The Hook Reads: John W. Howell

~ John W. Howell

Today I am with Robert Hookey talking about some of the elements of writer success. You may know Robert better as The Hook and the teller of great stories of his life as a bellman at a major hotel in Niagara Falls, Canada. He is also a fiction writer and has a new book titled “Into the Dark” which I am reading right now. Come visit and learn a little more about Robert.

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Some writers tell stories and some build worlds.

John W. Howell is a writer’s writer; he truly plays God and infuses life into his characters and gives them entire realities to inhabit, rather than just going through the same motions we’ve all read a mllion times before. He’s so dedicated to his craft that John even trained with Seals to add a layer of authenticity to his espionage thrillers. Of course, it was at Sea World with actual seals – but it still counts.

Some authors worry about living up to the standards set by their idols, and so they’re constantly asking thmselves, “What would Stephen King do with this chapter?”

I often think, “What would John Howell do with these characters?” or “I wonder what John will think of this direction I’m taking my characters in?”, and of course, “I wonder if John will ever pay me back…

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30 thoughts on “The Hook Reads: John W. Howell”

  1. A great interview, John. I too find writing a great thing to do during retirement. I like that you create strong women in your works of fiction. I loved the character of Samantha Tourneau in The Eternal Road.

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  5. Fun interview, John. I especially appreciated your answer as to what defines success. If we’re satisfied, that should be enough.

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    2. You’re right, Pete, it should be enough.

      But I wrestle with my own concept of success every day; I think the pandemic and the fact I’ve barely worked for 14 months has made things far worse than they should be.

      Thankfully, I’ve been able to channel my anxiety into my writing – which then brings me right back to my anxiety about success…

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      1. You have always been a tough customer when it comes to yourself, Hook. When you have a lot riding on the writing in terms of income you are placing a lot of pressure on yourself. I’m just sayin’

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