Jonathan Arena
Born with pen. Cried for paper. Now I'm older.
He lives to put pen to paper and finger to keyboard.
Fiction is his lover.
It's why he has a past with novels, novellas, short stories, flash fiction, poems, film screenplays, television screenplays, comics, video games, and so on.
It's also why he has a past with action, adventure, thriller, suspense, mystery, historical fiction, alternate history, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and so on.
All of this is done in his cave.
He just loves words and stories.
And he hopes his are worth reading.
Interview
Interviewer: Thanks for taking the time to talk to me about your book, Into the Deep Woods.
Jonathan: No problem!
Interviewer: When did you start writing?
Jonathan: I've always enjoyed writing. I remember trying to write a novel in first grade.
Interviewer: Did you ever study writing formally?
Jonathan: I originally went to college to study film but decided not to pursue a career in directing and ended up studying business management at Keene State College in New Hampshire.
Interviewer: Have any of your stories been made into films?
Jonathan: No. I have written four movie-length screenplays in high school and college but none have been produced. I actually have one story in the book, Spoon Man, that I'd really like to write a short screenplay for but I haven't pursued it yet.
Interviewer: I noticed that you included poetry in between your stories in your book. I assume you enjoy writing poetry as well.
Jonathan: Yes. I like to play around with poetry because it's quick and easy. You can finish a poem in one sitting; unlike stories and novels. One unpublished novel took me three years to write! The poems I put between each story fit with the theme of the book and combine to make up a larger poem.
Interviewer: That's cool! How did you decide which of your stories to include in the book?
Jonathan: I thought they were my best short stories and they have overlapping themes. My editor calls them literary fiction but I consider them suspense thrillers.
Interviewer: So, what are some of those themes?
Jonathan: They cover many themes and all have a point or message. For example, Downstairs is about being afraid of the unknown, which can be beneficial to us, while we sometimes we should be far more afraid of something well-known or close to us.
Interviewer: What inspires your writing?
Jonathan: Anything. Anywhere. I might overhear someone say something that gives me an idea for story. I like to watch people. Everyone has a story and I have a vast imagination.
Interviewer: What authors do you read?
Jonathan: I try to read many different things and absorb as much as I can but I love Ray Bradbury, Cormac McCarthy, and Kurt Vonnegut. I really like Vonnegut's style and sentence structure. There's a lot going on in what he writes but seems so simple and casual. You can read it more than once and still find new things. I've read nine of his novels. Not sure I have a favorite.
Interviewer: Is there an author you most aspire to be like?
Jonathan: Ernest Hemingway. He changed the way people write and is admired still. His writing philosophy is a major influence on me.
Interviewer: Any advice for people who are aspiring authors?
Jonathan: Get into the habit of reading and writing every day. I'm also in a writing group and we encourage each other and read each other's work. I’ve gone to conferences and events. You just need to put yourself out there as terrifying as it may seem.
Interviewer: This was great! Thanks for talking with me, Jonathan.