Interview by Sharon Swathi Gaddala
Owen Jones
Amazon Best-Selling - 'Annwn' is the ancient Welsh word for Heaven. However, they believed that Annwn was underground, or under the mountains. The early Christians were horrified; called them devil-worshippers, and spent a lot of resources persuading them that Heaven was 'in the sky'. I got to wondering what a night in Annwn could be like, if that is the place that those who experience an NDE actually visit. It has become a series, in that volume two has already been written, and volume three is being written.
His first novel, Daddy's Hobby is from the seven-part series Behind The Smile: The Story of Lek, a Bar Girl in Pattaya, but his largest collection is The Megan Series, twenty-three novelettes on the psychic experiences of a teenage girl, the subtitle of which, 'A Spirit Guide, A Ghost Tiger and One Scary Mother!' sums them up nicely. He has written fifty-odd novels and novelettes, including: Dead Centre; Andropov's Cuckoo; Fate Twister; The Disallowed (a philosophical comedy); Tiger Lily of Bangkok; and A Night in Annwn. Many have been translated into foreign languages and narrated into audio books.
Owen Jones writes stories set in Wales, Spain and Thailand, where he now lives. He is a life-long Spiritualist, and this belief is interwoven, in a very realistic way, into many of his books and storylines. If you like a touch of the 'supernatural', try his books
He sums his life up thus: “Born in the Land of Song, Living in the Land of Smiles”.
Sharon - Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Author Own Jones - I was inspired to write A Night in Annwn long ago when reading accounts of NDE's (near-death experiences).
Sharon - What can you tell us about your book?
Author Own Jones - 'Annwn' is the ancient Welsh word for Heaven. However, they believed that Annwn was underground, or under the mountains. The early Christians were horrified; called them devil-worshippers, and spent a lot of resources persuading them that Heaven was 'in the sky'. I got to wondering what a night in Annwn could be like, if that is the place that those who experience an NDE actually visit. It has become a series, in that volume two has already been written, and volume three is being written.
Sharon - What Genre is your book and why did you make that choice?
Author Own Jones - It is very difficult for me to categorise my books, because they contain a lot of my beliefs, so I would not call them Fiction>Fantasy, but others probably would. Even Fiction>Fantasy>Paranormal does not quite fit the bill for me.
Sharon - How long did it take for you to complete this book?
Author Own Jones - It took a month to write volume one, simply because I did it for NANOWRIMO, which lasts the 30 days of November.
Sharon - What was the hardest part while writing this book?
Author Own Jones - Besides choosing a genre, which was the most difficult thing, the next was explaining how I believe images, or forms, are experienced in Annwn/Heaven/The Afterlife.
Sharon - How did you come up with the Title of this book?
Author Own Jones - The title was easy, in that it came to me one day long before I started writing this book.
Sharon - Did you design your book cover or hire a professional?
Author Own Jones - Yes, I designed the original cover of a burial mound myself. It is still available from some retailers, but I recently made a new one, which is on a different theme.
Sharon - Did you self-Publish or use a publisher? Who was the publisher and how much time did they take to publish your book?
Author Own Jones - I self-published. I have sought representation a few times over the last eight years, but it is a boring, soul-destroying chore, and I soon give up.
Sharon - How did you celebrate after you completed your book?
Author Own Jones - I usually just go to the shop near our house and drink a few beers. There are no pubs, clubs or restaurants in our small village in northern Thailand.
Sharon - How do you deal with negative reviews on your book review?
Author Own Jones - I don't get many honest, serious criticms. In one book, I had a South African speaking Dutch, and I was told off for that, but I had not said that he was speaking Afrikaans. Most criticisms are poorly-written, spiteful and easily ignored one-liners from sad individuals who are probably dissatisfied with their own lives.
Sharon - When did you start writing?
Author Own Jones - I have always enjoyed writing – at first, stories in school, and later letters to friends and family. However, it never crossed my mind to write a book (although friends say that they had been suggesting it for twenty years) until I moved to Thailand in 2004. It took me seven jears to write Behind The Smile: volume one: Daddy's Hobby.
Sharon - How many books have you written?
Author Own Jones - I have written 50-odd novels and 175 manuals, which I started doing first, before the novels.
Sharon - Who is your favourite Author and why?
Author Own Jones - Any of the Russian classics are great favourites of mine. I don't know why.
Sharon - What advice would you give to a writer, for their first book?
Author Own Jones - The best advice I ever had about writing was one of those meaningful comments that are at the foot of every page in a desk diary. I read it during the writing of Daddy's Hobby. It read: “If you want to be a writer, write for at least ten minutes every day”. At the moment that I read it, I dismissed it as silly and over-simplistic, but I later realised that it did not include 'thinking time'. It meant writing time exclusively, and I find that I cannot write for only ten minutes a day, because once I get going, I don't realise that an hour or two has passed. Writing for only ten minutes is impossible for me. So, now, I try to write 1,000 words before breakfast, another 1,000 before lunch etc, etc, making about 4,000 words a day.
BUY FROM AMAZON
https://www.amazon.com/Night-Annwn-Story-Near-Death-Experience-ebook/dp/B017GB748Q/Book is also sold at Apple iTunes, Barnes & Noble, GooglePlay, Kobo, Lulu, Scribt, Smashwords, Tektime – everywhere.
To Follow the Author
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/angunjones
INSTAGRAM http://instagram.com/pragapee
TWITTER http://twitter.com/owen_author
SELF WEBSITE https://meganthemisconception.com
We wish Own Jones all the success for his book.