| Interview with John E. Cother |
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com!
My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server today…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking
time out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your
readers and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
My love of the written word began when I was six years old and I have written since then. FEAR OF
SPIDERS is the first thing I’ve written for publication.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
As for most first time authors, that road proved to be a tough one for me. I had to suffer through
numerous rejections and that is damaging to one’s ego. Most frustrating of all are the ones who reject
your book without ever reading it and those who say they only accept published authors. Thankfully,
Behler Publications loved my book and as they say, the rest is history.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
FEAR OF SPIDERS is a tug at the heartstrings coming of age journey for JT and his sister Lesi with a
deep, honest belly laugh on one page followed closely by a tear producing, nerve wracking moment on
the next. Teens through young adults will closely identify with these two endearing and realistic
characters.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I’m a child of the 60s and FEAR OF SPIDERS takes place in 1965 and today’s teens and young adults
may be surprised to find how much the teen experience is the same today in many ways, especially
within the teen’s secret heart. Serving as a public school principal for 30 years, I became as familiar with
children and teens as one could be. Along with raising two sons of my own, those experiences formed
the backdrop of my novel. My one true inspiration for FEAR OF SPIDERS are teens themselves, whom I
love, respect and admire.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a lovely wife and two wonderful grown sons who are happy to see my novel published. They were
supportive during the writing and editing phases and that became immensely helpful to me.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Baked potatoes and ice cream, but not necessarily at the same time.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Bathroom, breakfast, laptop-where I check my web site (http://www.johnecother.com/) for hits, guestbook
entries and email.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
Most surprising would be cigars I think. I’m into healthy living and natural things, but I do smoke a rare
cigar once in a while.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Deep yellow…that is a color I find soothing and pleasant to the eye…also powerful like the sun.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
From my childhood, Mighty Mouse would be my favorite cartoon character. Most like me would be Clark
Kent from Superman comics…mild mannered but strength beneath.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
I would be a cowboy settling the old west, hopefully more with mental toughness and ingenuity than with
my trusty six guns.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I LOVE and ADORE music and cannot fathom life without it. My tastes in music are eclectic and it
depends on my mood at the moment. 60’s music lives in a place of honor within my heart. Of today’s
music, James Blunt and “You’re Beautiful” takes top honors. Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Kelly
Clarkson, Wynonna, Shania Twain, Enya, and most 60s artists fill the rest of my favorites chart. I listen to
and enjoy all types of music, from classical to rock and country to easy listening and pop to jazz and
back again. I listen to music as a way to dream, imagine and relax prior to writing. I do not listen to music
or anything during my writing.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
24 is my favorite TV show and the only one I watch without fail. Otherwise I watch CNN, sports, and
occasionally movies. “Walk The Line” is the last movie I saw at the theatre and I enjoyed it tremendously.
Joaquin and Reese were nothing less than awesome.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be genuine. Read. Never, ever give up.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
FEAR OF SPIDERS is book one of a series of four books. So there will be three more opportunities to
experience life through the wondrous eyes of JT and Lesi.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
I assure you, ma’am, it has been entirely my pleasure.
My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server today…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking
time out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your
readers and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
My love of the written word began when I was six years old and I have written since then. FEAR OF
SPIDERS is the first thing I’ve written for publication.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
As for most first time authors, that road proved to be a tough one for me. I had to suffer through
numerous rejections and that is damaging to one’s ego. Most frustrating of all are the ones who reject
your book without ever reading it and those who say they only accept published authors. Thankfully,
Behler Publications loved my book and as they say, the rest is history.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
FEAR OF SPIDERS is a tug at the heartstrings coming of age journey for JT and his sister Lesi with a
deep, honest belly laugh on one page followed closely by a tear producing, nerve wracking moment on
the next. Teens through young adults will closely identify with these two endearing and realistic
characters.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I’m a child of the 60s and FEAR OF SPIDERS takes place in 1965 and today’s teens and young adults
may be surprised to find how much the teen experience is the same today in many ways, especially
within the teen’s secret heart. Serving as a public school principal for 30 years, I became as familiar with
children and teens as one could be. Along with raising two sons of my own, those experiences formed
the backdrop of my novel. My one true inspiration for FEAR OF SPIDERS are teens themselves, whom I
love, respect and admire.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a lovely wife and two wonderful grown sons who are happy to see my novel published. They were
supportive during the writing and editing phases and that became immensely helpful to me.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Baked potatoes and ice cream, but not necessarily at the same time.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Bathroom, breakfast, laptop-where I check my web site (http://www.johnecother.com/) for hits, guestbook
entries and email.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
Most surprising would be cigars I think. I’m into healthy living and natural things, but I do smoke a rare
cigar once in a while.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Deep yellow…that is a color I find soothing and pleasant to the eye…also powerful like the sun.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
From my childhood, Mighty Mouse would be my favorite cartoon character. Most like me would be Clark
Kent from Superman comics…mild mannered but strength beneath.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
I would be a cowboy settling the old west, hopefully more with mental toughness and ingenuity than with
my trusty six guns.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I LOVE and ADORE music and cannot fathom life without it. My tastes in music are eclectic and it
depends on my mood at the moment. 60’s music lives in a place of honor within my heart. Of today’s
music, James Blunt and “You’re Beautiful” takes top honors. Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Kelly
Clarkson, Wynonna, Shania Twain, Enya, and most 60s artists fill the rest of my favorites chart. I listen to
and enjoy all types of music, from classical to rock and country to easy listening and pop to jazz and
back again. I listen to music as a way to dream, imagine and relax prior to writing. I do not listen to music
or anything during my writing.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
24 is my favorite TV show and the only one I watch without fail. Otherwise I watch CNN, sports, and
occasionally movies. “Walk The Line” is the last movie I saw at the theatre and I enjoyed it tremendously.
Joaquin and Reese were nothing less than awesome.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be genuine. Read. Never, ever give up.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
FEAR OF SPIDERS is book one of a series of four books. So there will be three more opportunities to
experience life through the wondrous eyes of JT and Lesi.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
I assure you, ma’am, it has been entirely my pleasure.
