I am not much of a blogger. It isn't something I do well. I am, on the other hand, a good talker and I don't mind being asked questions.
I thought that this space would best be utilized to engage with my fans, other writers and authors, and anyone else who has ever been curious about what it means to be a novelist.
Here are your questions:
1. At what point do you think someone should call themselves a writer?
A. So long as a person is writing I consider them to be writers. When those same people decide to engage with other writers and authors then they have become members of the writing community. It took me a very long time to allow myself to engage others with my writing.
2. What difference do you see between a writer and an author?
A. In all honesty, I consider a writer to be anyone who writes, and an author has published what they have written.
3. Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?
A. Author J. Mills is a pen name. I chose to take a pen name simply because I thought it was cool. I later learned that there are many benefits to writing under one and so I chose to keep “Author J. Mills. Here's a little secret, my pen name was actually meant to be “Arthur J. Mills” but when I first used it on my copyright paperwork I hadn't noticed that the autocorrect had changed it to “Author”. I thought that was funny, and it made me think of Patrick Rothfuss's character “Chronicler” from The Name of the Wind, so I left it and continued to use it.
4. What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
A. Writer's block is like being stranded in the middle of the desert at night during a sandstorm while being pursued by goblins. I just can't work in those conditions.
5. How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
A. I look forward to all reviews, good or bad, I get excited every time I get one. I think of them as a kind of an After Action Review of whatever it is that is being commented on and I try to use that information to tweak my craft just a a little bit more each time I write something.