Summer Songs - Interview Series - Joey Mills!

WELCOME JOEY MILLS!

Tonia (T.M.):  Joey welcome to my Summer Songs - Interview Series.  I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to chat with you and ask questions, so that others might get to know as well.

Joey:  Thank you! I appreciate the opportunity to get the word out about the writing I’ve been doing.

Tonia (T.M.):  How long have you been writing?

Joey:  Professionally, for about a year now. Before that, I’ve always written, whether it was short stories for myself and friends as a kid or screenplays for video assignments in high school or just writing scenes for my own pleasure as an adult.

Tonia (T.M.):  Is there an influence you can associate with your desire to write?

Joey:  I’ve always loved reading. I read at an early age, and have always loved a good story. I think that is the biggest influence on my desire to write. Being an avid reader is essential to being a writer, I believe.

That said, when that “Aha!” moment came for me --- when I realized “This was published? I can do better than this.” --- that was the moment I decided to attempt to tackle the profession of writing. I was lucky in that the opportunity came along last year, and have been grateful since.

Tonia (T.M.):  I have just finished reading your book, Crowe, and I have to share with you that I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  Is this your first book?

Joey:  Thank you. It is my first full-length book.

Tonia (T.M.):  Having spent a couple of days with you at SoonerCon in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, recently, I know you told many who asked that the idea for Crowe just came to you one day.  Can you elaborate on how that seed grew?

Joey:  Like I alluded to earlier, for me, the story tends to start with a single scene. The really good scenes stick with you. They expand and evolve, taking the forefront when I’m doing something that doesn’t require a lot of thinking or focus, like mowing the yard. I’ve written a few of those fragmented scenes before, but Crowe was the first time I fleshed out one of those scenes into a full-fledged story.

What’s funny is that I thought I knew what the story was going to be as it took shape around that initial scene. As I began writing the story and working through different drafts, the narrative took on a life of its own. The fun was in watching the story zig when I thought it would zag and seeing how things worked themselves out on their own. All I did was record what I saw in my head the best that I knew how.

Tonia (T.M.):  I may be cheating just a bit here, but I want to entice those who read this post to get a copy of Crowe and read it for themselves.  So, let's see if we can give them little morsels that will leave them wanting to know more about the world Johnny Crowe lives in.  The story is not only historical fiction but has supernatural elements about too.  Is this correct?

Joey:  That’s right. It started off with a supernatural idea. As the story started to flesh itself out, the setting came together naturally. Some people have asked me why I chose to set Crowe during the American Civil War. The “listen to me, I sound like a real writer” answer is that the Civil War is rife for storytelling. There is great nobility and the most sinister deeds. There is room for heroism, villainy, and drama. I mean, the conflict is inherent in the setting. Brother against brother and all that. Think about some of the great books and movies like Gone With the Wind, Gods and Generals, and Glory.

Now, the real answer is that when I started to probe around and outside of that initial scene, I found that the story was set in the Civil War. I didn’t put it there, that’s where the story was. I’ve heard Stephen King say that a story is like a fossil. It’s a found thing. At least with Crowe, I agree with his sentiments.

Tonia (T.M.):  But the genre's don't stop there.  Do they Joey?  Can you tell us about the paranormal aspects of the story as well and how you came up with such fantastic imagery for something like the "golden arm" without giving too much away?

Joey:  Again, it was a found thing within the story. I knew what the events were that led up to the “golden arm”, though I had no idea how the story was going to get there. I mean, I didn’t plan that little song number that takes place directly before the “golden arm” comes into play. It was the strangest thing that I have ever committed to page, but it worked in the story. It was just there. The same thing with the “golden arm” and the images that come after; the “gifts” or “help” that Johnny receives get more and more worthless as his story goes on. First it’s gold, then silver, then bronze, and finally iron. Totally not planned; that’s just how the story played out.

Tonia (T.M.):  For me, one of my favorite parts of the book was the relationship between Johnny Crowe and Anna Lee Henderson.  How did this relationship come to be when you were planning the book?

Joey:  For me, writing the romantic hook was tough. It just wasn’t something I was good at. I mean, growing up, the romantic aspects of the stories I liked were… I won’t say non-existent, but definitely non-traditional. I grew up with Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. You look at the interaction between Han Solo and Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back or Indy and Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark (not to mention the lack of romantic interest in The Hobbit or Watership Down or the Chronicles of Narnia) and those aren’t exactly the types of relationships you think of when trying to come up with a romantic hook for a story. And that was my problem… I was pressing too hard and trying to invent a romantic hook for the story. Once I just let the story play out, the relationship between the two characters came out on its own, with a little coaxing from my editor in what to look for so I didn’t miss it when it popped it’s head above ground.

