Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
Exclusive Interview with
Billy J. Barnum
When did you start writing?
I started writing in my teens and have been writing ever since.
What makes writing your passion?
Whatever comes to me I write it down. I feel that someone is giving me their unfinished words and I write them so their stories and legacy can live on and be experienced and read.
How long have you been writing?
Since my teen years I have been writing.
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
Relief as it is a long process that feels like it will never be completed. Once it finally came out I felt the greatest pride a human could feel.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
The story is what you read is perceived differently for everyone that reads it. The meaning of a poem for you may mean something different to someone else and so on. The words are puzzles awaiting for you to unravel them. Don't believe me? Just get a copy and see for yourself!
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
Nothing
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
Don't write anything until something comes to me then flows out like a faucet.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
Believe in yourself and know there is an audience for everything you write.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
You wrote some wild stuff man!
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
I do read them. I only had one confusing review. Just because you don't write like someone else's style you shouldn't tell anyone else to beware as it is many other peoples style and preference.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Accomplished and proud that my work and words have come to fruition and that they get it.
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
I'm sure I have, Just read the book and see if you can figure out which ones are real and which are purely imagination.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
I would like the reader to decipher this.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
The book cover is a window that gives you an idea of what lives inside the house.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
I love connecting with readers and hearing what they think about different perspectives on things.
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
It's very cool.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
My direct descendant P.T. Barnum. He lived a hundred lifetimes within one that many people only dream of.
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
I would like to be as big as I can be.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
No, everything has a purpose. Every word was written with intent.