I N T E R V I E W
J U S T I N B I E N V E N U E
A little while ago now, the Author of ' The Macabre Masterpiece' contacted me and asked if I was still interested in conducting a couple more interviews for my blog and if so, if I was willing to interview him, too.
I replied pretty quickly and after chatting for a little while, I finally emailed him back with the questions.
(Apologies again for taking a rather long time!)
After asking what sort of questions he'd be comfortable with, we decided on just keeping it quite basic, not quite focusing too much on his books alone, but also on his journey as a self published author.
So without further ado, here it is, guys, popcorn at the ready and all that!
What sparked the idea for the novel A Bloody Bloody Mess In The Wild Wild West?
The title sort of just popped into my head after I watched a western movie but it wasn’t until I watched a horror movie a few days later that I started thinking of putting something together. I liked the wild west and thought I would write something about it. So I took the horror theme and decided to combine it with the western theme and my idea was born.
Which comes first - the characters back story or the idea for the novel?
I would say the idea for the novel. Maybe others are different but I think you need to know what your writing about before you can insert characters. Your concept or plot for the story, an idea on the setting and then I think it’s good to start thinking about characters and their back stories. I myself didn’t get to back stories until I had all the others down. I think it takes quality organization and planning to get what you invision for both your novel and it’s characters.
When did you first start writing? Or realize you were interested in becoming a writer?
I really first started writing as I do now in high school. I was writing poems while bored in class. As time passed I started writing more and more and as people told me they enjoyed my writing it encouraged me to write more. Three years ago I just thought one day that I’d write a book but not really thinking it would happen. Now two books later writing has become a job and big enjoyment for me.
If you could change anything about either one of your published works, what would it be?
If I could change anything it would be the publisher of my first book. When I finished my first book I went with PublishAmerica, one of the worst publishing companies in the business. I was so excited and new to the writing world that I didn’t know how bad they really were until it was too late. I have yet to see royalties in three years, they poorly edited my book, they offer deals that aren’t deals at all and they make authors pay hundreds of dollars for their own copies. Needless to say it’s been quite a battle with them and while I have but it behind me I await to hear if I can get out of that contract sometime soon but also it’s made me aware of what to look for in publishers. It’s part of the reason I decided to Self-Publish, this way I know where my work is going and how it’s doing.
What were the hardest parts to write and why?
In A Bloody Bloody Mess In The Wild Wild West the hardest parts to write were the dialogue. I had written it before but never quite like this. I’m not really used to writing conversation back and forth and if your not familiar with it, it can be quite challenging. To make sure it’s accurate you must have detail and be persistent. After I remembered to add quotation marks to indicate the dialogue I pretty much had a good of how to write it.
Who inspired the story? And the characters?
I don’t think anyone really inspired the story or characters. The protagonist is based off the good ole natural good time type of cowboy you usually see and the antagonist is ruthless and rugged and bad mannered just as any would be. Maybe I had some people in mind but I wouldn’t say they are based off anyone in particular.
Favourite authors?
I have a few favorite authors. My favorite poets are Edgar Allan Poe and William Shakespeare and my favorite authors are Elmore Leonard and Vincent Hobbes.
Who are your influences?
Edgar Allan Poe is a big influence of mine as if you read some of my horror poetry you’ll notice some hints of Poe in them. Also Shakespeare is an influence though most times when I try writing like him it’s an ill-fated attempt. Also Rod Serling, I love The Twilight Zone and it’s recently inspired me to write short stories of the weird and bizarre.
What's the most blatant lie you've ever told?
Hmm..probably when I told someone once that I’ve never told a lie, haha.
How do you react to a bad review?
It depends really. Most times I like to think I react professional and accordingly but other times I admit I have lashed out and taken it not so well. It really depends on the way the review is written, If someone writes a bad review but has good and bad points and it’s about the book I can respect it. However if their review has nothing to do with the book and does nothing but bash it and criticizes me as an author then I tend to get a bit upset. It’s unfortunate that sometimes people can’t be respectable.
What do you do to stop yourself from procrastination?
Not a whole lot! Haha. I tend to procrastinate a lot. I try to stay busy most times by playing a game, writing or watching stuff that gets my brain going. When my brain’s racing I tend to either want to do something or write about something.
Are the names in 'A Bloody Bloody Mess In The Wild Wild West' important?
Not at all. I came up with them randomly from thought. I did think about it for a while cause I wanted their names to be catchy so in a way I suppose I wanted them to be important in the sense that they fit to my liking.
Do you ever wish that you had an entirely uncreative job?
I’m not sure what you mean by this, If you mean do I wish I had a job not as a author and writer then yes absolutely I do.
What do you consider your biggest failure?
I don’t like to think my first book was a failure but given the fact that I haven’t seen any royalties from it and it’s stuck in a bad contract I can’t help but consider it a failure sometimes. Just move on and write your next project is what a lot of people told me to do so that’s what I did. However I am a optimist so I am hoping one day I can turn that failure into a success.
And lastly,
How much impact does your childhood have on your writing?
Hm, In the sense that my imagination is as solid and creative as it was when I was a child then pretty good. I was told as a kid I had quite an imagination and if only I could write down the stories I told people..well here I am now and while I don’t remember those stories I certainly try to get people to enjoy the ones I write now.
So that was it, guys! Hope everyone enjoyed this interview as much as I have, possibly found something to relate to or just been inspired by Justin's journey!
Either way, I'll post the link to Justin's Goodreads profile below! He's a really nice chap so give him a shout if you like his books or just had fun reading through this!
Anyways, that's it for now! Happy reading!
GOODREADS PROFILE :
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4572127.Justin_Bienvenue
Justin Bienvenue official webpage :
http://jbienvenue.webs.com
Justin Bienvenue on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Justin-Bienvenue/e/B00851MBK8