TicToc: J.J. Westendarp- Authors Interview

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

J.J. Westendarp- Authors Interview

I recently had an opportunity to read and review Spiral X. I found it to be an interesting and fun novel and I was interested in learning more about the author. I believe that it is wonderful for dreams to become reality, and I also believe that the reader would like to know more about the dreamer. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about J.J. Westendarp, and I hope you have an opportunity to read his work.

Please supply your writing name as it appears on your book or e-book and the name of your most recent published story.

My name is J. J. Westendarp and my book is Spiral X.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a married father of two living in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Currently I work as an IT professional and am attending Kaplan University Online to obtain a degree in that field. Writing is done whenever I have a free moment with some creative juices flowing, and for now it is a hobby. I love to play games, both video and board, and I look forward to the day my kids are old enough to enjoy some of the more advanced board games I have in my closet.

Tell us about your book.

Spiral X is the start of a larger series of stories which encompass what I call the Eternal War, which is essentially the battle between Heaven and Hell over the souls of humanity. The main protagonist is Cheryl Erikson, a Hunter of demons and vampires, who is considered one of the best there is. At the start of the book though, she isn't necessarily dealing in her realm of expertise, as she is attempting to track down where a drug called Plast is coming from. The main reason for this is because the dealers are primarily vampires. Finding this information is only the tip of the iceberg, and she quickly finds herself under the gun, literally, as someone has taken a contract out on her head. Couple that with a nosy police detective who really doesn't like her very much, and the attentions of a shadow government organization, it's enough to keep her on her toes. But all of that pales to what she finds at the Spiral X nightclub.

What inspired you to be a writer or have you always had a passion for writing?

I've always had a passion for writing. I know it sounds cliché to say that I've been writing since I was a kid, but it's true. My first novel was written in high school, and it's still sitting off to the side, waiting for the day I can turn it into the epic fantasy it wants to be. My desire to write even got me in trouble in the Navy, as I was caught writing during my job training, and was subsequently written up for it. While I was signing the paper, my instructor asked me if I would rather go into Journalism since what I'd written was pretty good. I turned him down and stayed the course with my computer training, which is good because that's the day job at the moment. Still, that incident has stuck with me, and I'm finally giving my writing a shot.

If you could give advice to other authors or aspiring authors what would you say?

The first thing I would say is to stick with it. Like any art form, writing something that people appreciate takes practice. You're going to stumble, you're going to fall, and you're going to have times when it's difficult to drag a single sentence out of your thoughts. That's okay, just stick with it. There are lots of places to go to help you hone your craft, lots of books to read about what you can do to get better, but none of that matters if you don't stick with it.

When you completed your work what was your most difficult roadblock to becoming published?

Getting over my incessant need to tweak the finished product. As a writer, you have to know when enough is enough, and this is doubly so as an indie author since you don't have someone telling you that you're done. I'm still struggling with this, but it's slowly getting better.

Where can people go to get more information about you and your book?

You can read my blog here: http://jjwestendarp.blogspot.com/ People can also read Chapter One of Spiral X there.

My Facebook Page is here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/J-J-Westendarp/154223387946744

Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us. I wish you every success in your further endeavors. I believe your work has the making of a great series and I for one will be waiting for the followup.