Solstice author and avid outdoorsman Jim Baugh stopped by to tell us about his books HOOKED & AFTERMATH.
CL: Thank you for visiting, and congratulations on your latest release! When did that happen?
JB: “AFTERMATH” was just released by Solstice Publishing with a paperback release party held Oct. 10th.
CL: What other books/stories have you written?
JB: “AFTERMATH” is a triennial memoir that is the sequel to my first novel, a fictionalized autobiography called HOOKED. HOOKED was published three years ago and “AFTERMATH” is the rather bizarre story of what happened during the next three years after the release of HOOKED. One can’t really pack more life changing events in a triennial memoir than in AFTERMATH. There is also some sort of…large revelations that happen in the book. As a result, the pages are packed with a lot of humor.
CL: Do you publish in e-book, print, or both?
JB: HOOKED Second Edition is available in print and ebook as well as AFTERMATH. If you purchase HOOKED Second Edition, AFTERMATH comes free with the purchase. It for the most part is two books in one. Whether you get the print or ebook version of HOOKED second edition, you will get both books.
Also HOOKED has been re-edited with never seen before pictures throughout the novel, this even includes the DC Nympho.
CL: Where can readers find your books?
JB: Amazon and Barnes and Noble; however we try to steer folks to Amazon. They just do a great job, fast delivery, never once a problem. Also there are a lot of reviews on Amazon for our books and an author’s page.
CL: Do you write in a particular genre or genres? What grabs you about
this genre?
JB: Most everything so far is based on autobiographical content. That is what I like to read as well, mostly non-fiction, autobiographies, etc.
CL: What do you think are the biggest challenges for the type of writing
you do?
JB: Well, the big challenge was emotionally just getting through the subject matter I am writing about. When I started the HOOKED project, I knew I would have to bare all, just put everything out there and go for broke. This on the front end was not a problem; however once I got into writing the story, I found it was incredibly difficult to write about various events that happened during my life. These events don’t just happen once–when you are writing you have to re-live it all over and over and over again. That was the hard part. Many times when writing I would have to leave the room to take a break, come back and type out maybe one more sentence, run back out of the room and clear my head again. It truly was that challenging to write. But in the end, if you’re not passionate and your writing does not move you, don’t expect it to move anyone else either.
AFTERMATH was the exact same process. Sometimes I would have to take many breaks to just complete a paragraph. I mean really, when you’re dealing with issues such as foreclosure, celibacy, death, marriage, financial ruin and gain, and of course… God—well, these are things that are not that easy to write about. I was also living AFTERMATH as I was writing it. Now THAT was a strange experience. Because of the extreme subject matter in AFTERMATH, it truly made for some very humorous situations. I think I laughed harder reading AFTERMATH than I did even HOOKED, and that was one extremely hilarious book.
CL: Sounds interesting! What inspires you?
JB: God, Jazz, Nature, and my wife Donna. That and a good cast iron skillet.
CL: What do you think is the hardest thing about being published? Are there things you know now that you wish you’d known about earlier in this journey?
JB: Probably just balancing everything. Writing takes time, lots of it. Let’s face it for most writers your first books probably are not paying the bills regardless of how great your reviews are. So in my case, producing the outdoors show, production and all aspects of those industries I have to keep on top of in order to have food on the table. However I know that if I don’t write, then the future of writing is not going to happen. So it is a juggling act. Right now I need to finish the HOOKED screenplay that is based on both books HOOKED and AFTERMATH. As much as I would like to do this, right now producing comes first. That means filming Jim Baugh Outdoors, selling sponsorship advertising, editing, etc., etc., and all of this takes a lot of time.
CL: It’s tough when there are so many demands on your everyday life. What advice would you give aspiring writers? How do you get through it?
JB: Hemingway said it best. “Writing, nothing to it. Just sit at the typewriter and bleed.” I don’t think I have ever heard a better description than that. I will say it again, if you’re not deeply passionate about your writing, it is going to show on the pages. The “Voice” that some authors have is due to the passion they bleed on the pages. Whether it’s humor or drama, fiction or non, the writer has to convey something from their soul. If they can’t do that, then it’s a boring bland read regardless of the subject matter.
I believe that good or great writing is a sacrifice. You have to give up something of yourself to make it really happen. Nothing is free, and awesome writing costs the author something, it always does.
CL: Very true. How did you get started writing?
JB: Never did I want to write a book. I never even thought about it. I did want to write a screenplay but I kept having difficulties in finally penning down the story because I was WAY too focused on scene setting, direction, and soundtrack. I had the entire soundtrack for the screenplay for HOOKED written on piano. But the story, I just could not do it. So I called a friend of mine in New York, playwright David Johnston, for advice. He said just to get it down on paper, it did not matter if it was a screenplay or a book. So, since I wrote magazine columns for over 20 years I thought writing HOOKED in book form may be a good idea. So I tried it, and wrote the book in 12 days. Then another 4 1\2 months to edit and polish the story.
CL: Sounds like the story wanted out! Anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
JB: Yes, if you like AFTERMATH or HOOKED or both, please do leave a review on Amazon. That is always greatly appreciated. Also, if everyone could spread a little more Grace around this world would be such a better place. Try it folks!
CL: How can readers contact you?
JB: We are on social media, facebook, etc. both as Jim Baugh and Jim Baugh Outdoors TV and we also have a HOOKED page on facebook and a HOOKED web site. The main page that links to everything is jimbaugh.wordpress.com my email is jimbaugh25@verizon.net
I really appreciate you taking the time to feature my new book AFTERMATH and look forward to talking with you again soon.
Godspeed.
CL: Thank you, Jim, and we wish you all success!
authorcjl 