A Wonderful Life, but I like most sci-fi movies.

Favorite music?

I love the blues. Nina Simone, John Lee Hooker, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Frankie Beverly and Maze are some of my favorites.

If you had a book club, what would it be reading — and why?

Probably one of the classics like The Great Gatsby because I think those are important writings that say something about our way of life that never really changes. Books like Of Mice and Men, The Hotel New Hampshire, The Old Patagonian Express, One Hundred Years of Solitude are all more than just books, they are piece of who we used to be and who we are now.

What else do you want your readers to know?

My family is the light of my life. I love going to the lake with them, having barbeques, and just spending time with all of them. We ride motorcycles, go 4-wheeling, and I like weeding the garden and taking care of all the dogs.

When did you first realize that you were a writer?

Ha! Still waiting on that epiphany!

What will the role of the Internet play in the future of publishing?

The Internet is huge and for authors, that’s a wonderful thing. There are so many ways to get your name and titles out there to the public that just wasn’t available prior to the advent of home computers.

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Why did you choose your genre?

The m/m erotic romance genre chose me. As I said, I spent time in prison and same sex relationships are quite common. I have a sci-fi mind so for Soul Searchers I put the two together, gay werewolves and it worked. Also, I knew a lot of people who were HIV positive or died from AIDS, so that played into the writing of Sex & Chocolate.

How do you create your characters? What determines their characteristics and names?

They are all basically based on people I’ve known, but the names are changed. How that happens, I really don’t know, they just come to me as I’m thinking of how I’m going to make a character fit the plot.

What do you think is the future of writing and publishing?

This is an industry that is growing by leaps and bounds, especially the e-book publishers. I recently read that print books sales had decreased 3.9% but e-book sales were up more than 160%. So I think it’s a pretty safe bet to say we’ll be around a while.

If you could choose one thing to be remembered by, what would it be?

That I learned from my mistakes and that the people I love know without a doubt they are the most important part of my life and I wouldn’t trade what I have right now for anything in the world.

Do you use a pseudonym? More than one? Why?

Sort of. Reese is my nickname and it’s what my family calls me, so I decided I may as well use it when I started writing.

Many writers have had success writing in different genres. Do you think it is difficult to switch over to another genre?

I don’t pay much attention to things like genres. My sister-in-law told me to “just write” and don’t worry about anything else, so that’s what I do and so far, so good!

Would you share a few thoughts on what the writing life is to you?

I learned really fast that the writing part is the least of it! Once you find a publisher and have been through editing, it’s like “why did I want to do this?” But the biggest part of writing is selling yourself, because you have to be able to sell yourself in order to sell your work, and that’s difficult for me. Promotions is the biggest part of writing.

What advice would you give writers looking to get published?

Start promoting yourself before you’re ready to be published, join groups, get a web page, even if it’s only on My Space. Start a blog, and get your name out there.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

All writers love hearing from their readers, so drop me a line, ask questions, or tell me what you think about my books. reesejohnsonbooks@gmail.com

Do you ever look back and think, "I wish I had written this differently?"

Oh no. That would be defeatist, but I do look back and think, “what can I do differently next time that will improve my writing.”

How long does it take you to complete a book, from the time the idea for the book is conceived, to when you submit it to your editor?

That depends on the book, but so far I’ve not written a full-length novel, so my time has been pretty short. I know for some authors it can take months or even years, and that’s probably why I haven’t attempted a full-length just yet.

Where can aspiring writers go to learn about the business?

I would recommend joining groups, either Yahoo or critique groups, or both. Also, thoroughly read submission guidelines on publisher sites. Some of the guidelines seem lengthy and ridiculous, but if you can’t follow submission guidelines, how are you ever going to follow editorial suggestions and changes? Also, chat with authors, ask questions, and join writing blogs. The Internet offers a plethora of resources for writers.

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Thanks so much for joining us today, Reese! It was an honor and a pleasure getting to know you!