Featured Author Interview with Writer J.W. Gilbert

Today we’re going to time travel to the future and learn about a new book by J.W. Gilbert and we also get a short author interview with J.W. Gilbert as well! J.W. Gilbert is a fiction writer with a number of books that combine a little bit of action, adventure, romance, faith in every story. The first time I saw his synopsis I was very intrigued, my first impression of Mojave Rift’s cover was spot on with what J.W. Gilbert was trying to convey on the inside.

A bit about J.W. Gilbert

John Gilbert Wozniak (JW Gilbert) grew up in an Oregon farm town. He retired in 2016 as an international data center cooling expert. Around the turn of the century, he began writing as a hobby. After years of expert guidance and a lot of editing, his ArcPoint trilogy is complete. His intent is to write books that are enjoyed by all ages—biblically accurate—with a touch of adventure, romance, and humor. JW has been married to his best friend Darlene since 1980. They are both retired and enjoy the hobby of creating lapidary jewelry. He is a member of Oregon Christian Writers, Mensa, ALLi, and the Tualatin Valley Gem Club.

More from JW

I became an avid fan of Christian fiction, especially after reading This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. I was working 12-hour night shifts as a data center technician and had ample time on my hands. At one point I was devouring a book per night but my favorite genre, action/adventure, was almost non-existent in Christian fiction. So, as is the case with many would-be authors, I decided to write the book I wanted to read. The setting? The future when Jesus is ruling the world, as told in Revelation chapter 20. My protagonist? Arcon, an adventurous young man from an isolated tribe of people. The premise? The people of ArcPoint don’t know that the outside world is safe and that Jesus has returned.

My first attempt at writing went well. I wrote my first draft in three weeks, edited it for six months, and landed a hybrid publisher with the final manuscript. The book garnered four- and five-star reviews, so I was pleased. (Not bad for someone who’d flunked English three times.) I was glad the reviews showed that the writing was good, but my readers were missing the message. I pulled it off the market.

For the past few years I’ve been honing my skills as a writer and reworking my ArcPoint story. There have been a few challenges. While researching, I found over a thousand verses in the Bible that sparked ideas for the time period I was writing about. Now the original book has become a trilogy, plus a prequel. However, traditional Christian publishers were not in the market for adventure stories, so I had to learn about self-publishing. And then, like a page right out of my prequel, the unexpected happened—a pandemic. I decided it would be best to put off publicizing until the entire trilogy was available. Now it is.

To see if the first book was ready to be self-published, I sent copies of Mojave Rift to Reader’s Favorite for professional reviews. It got five stars across the board. Then I entered Mojave Rift in their contest and won a silver medal. All the reviewers seemed to appreciate my inclusion of action, romance, and humor in a squeaky clean, fast-paced, futuristic novel.

I hope my ArcPoint series receives high scores from English teachers, but since I still don’t know a passive voice from a hole in the plot, we’ll see. Writing likable characters and adventure stories that run deep and inspire is something I enjoy. I’ve worked hard and it’s a thrill to get high audience scores.

BTW, did I mention the world-building for the isolated tribe in my story is set in United States? Now that was a challenge.

An Author Interview with JW Gilbert

What is your favorite book that you have written (Published or Unpublished), and why? My first novel titled The Moment. It was about an atheist with a terminal illness, and his quest to find the truth about the after-life before he goes there. His main goal was to locate his beloved late wife.

How do you pick your character’s personalities, or looks? I work at it, based on what the story needs. It’s by far my favorite thing to do.

What is your favorite genre to read? What is your favorite genre to write? And why are they your favorites? In both cases, Christian fiction, action/adventure. I like adventure, humor, and romance in a book, like in an Indiana Jones movie, without the blatant sex, violence, etc.

What inspires you the most? First, the Bible. Second, science (but not fake science).

Once an idea takes root, how long does it take you to write it down? The rough draft can take from three to six weeks. Then editing takes many months, if not years.

Do you have a favorite author? Or someone whom you would say has influenced your writing style? Most of all, Frank Peretti. First of all, Taylor Caldwell.

What are your hobbies other than writing? As a lapidary artist, I cut and polish rocks to discover the beauty God hid within them.

Do you have a genre that you would never write? (In the Christian genre sphere i.e. speculative, historical, contemporary, etc.)
Amish romance, although the romance in Mojave Rift is like Amish without the religious trappings.

Thank you so much for letting me interview you JW Gilbert!

About J.W. Gilbert’s New Novel Mojave Rift

Book: Mojave Rift

Author: J.W. Gilbert

Genre: Christian Fiction – Action/Adventure

Release Date: March, 2021

Mojave Rift follows a young man, Arcon, as he attempts to leave an isolated community called ArcPoint. He seeks an outsider, Elaina, a young woman with the skills to help him cross the treacherous CalNeva Rift. For eight years they’ve violated the law restricting all contact with those known as the Mojave People. Jesus himself made that restriction, after he returned to rule earth from Jerusalem over a hundred years ago. Ranger Dan is the man in charge of upholding that law, and has no idea what he’s getting roped into.

Find it on Goodreads and Amazon.

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