We love interviewing J Alexander Greenwood because he has so much great insight about indie publishing. We also love his John Pilate Mystery Series. So, you can imagine how excited we are to have the opportunity to interview him again, now that he is planning to release his new book Pilate’s 7. For those who aren’t familiar with the wonderful John Pilate Mystery Series, I asked J Alexander Greenwood to tell us about John Pilate, beginning with the first book: “Pilate’s Cross is based on a true story of a real-life murder that happened in 1950’s Nebraska. I took the true story, updated it and added a back story. I thought the book would be a one and done deal. I had a nice response, and I thought about what could happen next if I continued with the characters and took it to the next level. That’s where Pilate’s Key came from.” J Alexander Greenwood took John Pilate to the beach: “He went to Key West to write a book about what happened during Pilate’s Cross.” Alex smiled and added: “A little bit of meta stuff going on. I don’t believe in just doing two things. I’m a Gemini and a second son and I like threes. Shortly thereafter, I came up with Pilate’s Ghost, which I thought would be the end of the series. Pilate’s Ghost wrapped up everything that happened in the first and second books.” But John Pilate’s story did not end with Pilate’s Ghost. J Alexander Greenwood waited about two years and came out with Pilate’s Blood late 2014. Now, Alex is releasing a new book to the John Pilate universe called Pilate’s 7, and it’s not a novel. Pilate’s 7 is a collection of short stories centered on the...

Alex Greenwood and I met about 3 years ago, right about the time he published his first novel, Pilate’s Cross. The book chronicles the misadventures of John Pilate, a guy who is unemployed, broke, off his anti-depressants, and desperately in need of a second chance. But second chances aren’t what they are cracked up to be when a new job offers the opportunity to start over again. An outsider with no chance of ever fitting in, John Pilate finds himself in deep and will risk his life to uncover the dirt little secrets of one small town in the first book in the John Pilate mystery series. Since then, Greenwood has published two more novels about John Pilate under his own imprint, Caroline Press.  Alex has much to share about his life as an independent writer and publisher, and the valuable lessons he’s learned along the journey. When I asked Alex about the inspiration for his books, he shared about his grandfather, also a published author, and how much of his own life is reflected in the stories. No one’s life is too boring. The people, the places, and the circumstances that surround us are ample inspiration for the stuff that dreams are made of. When it comes to getting that first book off the ground, he recommends: Share your manuscript with trusted friends that will give you an honest opinion. Spend the money to have it edited by a professional. Have the book professionally formatted for ebooks. Enlist the help of a cover artist. Don’t wait for an agent or publisher to come your way. Self-publishing and marketing your work are far easier now than ever, thanks to social media and digital publishing platforms like Smashwords and Kindle Direct Publishing. Take your time...