Hey Write2Igniters! I’m pleased to introduce you all to JJ Johnson, our teacher for April’s Master Class this year. In my March blog I’ll focus on what he’s covering in his class, “Laughing on the Light Side: Writing Clean, Clever Humor for Kids and Teens."

I’ve known JJ for several years because of Realm Makers. Just last summer, he convinced me to read Fahrenheit 451 as he reads it every August for his birthday. It was an interesting read and very weirdly shows what’s happening today with social media and entertainment, even though it was written over 70 years ago. 

Interview

PH: Hi, JJ! I’m excited to introduce you to our readers! So, let’s get to it. How/why did you start writing?  

JJ: I started writing in high school. Mostly poetry and short stories. But I didn't take it seriously until about 2006. I loved the idea of being able to write a story and thinking that people would actually spend money and pay you for it. But to be honest, it was the stories of Bill Wallace that got me excited about writing. I remembered how they captured the imagination of a little ten-year-old boy who hated reading and I want to do the same for others. 

 PH: Wow~ Bill Wallace wrote quite a bit of kids’ stories! And all those awards!! I’m gonna have to check him out on Amazon! Tell us how you got the idea for Iggy and Oz. 

JJ: I wanted to write a book for my kids. So, one day I sat down in a chair and tried to force an idea. It didn't work. At the time my kids were 5 and 3 and they had a couple hundred plastic toy dinosaurs. They were all over the house. I needed them to pick up, so I said: "Hey, what if your dinosaurs mysteriously came to life, and we had to capture them before they wrecked the house?”  

Our imagination took over. Suffice to say, the dinosaurs never got picked up. But after thirty minutes of just being a dad, I hopped up in my chair, and I wrote a single sentence down: When a 12-year-old boy’s plastic dinosaurs mysteriously come to life, he and his friends must find a way to stop them before they wreck the neighborhood for good. 

PH: I remember reading Dinos of Doom and thinking, “Wow, JJ, you just found your voice!”  ALL the Iggy and Oz stories are a fun read! What’s your favorite part of the writing process? 

JJ: When I'm just in that zone, and I'm letting the voice of the character take over and then suddenly they make me laugh, or the antagonist does something to upset me. That's when I know I'm on to something good.  

PH: Oh yeah, the ZONE.  Don’t we all love that? When you’re not writing, what do you like to do? 

JJ: I love hiking. I love fishing. And I love gardening. I'm sort of old fashioned. A crossword puzzle, a board or card game with the kids. I just enjoy unplugging and doing things that are low pressure.  

 PH: I share your love of gardening! And I love seeing your garden pictures on Facebook.  

Speaking of Facebook, you’ve recently shared on Substack your feelings about social media. Share a little about unplugging from social media. 

JJ: I can't stand social media. If I could toss my phone into a lake I would. But, as an author it’s slightly necessary. I've scaled back my time quite a bit as I've learned to do more live events and only be in the places I enjoy. I'm on Instagram, and Substack. I have left X, Threads, Bluesky, and Facebook. My page on FB remains active, but I have someone who posts over there for me and they are primarily updates. Social media isn't necessary as an author. But I don't recommend going completely  analogue. Just be in the place you enjoy. That's what is important. For me, I was spending way too much time online. I needed a change.  

 PH: Yeah, I think about getting off Facebook at least once a day, but it’s the only social media platform I’m on, and most of the time, I enjoy it.  

Is there anything else you want our readers to know about you? 

JJ: I love Coffee. I'm a coffee snob all the way.  

PH: Haha! I do love a good cup of coffee myself. Give me ALL the dark roast! 

Thanks for being here, JJ! I’m sooooooooo looking forward to sharing more about what you’ll be teaching! 

JJ: Thanks for having me! 

Mark your calendars NOW, everyone!  The spring Master Class is Saturday, April 18^th! Registration will be opening soon! 

Pam Halter is a former home-schooling mom, has been a children’s book author since 1995, a freelance children’s book editor since 2006, and was the children’s book editor for Fruitbearer Publishing until January 2023. She’s the author of Fairyeater, a YA fantasy, and the Willoughby and Friends picture book series (available on her website.) Pam has also published short stories in Ye Olde Dragon Books , the Whitstead Anthologies and Renewed Christmas Blessings. Her first short story won Readers Choice in Realmscapes.  

Pam lives in Southern New Jersey with her husband, Daryl, special needs adult daughter, Anna, and four cats. When she’s not writing, Pam enjoys spending time with her grands, reading, quilting, gardening, cooking, playing the piano, Bible study, and walking long country roads where she discovers fairy homes, emerging dragons, and trees eating wood gnomes.