Joshua Bangera-Young interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

When did your love of books begin?

I grew up in a house full of books. My father had these giant floor-to-ceiling bookcases in his office, filled with everything from Greek Mythology to Stephen King. When he wasn't home, I would sneak into his office and pick books off the shelves and read all afternoon. When I got older, my first job was at the local library, sorting and organizing collections, stocking shelves, making displays, etc.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

In middle school. In fact, in my 8th grade yearbook, under the question 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' I put one word: Novelist. I wasn't that focused in school. In all of my classes, I would pretend to take notes and do my homework, but really I was writing short stories, poems, and longer narratives in my notebooks.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

It is lonely, frustrating, and boring. But I love it. Some days the words are easy and I can get through 10 pages before breakfast. Other days, just completing one page feels like an agonizing chore. It is also very slow moving. From conception to publication can take years. Developing queries, contacting agents, revising, staying up on Social Medias is also time consuming. A good friend of mine, who is also an author, once said "being an author is like having 6 part time jobs, and occasionally one of them sends you a check."

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Being an author is not just slapping something down in a Word document, sending it off in the airwaves and getting a check in the mail. It's not easy. Sometimes it's not fun. It's hard work, just like any job. One piece of advice to young and upcoming authors would be to develop a schedule and write every single day. Write on your birthday. Write on New Year's Day. Write when you're on vacation. Those hours and those words will add up and it will help you get to where you're going.

Tell us about your book/books:

My current project is a 3-book series called The 56. It is about a re-cultivated society, hundreds of years after a world-wide apocalypse. Each year, the one remaining town sends 56 people out into the world to establish new societies and rebuild the Earth. I'm under representation by Trident Media Group, and my agent, Mark Gottlieb, is working hard to get a publisher for book one. I am currently in the drafting process of book two.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

I've always loved storytelling. If a story is told well--no matter what it's about--I'll read it. I've read countless books about topics I have no interest in, because the writer was so compelling in how they told it.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Look for The 56 next year. If you like dystopian, post-apocalyptic fiction, then you will enjoy the book. Also, I'm in the Washington, DC area and frequent places like Politics and Prose and Busboys and Poets, so you could connect with me there.

Where can people connect with you?

The best place to connect with me is on Twitter @jrb_young. I am currently building my website, and when that launches, I'll post it on social media.