My guest today is J.D. Estrada, a writer known on Instagram and Twitter for his hashtag prompts and hilarious video shorts. 

J.D. Estrada, thanks very much for talking with me today. How’s the weather there?

Firstly, thanks for that intro and I do my best to share smiles and good vibes. As for the weather, it was sunny, but it’s gone back to being gray. Seems like the weather is in the mood to wear the appropriate attire for the occasion, lol. 

I realize I promised to think of some suitably interesting and random questions, and now I’m terrified of asking normal boring questions like these, so please feel welcome to reply as randomly as you see fit… or even skip some of these if you want, they are a bit silly.

What is your favorite vegetable?

Ha-ha-ha, well that’s a great start. People know I’m kind of bananas, but when we switch the conversation to vegetables, my answer will probably be news to anyone who follows me since I just realized I rarely share posts with vegetables.

In terms of sheer versatility, it rarely gets better than a potato. Sure I might love other vegetables, but in terms of finding something that suits SO many moods, potato has to be king for me. Just look at the different ways you can fry the darn thing. Thin, thick, julienne, waffle cut… then you can have hash browns, cream of potato, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and beyond. Seriously, let me stop here so I don’t sound like the potato lovin version of Bubba from Forrest Gump.  

Fourteen books sounds like a really impressive catalog of titles. How long has it taken you to write and publish all those? Do you also spend time on ongoing marketing activities?

Well part 1 of this question requires a clarification, it’s actually 15 books lol. I have two titles under the Blanc Comics project which might be why that’s confusing, but one is Raining Dead and the other is Tricks and Ladders.

Awesome!

I’ve been publishing since 2013 digitally and physically since 2014. Every year I publish something and it’s all about chipping away at all those projects bit by bit.

I do some marketing but am intensely aware I could do a better or more consistent job, yet for me, it’s endlessly more important to stay creative and share things with people to make them smile and have a positive impact. To me it’s important to cultivate a sense of community and to create.

What are your feelings about cows?

Lol another awesome random Q. As for cows, if I think too much about what I eat, I feel bad, because cows like most animals can be quite quirky if given the chance. I do try and eat less meat and more vegetables though I do still eat meat.

But cows are plenty random and they should never be tipped unless they somehow get a job as a waiter. Only instance when a cow should be tipped… and actually possible (read Book 2 of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for reference.)

Are you self-published?  What advice do you have for writers who would like to make an income from their writing in the future?

I am indeed self-published. Currently finishing several indie projects but in the future will take a stab at traditional. As for making money, I’m still quite a ways away from having a sustainable writing career, meaning I don’t earn enough to just live off my writing or close to it. In regards to events, I haven’t done that many, namely the Puerto Rico Comic Con (done that for 6 years) and the Atlanta Comic Con (did that last year). In PR, I do pretty well since I’m a local author and the crowd there is super lovely and supportive. Last year, I didn’t do that well sales wise at the Atlanta Comic Con for several reasons, but the main takeaway is that you have to be ultra-selective about the events you do. Still had a great time and hey, you learn from everything and the main thing is to keep going forwards. 

What genre(s) do you write?  What themes unify, or differentiate, the books written by J.D. Estrada? Have you changed your writing style or category at all in response to market forces, demand, and/or reader feedback?

I currently have 2 urban fantasy novels from the 
Human Cycle, one collection of middle-grade short stories set in the world of Draem, Given to Fly the first Odventure novel (also middle-grade fantasy), 2 non-fiction releases, a bilingual collection with short stories, poetry, and essays, and my Blanc Comics project. I also have horror short stories in Spanish in one Puerto Rican collection (No Cierres los Ojos 2) and another one to be released soon.

Each one has its own soul but there are unifying topics, namely the exploration of humanity and what makes us human. Another unifying element in my fiction work is my literary incarnation, Fäet Odstein. He’s my way of allowing me to be in my stories to guide people and makes appearances in the Human Cycle, the daydreams, Given to Fly, and several short stories. The difference comes from tone and complexity of language. Given to Fly and the Daydreams being middle-grade have simpler language and plots. The Human Cycle, I throw the kitchen sink at it and really do my best to offer a lot of things to ponder beyond the story.

