Today author J.D. Tew is stopping by for a Six Minutes with an Author interview with LitPick! J.D. is the author of The Acolytes of Crane and The Ghost of Sephera, both in the Theodore Crane series. Read the entire interview to find out about the release of J.D.’s newest book.

How did you get started writing?

I have always wanted to create things. While attending Le Cordon Bleu as a young adult, I wrote a lengthy poem about my struggle to claw my way out from the negative behaviors imprinted on me by my parents (who no doubt had struggles of their own). I had this poem in a notebook, one where I jotted down all of my recipes for the restaurant I’d never open. A curious friend read it. She told me that it was passionate and unique, and that I should keep writing. And ever since, her voice is in my subconscious, encouraging me.

Thanks, “Cogs,” for the inspiration.

Who influenced you?

Whenever people are asked this question, I feel as if they always respond with the mention of a prolific author or some trailblazing genius—that’s okay. But for me, it was my grandmother, both a genius and prolific in her own way. Not by any means was she an author or even a writer in any sense, but you’d be hard-pressed to go a month without some person who knew her in some way, testifying to the impact she had on his or her life. If it wasn’t for her gentle and caring nature, I would have continued to disrespect the sanctity of the classroom by making fart sounds over the teacher’s instructions, which I didn’t stop doing until the 3^rd grade.

Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

It comes to me so quickly, every time: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I enjoyed many aspects of the book; Pip, the cemetery, the convict, Ms. Havisham, the characters come alive in my imagination as if they’re standing in the same room, acting out each scene. I hope to, one day, write as well as he has.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

Let’s be real. Writing is both, to varying degrees, wonderful and painful. I work a full-time gig as a Dental Hygienist, I have four kids, and I have an insatiable passion for writing. And I love my wife. And I love gastronomy, art, film, and reading. Thus, I have one word to offer: balance. To achieve maximum proficiency in writing, creatively one must have balance through diet, mind, nurture, and selfless service, etc. I know… it’s not rocket science, though it tends to feel as such when you incorporate writing into your everyday. I’ll let you know when I find it—balance, that is.

Where is your favorite place to write?

In silence. I served in Iraq and I had my fair share of trauma, and it’s because of that I’m so hypersensitive to sound. And now I’m irritable to a fault. Ask my editor; he’d probably describe me as moody and on a short fuse. But for me, I need absolute serenity to pump out my best. So I bought a pair of noise cancelling headphones, and ever since, I can make the most unfavorable environment into a comfort zone.

What else would you like to tell us?

I have a new book coming out in December. This is the first time I have written a novel within a schedule that is inundated with both work and schooling. I’ve given it my all. And since you have all been so nice here at LitPick, I’ll share with you its title. The book is titled Emergent. It’s about a young man, a biomedical engineer who wants desperately to follow in his mother’s footsteps even if, when their paths cross, his dreams could shatter at the hands of the conspiracy surrounding her disappearance.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to interview me. It’s incredible how welcoming you’ve been.

J.D., first and foremost, thank you for your service to our country. Second, thank you for spending six minutes with LitPick! Your advice about balance is appropriate for everyone. Congratulations on the release of Emergent!