1) Why did you decide to become a writer?

I had two options; writer or international billionnaire playboy bon-vivant. I figure option two would be too easy and I like challenges, so I went with option 1.

2) Do you consider yourself a writer or an author or both? Please explain.

I talk about this in https://www.josephcarrabis.com/2018/02/07/joseph-carrabis-its-autobiography-i-swear/

One of my mentors told me “A writer is anybody who puts words down on paper. An author is someone who gets paid to puts words down on paper.”

In fiction, I’m an author. In screenwriting, I’m a writer.

3) How long have you been writing professionally?

Meaning when did I receive my first paycheck for something I wrote? 1978

4) What motivates you to write?

Food. My parents got me hooked on food when I was quite young and grocery stores and such seem to prefer people paying for things rather than stealing them. Ditto farmers. So I write so I can eat.

5) How many books have you written and how long does it take you to write one book?

Are we talking all books or only fiction? All books – I don’t know. More than 35 and probably less than 50. 

Fiction – probably ten completed, nine of which require rewrite, some drastic, others cosmetic.

Published Fiction – two, one of which is self-published and in the aforementioned drastic rewrite phase.

How long does it take? It takes as long as it takes. I completed one 120,000 word novel front to back in three months. Another novel (based on a true story of a triple murder in Maine) has been in the works since the 1970s.

6) What is the funniest or strangest thing that has happened to you while writing?

A sentence made sense without massive editing.

7) What is your writing process like?

I’ve made a few attempts to create a process. None of them stuck. Basically, I sit down and write. I never force it (I never have to). Everything I do triggers a story of one kind or another. It’s more a question of finding time to write everything down.

8) Do you have someone you bounce your ideas off of before you write or are you a solo deal?

I write on my own and I routinely pass twists and turns to Susan (wife/partner/Princess) and a wonderful group of friends who badger me with “Send me something to read!”

9) Studies have shown that music can affect a person’s mood, intellect, concentration, etc. Does music play a role in your writing? If yes, which songs, artists or genres play that role?

I am constantly playing music. From everywhere. I like what I like. Kodo Drumming to SkyeDance, Bach to Rachmaninoff, Chuck Berry to Snow Patrol.

10) Is there a scene or chapter that you enjoyed writing more than the rest? 

I become emotional over some scenes. Fortunately, so do the people reading them so I must be doing something correct.

11) What is the first and the last sentence of your current book?

The current work in progress? That’s Empty Sky:

First sentence – Jamie, delicate and flaxen-haired, felt Shem’s tail thumping the blanket.

Last sentence –  There was no magic left in it, at least so the Old One said, but he still held it up to his eye and gazed at himself in the mirror just the same.

The current book about to published? That’s The Augmented Man:

First Sentence – Trailer closed his eyes and sat at the end of the bar where the cigarette-burned, cheap black Formica countertop met the wall.

Last Sentence – A few sobs later Donaldson joined him. 

12) Who is your book dedicated to?

Susan, always Susan. Then to AJ, always AJ, and then the folks who helped me make that book happen.

13) What genre is your current book? Did you set out to write it in this genre or did it take you there as you wrote?

Ha. I tell people I write autobiography regardless of what the story gets sold as. The Augmented Manis Sci-Fi/Military/Thriller. Some might go with just Thriller.

I never set out with a genre in mind. Gets in the way, doing that. I write what I write and am thrilled when people buy it.

14) What do you like best about writing?

The sheer joy of it. The freedom of it. The excitement of it. And on the other end of it, knowing people enjoy my work and that it moves/changes them.

15) What do you like the least about writing?

ROFL! I’d say “The low pay” and that’s a matter of time more than anything else.

16) What is the best part about the publishing process?

Long, long ago we traveled through Scotland. One night we had dinner at a pub in a small village. It was us and another couple. The guy is looking at me. Finally he comes up to me. “Are you Joseph Carrabis?”

I’m shocked. “Yes. Do we know each other?”

“I read your book! It was the most helpful …book I ever read! You saved my job, man!”

That was a rush.

Same thing on a smaller scale – knowing someone benefits from my work.

17) What is the worst part about the publishing process?

The low pay. And that’s how it goes for a while.

18) What advice would you give to a brand new writer?

Same advice I recently gave myself, “Just tell a good story.”

19) What do you hope will become of your book? 

You mean beyond movie deals, theme parks and such?

20) What is your definition of success in regards to your book?

Having someone tell me it helped them through some challenge they’re experiencing, helped them understand themselves better, helped them grow, become better.

21) What is the one thing that you want your readers to take away from reading your book?

An overwhelming, unstoppable desire to purchase more of my books.

22) Do you hope to write another book in the future, and to be known as the incredible writer that you are, or was this book intended to be a stepping-stone to something else?

I’ve already written several books and am seeking an agent for Empty Sky. The Augmented Man is also a stepping stone to a larger, more diverse authorial career.

To buy a copy of any or all of Joseph’s books, click the links below:

Most can be found at http://nlb.pub/Amazon
The Augmented Man is at http://nlb.pub/Augmented