THE 7Q Interview: Joe Zito
AUTHOR BIO
Since 2011 Joe Zito has written numerous works of dark fiction. His debut novel, The Garage, was released in 2014. Joe is an avid reader, musician, coffee lover and music junkie. Joe resides in scenic south central Indiana with his wife and three children and a Boston rat terrier named Dude.
QUESTIONS
#1. Looking back, what’s one fiction book that you feel truly made an impact on your writing? Do you still gravitate towards that author?
#1. There really are so many great books I’ve read in the past ten years. It’s hard to pick just one, but if I had to it would be The Nightrunners by Joe R. Lansdale.
#2. How do you feel about the use of sub-genres in the industry? How do you describe your work overall?
#2. Sub genres are fine. That way readers can specifically find what they’re looking for. I think genres can get a little out of whack though.
#3. What about your writing process do you think is unique or quirky? What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?
#3. Nothing really. I just sit down and write, simple as that. No candles or Mozart or a special rock or pen to get me in the mood. My ‘setting’ is actually very boring. Just the dining room table and my notebook and or laptop. I have yet to receive any bad advice on writing, but I can tell you the best advice I’ve received so far and that’s from Kealan Patrick Burke, when he tweeted some uplifting words on confidence and writing to me. In a nutshell he said to just write and be honest.
#4. How does music and media factor into your writing? Do you feel it plays as much an inspirational role as literature?
#4. Music plays a big role in my stories. I was (and still am) a musician/drummer before I started writing stories. Music can set the tone in a story or for a certain scene, maybe give it a different feel. I’m a metal guy so I like to incorporate some of that into my stories. Industrial death metal works great for splatterpunk. Haha. I also love obscure, 70’s hard rock/metal.
#5. As an author, how much do you engage in social media? Do you feel it is more for your own entertainment, or for marketing and networking?
#5. Social media can be both a curse and a blessing, depending on how you use it. I think it’s fine to promote your book/work in a healthy manner especially if you have a new release, but I’d rather not see an author do nothing but post links to Amazon or wherever all the time. It’s cool ‘talking’ with these guys (gals included), you know just talking about books, and stories and music or whatever. I don’t wanna hang out with a salesman all the time. But promotion is important. Just don’t overdo it. Twitter really is your one stop shop for all things concerning authors, musicians, artists etc. Lots of engagement and discovery of writers, bands, etc. which is awesome.
#7. What can you tell us about any forthcoming projects? What titles would you like to promote now?
#7. I have a new book that came out on November 9th called Now Comes The Darkness. It’s a Midwest gothic horror story set in the dust bowl era, 1935. I finished the first draft back in January of this year! So I can’t wait to get it out there. Erin Sweet Al – Mehairi was the editor for this project. She did a tremendous job combing through different drafts, getting it in shape, basically cleaning up my mess! I’m so appreciative of her work on this because I know her schedule is maxed out, plus she has to take care of her family.
I also have a collection of short stories, flash fiction and vignettes set to go for December. In the summer my writing time is limited due to my kids being home for vacation. I still wanted to write so I wrote a bunch of short stuff.
Once these projects are finished, I’ll be focusing on finishing a story I started back in 2016 called Charcoal Angels. It’s a somewhat personal story as the main character has type 1 diabetes which I developed ten years ago at the age of thirty four.
For now you can check out my work on Amazon. The Garage, In The Dead of Summer (edited by Kyle Lybeck), 96 Broken Ave.
AUTHOR PIC
