Book: Branded
Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
Hi, my name is Joseph T. Humphrey. I founded the independent publishing company, Intrepid Pen, and I am the author of the company’s first published novel, Branded. I’m an Emergency Medicine doctor, a Christian thinker/speaker, a novice banjo player, and I love hunting for the best donuts around.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Branded’ book?
One of the major challenges was finding time to complete and edit the work while also working in an Emergency Department during a global pandemic! But writing the book has a been a way to express hope and triumph in difficult times. I hope the same sentiment comes through in the pages of the story.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
Some of my major influences have been Ted Dekker, John White, Joseph Finder, Donald Maass, Tim Keller, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Bible. From authors to commentary, I’ve been shaped by these and many more.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
My favorite spot to visit in my country is the Northern Woods. Places like northern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, and northern Michigan have a special place in my heart.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?
I do a ton of prep work ahead of time. I write down an explosion of scenes, events, and dialogue to take place in the story, and my notes have become a series of “a-ha!” moments—the moments that move, inspire, scare, twist, and soar the story. Then comes the sorting. There’s polishing, adding and subtracting, and developing the moment. It takes a lot to work the story, to make it more than mere words, and translate it to emotion and conviction.
Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Branded’ book?
Branded was written over six years. From original concept to storyboarding, full concept, writing the original draft, and subsequent edits and revisions, it was a long process. But totally worth it. I’m so happy to have completed it.
Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘Branded’ book to buy?
Branded is available in ebook from Amazon/Kindle, Apple iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play, along with others. The book is also available in printed paperback and hardcover versions through Amazon. Your local bookstore can request the book as well through the global distribution network Ingram Spark. If your bookstore doesn’t have it, ask for them to get it!
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Branded’?
The title Branded is a reflection of the story. The title came much later, and only after the story had been fully written. I worked with a fabulous cover designer at 99Designs to come up with the cover to reflect a moment in the story.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
Freshness is important for the reading audience, and even for the author as well. The way to keep things fresh is to inspire—to give a moment of hope and reflection that will lift out of the pages of the novel and translate to the real world around us. The craft of fiction is to take the reader on an emotional ride so that at the end of the hero’s story, it is not only the characters that have learned and grown, but the reader as well. That is the triumph of the novel, and the moment of refreshment that all of us look for when we turn to literature.
Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
This is a book full of secrets, monsters, lost heritage, and reclaimed hope. Find the truth. Reclaim the Forgotten. Escape to the Other Side.
Book Is Available On Amazon
Sassy Reviews 