Books to curl up with: GOOD MONDAY EVERYONE

Good Monday all as NOVEMBER TO DISMEMBER slowly winds down over at Reading Zombie . We have a new victim to interview TJ Weeks .

Hi TJ thanks for stopping by today

Thanks for having me

Tell us about yourself

I was in the Army for eight years. I was a vocalist in a band. I started writing lyrics for music at a very young age which led me to writing poetry and then to learning that I loved to write in general. I pushed myself to write Deadly Mountain and realized that my story telling ability was actually okay. I love to hang out with friends and family and cookout and have a serious collection of movies.

Tell us about your books

I started out writing mystery/psychological suspense, which was Deadly Mountain and the sequel Allison's Revenge which are now in one book called Obsessed With The Kill. I moved on from there and wrote a little bit of a paranormal/horror which is now Valley Drift. I wrote The Horror Squad which is apocalyptic actually to cure some writers block. I really never planned on publishing it out and once I started writing, I enjoyed it and went ahead and published it. In between, I was challenged to a romance short story and dabbled in the beginner reader genre. I have recently put out a book for 8 years old and up called Building A Monster.

When you sit down do you have any rituals

I throw on some headphones and listen to music. Sometimes it is heavy metal sometimes it is country or pop. Just depends on my mood that day.

When you write your characters is there any parts of yourself in them

I am actually a character in The Horror Squad, so in that aspect yes. As for other books, I visualize what I want the character to be like and try and put myself in there shoes.

Do you hid any secrets in your books that only a few people would know about

There is a few secrets here and there. Most of my books are set in Texas because that is where I have lived most of my life. There are a few tidbits here and there like Allison Dane in Obsessed With The Kill, I based off of my wife,

Do you read reviews and what do you do when you get a bad review

I do read the reviews and look at bad reviews as constructive criticism. I don't take them personally, but take them into consideration.

What aspect of the writing / publishing journey do you like and what parts do you dislike

I love the writing aspect and creating a story that people will enjoy. I also like doing the art for my covers, however I hate having to take the time to get everything precise for publish ready.

How do you handle writing characters of the opposite sex

I just try and put myself in their shoes. If I get stuck, I try to bounce some ideas off of my wife or ask her opinion.

If there was one thin you could do differently as a child or teenager to make you a better writer what would it be .

I would have started taking writing seriously at an earlier age and putting my name out there more.

Do you believe in writers block

I do. I get it quite often and have a tendency to go on about doing other things that have no involvement in writing to see if I can grasp some ideas on what I need to write.

NOW FOR SOME QUESTIONS

COFFEE TEA OR OTHER

Coffee in the mornings and Tea if I am not drinking a cold beer

Do you google yourself

No, but my wife does and tells me all about it.

if you had a super power what would it be

I would love to read people's minds.

favourite junk food

I absolutely love Reese's sticks.

all time favourite author and book

I am a huge Nancy Roe fan and her book Secrets Can Be Deadly. I have recently become a fan of Mick Franklin and his book Nightmare Man. There are so many other Indie Authors I have read that I have become a fan of as well.

last but not least

What would you tell any aspiring young authors out there

I would tell them to keep writing. Don't stop over a bad review, or someone telling them that they are not good enough to write. If your passion is to write, then write. I always tell any aspiring authors to hit me up if they have any questions as well. It is always good to have someone to ask questions about the writing world and I would be happy to help them out.

where can we find you at

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/tjweeksofficial

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1483829198575945