30 June 2021
On Wednesdays on social media, people use the hashtag #WriterWednesday to chat about all things author, book and writing, including authors promoting their own work. As we love to support self-published authors, we thought we’d join in and we will be featuring a UK self-published author every Wednesday on the website.
This week, we met Joseph Roy Wright to find out more.
Please tell us about yourself; when did you first become interested in writing?
I always loved adventure stories growing up, video games and movies were especially exciting for me too! Seeing my favourite books get cinematic adaptions on the big screen was always breathtaking. When I was around 17 I started writing own little stories in college, I eventually began writing my first self published book in 2015, it took me two years to write my first indie novel (published in 2017).
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I self published my first book, The New Order of Alexandria in 2017 when I was just 19. My first book, is a Post Apocalyptic adventure novel set after climate change in the year 2050. It was a struggle to write as I was very inexperienced, the first editions were rough, but luckily I knew an editor who cleaned up my manuscript. Now it has good ratings and I couldn’t be happier!
What genre/genres do your books fall under?
Adventure, Action, Horror, and Fantasy. I like to experiment with my writing and try out different genres. My 1st is a Post Apocalyptic adventure, 2nd is a Supernatural Horror, my 3rd is a Psychological Horror and My 4th (still writing) is going to be a Dark Fantasy/Horror.
What is your latest book called, what is it about and what was the inspiration behind the book?
The Town Named Bilmo is my latest book! I only self published it this year on Amazon and it’s already had some decent sales and Reviews. The novella is inspired by Silent Hill, Twin Peaks and The Mist. It is a Ghost Town story, where our protagonist’s greatest fears come to life! The story is set in the fictional Welsh town of Bilmo, and a horrifying demon known as Tall Man stalks the night streets, looking for prey. It is very much a Psychological Horror, as Bucky Cartwright does not know if all the horror he is seeing is real or not.
Besides your current book, do you have any new projects coming up?
Yes, I do! A lot actually, but I am currently working on my fourth book, which will be titled The Realms of Solaride: Lucien’s Wrath. It will be a Dark Fantasy adventure set in the medieval ages. Like that of Lord of The Rings or Jason and The Argonauts, but with a horror twist! As foul monsters like Demons, Vampires, Witches and Werewolves stalk the lands, our Fellowship of would be heroes must defend the land from pure evil. Inspired by Army of Darkness and Dark souls.
My other projects are sequels and new standalone novels that are in the works. But, I tend to focus on one story at a time.
Where can people find your books?
All of my books are available on Amazon Kindle for Ebook devices and Paperback.
What has been the greatest moment in your writing career?
My friend had a radio show, I was allowed on it multiple times to talk about my books. I felt like a radio star! The best show was when he had multiple guests come over to the show, I signed paperback editions of my books to friends and fans who were at the studio. I made a lot of money and people smile that day, it was truly my proudest moment.
Besides writing, what hobbies or interests do you enjoy in your spare time?
I like to promote my books on YouTube and ride motorcycles for fun. I’m into my mythology and rock music, I really love anything gothic, whether it be literature, video games, movies or books. I also love to draw and paint and have even done a lot of my own artwork for my book covers and promotional material. I like to make small indie games outside of writing as well, but I am a much better writer than game developer.
Which novelists do you admire?
J.R.R Tolkien, Darren Shan, Stephen King and H.P Lovecraft are some of my favourites! I really love anything to do with the underworld. Although Tolkien’s work is more fantasy, it still has its Orcs, monsters and horrifying creatures like Gollum for example. I enjoy the demonology of Darren Shan and the cosmic horror of H.P Lovecraft and the strange entity known as Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King’s IT. All of this stuff has always fascinated me and these authors inspired me to write.
What has been the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?
Don’t rush, make sure everything you write is the best it can be. Always triple check to make sure your work is perfect. My best advice was to read back out loud what I have written, so you know it sounds alright.
Do you have any tips or advice for other indie authors?
Be patient! The cover sells, so make sure you have a decent book cover, synopsis and that the first opening chapters really draw in the reader’s attention. Don’t worry if your book sales are low, my success has been very up and down over the years. Some months you’ll make hundreds, others; you don’t even sell. Just keep going and never give up. Don’t focus too much on the money, try to enjoy writing as a fun hobby first because it is very competitive out there, and selling isn’t easy.
You can find out more about Joseph and his work via Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) or YouTube. You can find his books on Amazon:
The New Order of Alexandria: The Island of Hella
The Town Named Bilmo
Paranormal Homicide: The Skinners Incident
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