J. F. NODAR
J. F. NODAR
Books
J. F. NODAR
The Cuban revolution in 1959 presented José with one of his many life challenges. José was born in La Habana; Cuba and the Cuban revolution saw him get on a plane alone at eleven years of age and arrive at an orphanage in the small town of Washington, Georgia. He did not get to see his parents again until he was eighteen years old and had graduated from high school in Atlanta, Georgia.
He studied Business Administration at Georgia State University. From university, he headed into the finance world working for the First National Bank of Atlanta (now Wells Fargo) and then moved into the financial consulting world working as a project manager, travelling to many assignments in the United States, Europe, and Australia.
José began writing his debut novel after getting his feet wet in creative writing at a writers’ group in Camden New South Wales, Australia. This gave him ‘the bug’ as he calls it and soon his mind created his first major character, Danny Monk.
Currently, José is working on an anthology of short stories based on his escapades at the orphanage and other funny life experiences.
When José is not writing you can find him sitting at the local shopping centre mall watching people and getting inspirations for his future characters.
When not in front of his computer working away, José is reading or spending time with his wife in long, leisurely walks around the Camden area.
Q. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO NEW AUTHORS THAT YOU WISHED YOU HAD RECEIVED YOURSELF WHEN YOU STARTED?
A. I recommend you get as much education as you can. Then be ready for the ups and downs of this venture. Finally get ready to promote, market and knock on doors.
Q. WHEN YOU READ YOUR BOOK REVIEWS HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE BAD ONES?
A. Go with the flow. Take in what they said, see if you can correct and move on.
Q. HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU DO GET A GOOD REVIEW?
A. Yummy inside and out!
Q. ARE YOU TRYING TO HAVE EACH BOOK STAND ON ITS OWN OR ARE YOU TRYING TO BUILD A BODY OF WORK WITH CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EACH BOOK?
A. Yes, for the novels and of course the anthologies are just a collection of stories.
Q. DO YOU WRITE EVERY DAY? HOW MANY HOURS A DAY DO YOU WRITE?
A. Yes and no, I think about my stories throughout the day and if an idea pops up and run to the desktop and type away.Â
Q. HOW MUCH OF YOUR PERSONAL LIFE DO YOU INCORPORATE INTO YOUR WRITING OR DO YOU MAKE UP EVERYTHING?
A. A lot. I do change names and locations to protect the innocent (like the saying goes)>
Q. HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS? DO YOU OFFER THEM A FREE BOOK? DO YOU OFFER THEM A NEWSLETTER?
A. Currently I have a monthly newsletter which I send out on/around the 15th of each month. If you are interested, clock on the link below:
https://jfnodar.com.au/newsletter-sign-up/
Q. HOW LONG DO YOU RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR NEXT BOOK?
A. I research as I go along with my story.
Q. WHAT ARE THE ETHICS OF WRITING ABOUT HISTORICAL FIGURES?
A. You better get it right. As long as it’s accurate, I have no qualms.
Q. IF YOU COULD GIVE UP ONE THING TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
A. Nothing. Like Popeye says: “I am who I am”.
Q. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. ARE YOU MARRIED? HAVE CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN? IS THERE A SPECIAL DOG/CAT/BIRD IN YOUR LIFE?
A. Married and happy. Three girls and three grandchildren.Â
Q. DO YOU HAVE A DAY JOB OR ARE YOU A FULL-TIME WRITER?
A. Retired and loving it.
Q. ANY HOBBIES? DO THEY HELP YOU IN YOUR WRITING?
A. Reading, walking around the neighbourhood and, of course, writing.
Q. WHAT IS CURRENTLY LACKING IN OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION TODAY IN YOUR COUNTRY?
A. The basics. Reading, writing and arithmetic.Â
Q. HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THE TITLES FOR YOUR BOOKS?
A. I stumble on them as I write.
Q. WHAT DOES YOUR WRITING SPACE LOOK LIKE?
A. Home office shared with my wife.
Q. WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT PART FOR YOU WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING?
A. Keeping present and past tense correct. Horrible at it.
Q. WHAT DOES YOUR FAMILY THINK ABOUT YOUR WRITING?
A. Completely in support.
Q. HOW DO YOU MARKET YOUR BOOKS? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY? WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE WAY?
A. some ads on Google, door knocking on local bookstores and posts on Facebook and LinkedIn and Nextdoor Australia and finally, word of mouth.
Q. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF AN AUTHOR OR A WRITER FIRST? WHY?
A. I consider myself a hobbyist at writing.
Q. WHO DO YOU TRUST TO GIVE YOU OBJECTIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM OF YOUR WRITING?
A. My muse – the wife and then I go to professionals for the rest (copy editing/proofreading, etc.).
Q. HOW LONG, ON AVERAGE, DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK?
A. Normally about a year.Â
Q. HAVE YOU PUBLISHED IN A TRADITIONAL WAY, OR SELF-PUBLISHED OR BOTH? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS METHOD?
A. Self-publishing. It is something I can control and not worry about the complexities of interacting with a publisher and their demands.
Q. DOES WRITING EXHAUST YOU OR ENERGIZE YOU? HOW?
A. Energised totally.
Q. DO YOU HAVE OTHER WRITERS THAT HAVE HELPED YOU ALONG YOUR WAY? HOW?
A. Yes, not writers but individuals that have taken the time to critique my work and give me good, hard and honest feedback. Thanks to TV and LAK the most and of course my wife – Miriam.
Q. WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR FIRST BOOK ADVANCE MONEY?
A. That was a funny question.
Q. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND SELF-PUBLISHING TO NEW AUTHORS? WHY?
A. Yes. It is extremely rewarding and you are in control all the way through the process. A lot of work, but that is the joy of writing and self-publishing.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON PROFANITY IN BOOKS TODAY? IS IT OK TO USE? WHY?
A. Use it when you have to, but keep it as clean as possible. The “F” word is unnecessary to communicate a thought.
Q. HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTERS?
A. My life experiences.
Q. AN AUTHOR'S PATH IS NEVER EASY. WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?
A. The love of writing.
