Author Interview – John Hartnett

Posted on Friday, August 2, 2013

Do you have an organized process or tips for writing well? Do you have a writing schedule? I don’t have a set schedule for writing and the only tip that I can offer is to be consistent with it and to constantly read the work of others since so much of what you are exposed to in life, art and literature, informs your writing and your perspective.

Sometimes it’s so hard to keep at it – What keeps you going? I believe you have to write for yourself regardless of whether or not there’s an audience for your work. That said, what also keeps me going is receiving and email or running into someone who tells me they liked something that I wrote.

Have you met any people in the industry who have really helped you? I think the key phrase in your question is “really helped” as opposed to just “helped”. Facebook has been a great source of sales of my book and some of my FB friends who are established in entertainment and publishing have been very gracious about mentioning my work or sharing it with others. However, I haven’t had anyone approach me, place both of their arms on my shoulders, look me straight in the eye and say, “Your book deserves to be on one million coffee tables, night stands and toilet tank covers. Wait here while I see that it happens.” Although I do dream about it from time to time and it feels so real when I wake up and my wife informs me I was dancing in my sleep again. On the odd chance your question wasn’t rhetorical one if you know anyone in the industry who can really help me, I’m all ears and have no plans to leave my house or my phone until 2018.

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel? I like to make people laugh. That’s job #1. That said, I want people to recognize real life in my writing and also take notice that you don’t have to be mean, profane or overly cynical to be funny.

What’s your favorite meal? Chicken Parmesan. I order it at every Italian restaurant I go to if I haven’t been there before. It’s the safest dish there is in the canon of Italian cuisine because if you even get it even partially right with the mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce and the meal is above room temperature, you’re more than halfway home.

What color represents your personality the most? Plaid because I am partially color blind and that provides me with a little wiggle room.

What movie do you love to watch? I will watch “On the Waterfront” anytime it is on, unless it’s been dubbed in French, German or Farsi.

How do you feel about social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter? Are they a good thing? Social media is a mixed blessing from my perspective. It is so easy to get caught up in it, to consider it a critical component of one’s every day life but there is nothing like it for communicating to so many people in such a short period of time. Just the same I’m 99% positive that when I am on my death bed, my last words will not be, “Can someone check my Klout score?”

If you could do any job in the world what would you do? I would love to make a full time living as a joke and sketch writer.