Tonia (T.M.):  I loved the history aspect of the book.  You named a few high ranking military figures in this book.  Can you tell us what process you used for fleshing out these characters to be so realistic?

Joey:  A little (very little) research on who these characters were, in broad strokes. The only two characters I think I spent any time with that were real figures were Generals Lee and Stuart. The rest of the officers were made up and came with the story, so if you thought any of the others were actual historical figures and that they were realistically portrayed, then I’ll take that as a compliment!

Tonia (T.M.):  I did feel that these characters were real and went with the time period.  So I can honestly say, you met your mark there. 

What made you set this story during the Civil War rather than say the War of 1812, the Spanish American War, or the Texas Revolution?

Joey:  Like I said earlier, that’s just how the story came to me. I didn’t make a decision on setting… at least not a conscious decision.

Tonia (T.M):  Do you have a certain style of writing that you prefer?

Joey:  Anything that tells a good story. I love reading, but I love finding good stories regardless of medium --- television, film, magazines. I just like to have my attention grabbed and my mind transported to wherever that story is playing out.   

Tonia (T.M.):  Who were some of the authors you might dub as your favorites whose work have inspired you to write?

Joey:  I think I’ve mentioned a few in the works I’ve named above. Stephen King. J.K. Rowling. Tolkien. C.S. Lewis. Susan Cooper. I’m currently reading through George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire books, and they’ve held me for a few weeks of the summer.

As far as non-fiction, I have the works of Joseph Campbell sitting side-by-side with Stephen Hawking on the bookshelf in my bedroom. In comics, I’ve really dug the work that Geoff Johns has done for D.C. Comics over the past 5-10 years.

Tonia (T.M):  If you could tell someone who reads this interview something encouraging about your journey as a writer, what would it be?

Joey:  Writing is hard work. I know that may not sound encouraging at first, but let me expand on that. A couple years ago, once my wife began her career and was on the verge of delivering our third child, I quit my job to stay at home and take care of the kids and run the house. The plan also included me taking a stab at getting published, to see if there was anything there for me. Everyone told me that they’d love to be able to stay at home, that I was on Easy Street, whatever. But, I have to tell you, it’s been a lot of hard work over the last few years, and unlike a job, this is my family and my writing that I’m spending my time with. It’s a lot more personal than just putting together spreadsheets and collecting a paycheck.

To that end, the feeling you get when you succeed at this --- and I’m not even talking about being published --- when you write something and read back over it and know that it’s good… that’s a huge reward in and of itself. I think it means so much because the work is hard and there’s so much of yourself you pour into it.

Tonia (T.M.):  I have to agree with you there, Joey.  Like you, when I can read back over what I've written, after having put it aside for a time,  and it makes me smile, or laugh, or cry, and I know that I have achieved an emotion, then I know someone else might like what I've written.  It does feel wonderful. 

I believe you have a new project in the works.  Can you share any aspect of that project with us?  Or is it still top secret?

Joey:  It’s no secret, though it has changed the more time I’ve spent with it this summer. It’s a big series, and it looks like it’s going to kick off with a novella or short story. I’m going to give the publishers behind Crowe a look at it first, but if they pass on it --- if it’s not where their focus or interest is --- then I’ll look at other ways to push it out there. I know that they are excited for the full-length novels in the series, so it’s up to me to find those stories and get them out there, sooner rather than later.   

Tonia (T.M.):  Do you read a great deal and do you feel it is important as a writer to be well read?

Joey:  Yes and yes. I don’t think you can write well unless you read. A lot. Reading gives you a sense for how a story flows on the page, which is much different from any other medium. It exposes you to great works that both humble you and force you to do better, and just as importantly, exposes you to the rubbish out there that shows you what not to do and reminds you that you can do better than some of what’s out there that some publisher somewhere decided to put their money and reputation behind. 

Tonia (T.M.):  It has been a pleasure chatting with you and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the near future.  Good luck on your writing endeavors.

Joey:  Thanks, Tonia. It was a pleasure to meet you at SoonerCon and I hope we get to do more stuff like that when we’re both famous! 

This is a picture taken at SoonerCon in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Pictured, left to right are myself, Joey Mills, and Lindsey Gray.



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I would like to thank Mr. Mills for sharing his experience with us.  I hope that you will check his book, Crowe, and will keep an eye out for his new projects in the near future.  I enjoyed reading Mr. Mills book very much and feel that anyone who picks it up, will not be able to put it down until it is finished.

We had a great time showcasing our books for The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House at SoonerCon in June, and I feel fortunate to have meet fellow writers, Joey Mills and Lindsey Gray.  I hope to have an interview with Ms. Gray here very soon as well.

Please stop by again next week for another featured author in my Summer Songs - Interview Series.