John Erickson interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW


When did your love of books begin?

Like a lot of boys in the 1960s, I got hooked on the Hardy Boys: Frank and Joe and their cast of friends. The books were for boys 10 to 14, but I had read them all by the time I reached 10. In high school I read The Godfather, which was a huge book back then, but it wasn’t until college that I saw how reading can truly enrich your life.


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

I became an author at a late age. I’m 66. But I’ve always wanted to write books. I became a journalism major in college (at the University of Minnesota) because I liked to write and couldn’t really think of any other profession that would allow me to do that.


How have you found the process for becoming an author?

I’m a noodle-er. I have to work and rework my writing, and it almost never ends. I like to get my thoughts down on paper and then massage it.


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

Be willing to fail. It’s a tough business and a lot of good books never make it. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and don’t take the rejections personally. It’s part of the business.


Tell us about your book/books:

My first book (I say that because I’m hoping there is a second) is called When Mortals Play God. It started as a search for my uncle, who was adopted at the age of three and no one frrom the family ever saw him again. In the process of that search, I discovered the horrendous treatment my grandmother received as an alleged "feebleminded" person in the 1920s. She was institutionalized and sterilized because she was seen as a menace to society. Many in Minnesota bought the bogus science on which eugenics was based, and a lot of people suffered, including my grandmother and many other people in our family. I tried to show that eugenics bred many victims, but that survivors emerged and turned the practice on its head. One of those survivors was my mother, who is approaching her 101th birthday, a milestone believed unattainable by those who thought so-called feebleminded women could produce only defective offspring. Here is the Amazon link to the book, by the way: https://www.amazon.com/When-Mortals-Play-God-Perseverance/dp/1538166690/ref=sr_1_1?crid=X3MJ88OULCWO&keywords=When+Mortals+Play+God&qid=1649875157&sprefix=when+mortals+play+god%2Caps%2C593&sr=8-1



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

The history behind eugenics isn’t well known, and not many people know just how widespread it was. More than 30 states adopted eugenic sterilization laws. It’s important we remember what happened – these people thought they were improving society – so that we don’t succumb to such snake oil in the future.


Where can people connect with you?

Email: Jserickson58@gmail.com

Twitter: @Johnerickson58

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.erickson.1466


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book review - An Enemy Like Me by Teri M. Brown

Image
Book - An Enemy Like Me Author - Teri M. Brown Rating -  Review: Set in World War 2, this book sees a first generation American who has grown up in Germany faced with the ultimate decision of whether he should fight for his country or remain and be with his wife and child.  Jacob has grown up with a respect for his German heritage but a deep love for America, he has changed his surname to be more American and so when America is plunged into the war due to the attack on Pearl Harbour Jacob decides it is time to join the war effort and face the Japanese but what happens when he is forced to face an enemy who he has a closer understanding to and sees more of himself in than he could ever have imagined? This is a superbly written book and sees chapters going over parts of the story from different peoples perspectives which enables the reader to get a full emotional picture of just how tough a number of life decisions are before and then during the war (from the American perspective).  The
Read more

Feed My Reads Awards 2022 and your winners are

Image
Welcome to your Feed My Reads Awards 2022 blog post to confirm our winners, we hugely appreciate just how massive this awards has been and the number of smiles you have created by nominating, voting and spreading the word. For those of you wishing to view the full ceremony you can do so here -  youtu.be/KQb3mBbVBoM Without further delay we are pleased to announce your winners are -  Author Interview of the year - our joint winners are  Maximilian Sam , John St. Clair , Ellie Lieberman Biggest Indie Supporter of the year - Lee Hall Book Blogger of the year - our joint winners are  Bookaholic Bex , Sharing is Caring Book Blog with Dawn , Bobs and Books Book Cover - Maximilian Sam for It's a Stray Dog's Life Book Reviewer - Jane at Tweetables.com Book Seller - Bert's Books Childrens Book of the year -  Maximilian Sam  for It's a Stray Dog's Life Comedy Book of the year -  Maximilian Sam  for It's a Stray Dog's Life Community Member of the year - our joint winn
Read more

Claude Bouchard interview

Image
AUTHOR INTERVIEW A little introduction: I’m Claude Bouchard, born, raised, and still living in the Montreal (Canada) area. In a prior life, I worked in the corporate world, mainly in human resources management. In 2008, my employer moved our jobs to India and, while I pursued other employment, I published three books I had written long before then continued to write and publish more. Along the way, I realized I had a new job, that of author, and never looked back.  When did your love of books begin? While in kindergarten, my parents had signed me up for a book of the month thing and I remember the excitement whenever a new book showed up in the mail. I moved on to the Bobbsey Twins, Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, etc. and have never stopped reading since.  When did you start to have the wish to become an author? In 1995, I had an idea for a book and wrote  Vigilante  in eight weeks. I followed up with two others in the same series over the next year or two, even did some agent querying but eve
Read more