Monday, February 19, 2018

GOOD MONDAY ALL





Welcome to the blog Javan thanks for coming today
Thank you for having me

1 Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Javan Bonds, I’m thirty years old, and live in North Alabama. I have a form of muscular dystrophy called Friedrichs Ataxia. It rendered me wheelchair-bound by the age of thirteen, functionally deaf for most of my life, diabetic by eighteen, and something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, a slow and painful road to complete blindness starting at twenty-two.
Optic nerve atrophy is just one of the many issues this progressively degenerative disorder causes. My computer monitor is a 42 inch plasma screen TV set to ridiculously low resolution, high contrast, and most programs are zoomed to 400%. I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking to write every word in my books. It can be tedious trying to understand my southern accent, but it eventually works.
2 Tell us about your books
My first novel, Free State of Dodge, is a prepper book in the style of Glen Tate and Boyd Craven. I have taken a hiatus from that genre to write a zombie apocalypse series, but I hope to go back to Dodge soon.
Still Alive is my zompoc series. This series starts with Zombie Lake and follows a reluctant hero from Alabama, Mo Collins. He runs into plenty of inevitable characters that you see in every zombie story. It’s dark comedy, so I like to keep the humor in my books, but it also gets pretty gory as the series progresses.
I am the archetype for Mo and most of the characters are based on people I know. If you’ve ever met me, you’ve met Mo, at least in personality.
3 When you sit down to write do you have any rituals you follow
My ritual is mainly having a big cup of steaming dark coffee to get my mind working. I know some people listen to music, but I have to have complete silence. Some people have told me they don’t read anything in the zombie genre when they write. I usually don’t have time to read anything, but I get inspiration from other zombie apocalypse books.
4 Who was your biggest influence in writing?
Mark Tufo. He is the original inspiration for my series. Without Zombie Fallout, there would be no Still Alive. When I read ZF2, I knew I had to write a book in the style of a personal journal after the zombie apocalypse.
5 When you write do you add small things or characteristics that only a few people will get when they read your stories?
Yes. I’m a secret geek and nearly everything about the character Gene “The Tech” is extremely nerdy. Unless you know fantasy from Star Trek to Star Wars, Metroid Prime to Warhammer 40,000, if you never owned a Sega Genesis or watched Mystery Science Theater, you might miss some of the jokes especially around The Tech.
6 What would you tell your younger self to help you with your writing today?
“Do something, dumbass!” Having been a freeloading bum the majority of my life, if I had started writing back when I was doing absolutely nothing, I would be a lot further along.
7 What is the best and the worst part of the publishing aspect?
For me, the worst part is waiting. I can write my book, have it edited, and have the cover ready, it just seems like it takes years the closer you get to releasing a book. Now, I don’t know much about the formatting and all that. I’m blind and can’t do it myself. You have to ask my dad how much of a pain in the ass that is.
8 Do you believe in writers block?
I’m afraid to answer that. There’s not enough wood for me to knock on! I wouldn’t say I don’t believe in it, but I’ve never had it. I might stumble or temporarily get stuck, but I don’t consider it a block.
Now for some rapid fire questions
COFFEE TEA OR OTHER 
Coffee. Tall, dark, black. Just like I like my men. Yeah, I’ve heard that joke before. I drink black coffee because I’m a real man, it’ll put hair on your chest! Wait. I don’t have a hairy chest. Damn.
If you had a super power what would it be?
Superpower? I’d rather have the Force. Imagine how much fun it would be to force choke random passersby on the street!
Favorite junk food
Being diabetic, I tend to watch what I eat and typically stay away from junk food. But if you were to make me eat some junk, put a gun to my head and force it down my throat, I have to go with nachos and salsa. If I go to a Mexican restaurant, I’m not happy until they tell me to leave.
Favorite book growing up
I actually didn’t read much growing up. For a while, I collected comic books, but I spent most of my time outside as a kid. Riding my bike, building forts, or the usual pointless stuff boys do.
And last but not least
 What would you tell any up and coming writers?
If you are going to publish independently, get a professional editor and a professional cover designer. I’ve read some books that had to have been proofread by a kindergartner and seen some covers thrown together by a drunk infant. Writing is an investment; if you are going to spend the time and money to put your work out there, spend a little more to make sure it is received well.

WHERE TO FIND JAVAN BONDS 
Javan Bonds Amazon Author Page: goo.gl/mbCFWW
The Official Javan Bonds Fan Page: goo.gl/M9yLNP
Links to Javan Bonds books on Amazon:
Zombie Lake: goo.gl/aBDNeh
Zombie Island: goo.gl/m74nwX
Zombies on a Plane: goo.gl/Eni1Au
Zombie Oasis: goo.gl/uTS8Sp
Free State of Dodge: goo.gl/oVuSfW


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