Books In Sync Interviews New Author John Smethers
Author John Smethers resides in Barstow, CA USA.
Tell us what makes you proud to be a writer from your Barstow, CA? Barstow is a small middle-class town with a high crime rate and a substance-abuse problem. California houses more inmates than any other state except Texas. The United States in general shares these characteristics. The pride coming from my writing stems from my purpose, and that is to educate and inform the residents of this country, and give them an understanding of drug addicts that isn't found on the six o'clock news.
What or who inspired you to become a writer? I didn't excel in high school; in fact, I barely made it through. However, in grammar school I had a proclivity for writing that I didn't give expression to until I quit using drugs and alcohol. That expression was realized when I entered college at 45 years old. So, I suppose the bottom line is that writing papers in college was what motivated me to continue writing.
When did you begin writing with the intention of becoming published? When I was at the community college level, I took creative writing courses, and one of the requirements was to submit something for publication. I continued fulfilling that assignment long after the creative writing courses was over.
Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and why? In a book entitled The Soul's Code by James Hillman, the author offers his version of pre-destiny. When I was growing up, I was attracted to the marginalized sector of humanity such as drug addicts, liars, thieves, and drunks. This fascination probably guaranteed that I would follow suit, but the entire time I was a part of that underworld, I still felt apart from even those who I admired. I remember thinking once: "I want to learn everything about this life, so I can use it to my benefit later. That was a fleeting thought, and I had no idea what I meant by it, but for some reason I remember it. And so, here I am 40 years later, writing about what I learned.
Do you come up with your title (s) before or after you write the manuscript (s)? Before, but sometimes I change it.
Tell us why you write the genre (s) that you write? Because it's what I know best.
Tell us your most rewarding experience while in the writing process? After more than 30 years of drug and alcohol addiction, my memory and my ability to recall what I do remember, is left wanting. While writing my presently unpublished memoir, Scumbag to Ph.D., I was able to piece together the years I spent from childhood on, and so I now have memories that were previously unavailable or unconscious.
Tell us your most negative experience while in the writing process? When I was in prison, I wrote a novel. As a result of one of my creative writing courses, I got one of the chapters published in a magazine. I worked on one of the other chapters, which I thought was much better that the one that was published, but somehow I lost it. To this day, I grieve the loss of that file.
Tell us your most rewarding experience in your publishing journey? My book Scumbag Sewer Rats being published in June of 2008.
Tell us your most negative experience in your publishing journey? Having my manuscripts rejected by agents and publishers so many times.
What one positive piece of advice would you give to other authors? Don't give up.
Who Is Your Favorite Author? James Hillman.
What Format (s) are your books in: Print Only.....E-Book Only....or Both? Print only.
Current Book (s)? Scumbag Sewer Rats: An Archetypal Understanding of Criminalized Drug Addicts.
What special projects are you working on now and what books do we have to look forward to in the future? Presently looking for a publisher for Scumbag to PhD: 30 Years of Drug Addiction.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with us? If anyone who reads this has issues with addiction or substance abuse, which could include the families, friends, and co-workers of addicts and/or substance abusers, they can contact me through my website or my email address, and I will answer any questions they have to the best of my ability.
It's often like the family member who had Tourette’s Syndrome. The rest of the concerned family members bought books, searched the Internet, ask questions--did everything they could to find out all they could about Tourette’s Syndrome. More often than not, when a family member gets addicted to mind-altering chemicals, the concerned family members condemn, chastise, denigrate, demoralize, make excuses for, or deny the problem. Rarely do they do what the example family above did to find out all they could about addiction or substance abuse.
Please visit Author’s Webpage here on Books In Sync:
http://www.booksinsync.com/newauthorswithonebook/smethersjohne.html
Website (s): www.ScumbagSewerRats.com
E-mail: ScumbagSewerRats@verizon.net
Interview done by Theodocia McLean – Owner of Books In Sync:
http://www.booksinsync.com
