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Ask the Author: John Podlaski

“Ask me a question.” John Podlaski

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If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?
John Podlaski My first choice would be a dystopian future where people never get sick or die. Everyone loved life and was never bored; there was always something exciting to do.

My second choice would be to return to my childhood when I was fourteen.
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John, Just a comment? I served in the Navy 9-67 - 9-71. Never went to Vietnam but had friends who did. They never talked about it and I never asked. Cherries was an enlightening account of some of what you and others went through. I could actually feel your fear while reading the book. So sad that one minute you were talking with your fellow soldiers and then suddenly they were gone. Thank you for your service.
John Podlaski Thanks for your support, Larry!
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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
John Podlaski Just tossing out ideas to friends. I wanted to write something about fear and the emotions that come with it. During the Vietnam War, we were still teenagers and didn't get a chance to do what teenagers do. When getting pulled into the war, fear was paramount and the Army tried to instill a confidence that would make us hold our ground and fight...depend upon our training and automatic responses so there is no time for fear. I decided to go that route and then use comparison to the same kind of events while growing up. It worked out well!
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How do you get inspired to write?
John Podlaski When looking through the letters I've written home and pictures of my time in the Vietnam War, my wife continued to ask questions about certain things and asked me to write down an explanation and perhaps give an example. This soon evolved into my story - 1st person version - a publisher later convinced me to rewrite and convert to a 3rd person point of view. I found this challenging and continued to work on the novel for the next two centuries.
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What are you currently working on?
John Podlaski Both of my books are about related items that happened to me both in Vietnam and in growing up. Keeping on that vain, I'm currently working on another military book about the first 3 days in the military. Considering a title, "Three Dayz" or Three Daze".!
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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
John Podlaski Don't give up! When typing, don't try to be correct in punctuation, structure, etc. Keep writing whatever pops into your mind and don't worry that it may not make sense. One the base is in place, it's easy to add on. Be sure that you start out with an outline first, and then fleshing it out as you go.
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What’s the best thing about being a writer?
John Podlaski Finding out that you remember or know more than you actually thought. Especially with events and memories that occurred over 50 years ago.
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How do you deal with writer’s block?
John Podlaski I have to leave and do something else to take my mind completely off of the book I'm writing. i.e. go to a movie, car show, fair, etc. I find that when I return later, my mind is more refreshed and chances are good that something invaded while gone.
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John Podlaski
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