I was lucky to get an interview with Joseph A. Schiller the author of the new sci-fi/fantasy novel Upon the Arrival of Dawn.
Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
I am from Houston, TX USA, where I currently live with my amazing wife and three boys, and work as a high school history teacher.
Why should I buy your book?
I believe what makes my story unique among others of the genre, are the meta-physical and spiritual themes it encourages the reader to address. Reading Upon the Arrival of Dawn is not just a journey of a good story, but if open minded, can be a journey of exploration of one’s own feelings about humanity and our place in greater Existence.
“...push yourself to your limits. Remember, this is your story. No one else will fight for it...”
Subgenre: Sci-fi/fantasy
Pages: 226
Self-published: 2022
What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been writing on and off on random stories since I was in the 7th grade, or about 13 years of age. The enjoyment of writing really began in a creative writing class. It was definitely the moment where I found the confidence in my written voice. This particular project, Upon the Arrival of Dawn, was ten years in the making. Many people will appreciate the fact that I found it difficult to shut out the daily grind and parenting to maintain a steady progress.
Why did you choose to write sci-fi/fantasy? And why pick this particular subgenre?
Up until the time I began this book, most of my attempts at writing were more dystopian fiction based somewhat on historical conditions. This was my first attempt in the realm of sci-fi/fantasy. I don’t know that I chose this genre, but, rather, it chose me. The stories began to emerge in my mind, and I took it from there.
Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
Overall the author that has meant the most to me is the late Michael Crichton. The literary world will never be the same without him. In terms of the author, though, that influenced me the most in the world of fantasy/sci-fi is the great C.S. Lewis, and more specifically, The Space Trilogy. Besides being the most underappreciated contribution to science fiction of the early to mid-twentieth century, I love how it blended and wove deep metaphysical and quasi-spiritual themes and questions within his stories. I made sure my sons were introduced to those stories, too, reading the series to them when they were infants at bedtime.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Putting your thoughts down. Having ideas does no good to anyone unless you are actively doing something with that idea. The one thing I finally learned the hard way, if you will, after ten years of working on this book, is that if I want to really make progress writing, I have to be doing something for my stories every day. This can be something small or large, it doesn’t matter. Think of the story you want to tell as a beautiful, lush garden. Your garden won’t spring forth overnight. One must toil and tend to it every day, feeding and carrying for it.
What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?
I genuinely believe that every person is different, with their owns strengths and weaknesses. So, I don’t know that I am qualified to make generalizations about what is or isn’t difficult for authors as a whole. For me personally, however, the biggest challenge was finding the energy, frame of mind, and motivation to keep the process moving along. As I stated earlier, one should optimistically be working in some way on your writing every day. This took me nearly eight years of on again off again writing to learn. For the first eight years of this project, there were periods of years that I didn’t touch my story. I always told myself it was due to half a dozen reasons, all of which were reasonable excuses; busy, tired, not feeling it, etc. Once I started becoming a little more methodical and mechanical about my routine, I noticed a significant different in the movement I was making on the book. These are things I’m sure veteran authors already know, and I had to eventually learn as a first-time author.
Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
Do as much yourself as you can. I really mean that. I’m of the mind that the more I can grow in this craft the better I become overall as an author. That includes all of the non-sexy aspects as well such as editing, publishing, marketing, etc. This doesn’t mean that one doesn’t seek outside help. But push yourself to your limits. Remember, this is your story. No one else will fight for it to be heard. Grammarly and the Editor function in Microsoft Word are your best friends in terms of having a book that is as nearly polished as you can make it before seeking an editor. I would recommend using Upwork.com or Fiverr.com in order to find an inexpensive editor, graphic designer, and someone to do your book layout. In terms of marketing, that is where the hustle comes in. You cannot feel self-conscious or hesitant about plugging yourself and your book. Again, no one else will fight for your book, so you must. Message every book blog, YouTube book reviewer, and podcaster in this industry that you can. Message every indie bookstore you can and try to line up consignment of your book with them. Bookfairs, farmer’s markets, think outside the box.
And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
I am currently working on a novel based on the enigmatic Greek philosopher and mathematician, Pythagoras. Right now, I am in the research phase, trying to gather the historical reference I will need later. Despite having a few chapters outlined, I don’t know yet which direction this story will go. I’m still waiting for that to be revealed to me. Truth be told, I actually initially started this story based on Pythagoras before Upon the Arrival of Dawn but shelved it because I became more passionate for a time about this project. That happens. Follow your inner muse, always. Additionally, and with even less progress made, I plan to work on a story based on Sin Eaters.
Do you expect new technologies to come along soon that will have a huge impact on self-publishing? For instance, when will we see a decent novel written by an AI author?
First of all, I love that you are asking a very practical sci-fi question of sci-fi authors. A very non-traditional question interview question. I don’t have a direct response to the question. However, I would love for someone to come up with technology that would allow me to somehow transfer my thoughts directly on a Google Doc. How many times have we as writers had an amazing thought or idea, intended to get it typed out as soon as we could get behind a computer, and then… poof, we can’t remember the thought as we had it when we sat down?
Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
I don’t have any dreams for myself. I do, however, hope that my sons will learn or recognize that there is nothing that they cannot accomplish as long as they are sufficiently dedicated, passionate, and doing it for the right reasons. I also hope they learn that we can be defined by more than our 9 to 5 and parenting commitments. This is something I know I learned from my father.
Anything else you would like to say before we close?
Write for yourself, and no one else.
That were some interesting answers. I wish you the very best of luck finding readers for your book, and thanks for doing the interview.