As for the market, I could care less what sells when it comes down to writing. I don’t write to sell, I write to tell a story and to connect to readers. For that to happen, I need to be honest with myself and what I write and I shall never cut that short.

As for reader feedback, I read all reviews and work hard to take every lesson that I can from positive and negative critiques. I truly listen to what people have to say and address as best as I can and my mission is that I get better with each book. But following trends? Never been my MO in life or writing and have no plans to start now. I always prefer surprising people as much as I surprise myself with what I write. 

So, current events question, how has the enforced isolation of the coronavirus era affected your creative writing routine?

I don’t think there will be one person that isn’t affected by the COVID-19 situation. The main thing that it’s impacted is motivation and time. Getting motivated I think mainly comes down to getting over yourself in most cases. This is a very hard situation we’re all going through, but I don’t work in a hospital and I’m not essential personnel. But the situation does have a huge byproduct of worry, which I think it’s understandable. Only in the last few days have I been able to switch my approach and just get to writing. Once I start, it flows as usual, but that first step is a doozy and I think it’s up to all of us to find new ways of getting motivated. As for time, you’d think I have plenty of time now, but I work in advertising for the Hispanic Market, so in the AM I have plenty to do and in the afternoon I have more to do in regards to translations because general market works in the AM and we get the pass after lunch and have to run with it. Still, I can complain about it or get creative with how I get creative, and trying to focus on the latter. 

Does Secret Agent 00 Bananas have any upcoming secret missions that we shouldn’t know about because they’re secret? 

Absolutely no upcoming secret missions for 00 Bananas. Any sightings of 00 Bananas have NOTHING to do with the secret banana schedule he keeps to ensure that people receive their weekly dose of potassium positivity. 

If you could enjoy a beverage with the hero of your favorite novel/series/TV show/movie, who would it be, and what would you drink?

Hmmm such a tricky Q. because the more I think of it, the more likely I’d like to share a beer or wine with a secondary character. I think I’d like to share a pint with Willy Wonka, because knowing him, I’m sure we could indulge in some secret tap room in the Chocolate Factory lol. I would also like to share a beer with god and pick up her tab. She deserves a break and I suspect the hours are long when your omnipotent. Plus, imagine just having a chat. Most people want something. I’m sure it gets old and she’s not Santa Clause. So wouldn’t mind a beer or some tea with god. 

Do you consider yourself a social person?  How have your social habits affected your writing career? 

I’m highly social though also enjoy and am very particular with “me” time. But I’ll talk to a wall with little coaxing lol. As for my social habits, there’s a couple of things. Firstly, I try to be as happy go lucky as I can be and that’s led me to walk up to many a store manager to ask if I could do an event… and quite often, that’s all it’s taken. As for being social and sociable, I think that a big part of the support and interest I receive is due to how I am. I’ll happily help and answer any question I can to help others and when you work at a booth, you have to be open to talk to any and everyone. For me, I love connecting with readers of all ages, races, and genders. You never know who you can help out just by being yourself and being nice. As for my writing, I’m big on dialogue and if you know me in person or watch my BookTube channel, you have a good idea of how much I enjoy a good waffle. That leads to me putting a lot of love into dialogue because some of my favorite life experiences and memories are the great conversations I’ve had in my life.

 

What do you hope you will be doing in a year, if everything goes well?

I wouldn’t mind having some divine intervention help me get to the next step of my writing career and doing more of what I love and connecting with even more people. I say divine intervention because although hard work shall always make the difference, sometimes you need a little luck. I’d also love to give some courses and chats if people would be into that about creativity in general or writing. I think in these times, getting creative with how we invest our time and energy will make a huge difference and can change the world for the better. 

J.D. Estrada, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Thanks very much for joining us for this written interview on my blog, and thanks very much for hosting the #MarchOfTheWriters hashtag prompt, it has been a lot of fun and I have really been enjoying your posts, you make really hilarious videos. Thanks a lot! Have a great day.

Thank YOU for this lovely invitation and for joining in the fun. I know I’m not a huge booktube star or mega successful author, but I do think I encourage people to have fun and am always happy for anyone to join in the shenanigans. My best to you and yours and keep on rocking.