Andrew Joyce left high school at seventeen to hitchhike throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. He wouldn’t return from his journey until decades later when he decided to become a writer.
Joyce has written five books, including a two-volume collection of one hundred and fifty short stories comprised of his hitching adventures called BEDTIME STORIES FOR GROWN-UPS (as yet unpublished), and his latest novel, YELLOW HAIR. He now lives aboard a boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his dog, Danny, where he is busy working on his next book, tentatively entitled, MICK REILLY. Read his interview below:
How long have you been writing?
One morning, about six years ago, I went crazy. I got out of bed, went downstairs, and threw my TV out the window. Then I sat down at the computer and wrote my first short story. And just for the hell
of it, I threw it up on a writing site. A few months later, I was informed that it had been selected for publication in an anthology of the best short stories of 2011. I even got paid for it. I’ve been writing ever since.
What inspires you to write?
I do not know. I think the creative process soothes my soul. And it sure as hell beats watching television. As to what inspires me, the answer is everything. A song title, something someone says
in passing, the sun reflecting off the water next to my boat. Everything!
I have close to 150 short stories ranging in length from thirty-four words to 15,000 words and everything in between and in every genre including children’s stories. It could be 250 short stories or 300, but I don’t have the time if want to write novels.
Who’s your favorite author and why?
John Steinbeck. And this is why:
"The afternoon came down as imperceptibly as age comes to a happy man. A little gold entered into the sunlight. The bay became bluer and dimpled with shore-wind ripples. Those lonely fishermen who believe that the fish bite at high tide left their rocks and their places were taken by others, who were convinced that the fish bite at low tide.”—John Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat
That is some fancy writing.
What advice can you give to other authors or writers?
Read, read . . . and then read some more. Read everything you can get your hands on! Reading to a writer is as medical school is to a doctor, as physical training is to an athlete, as breathing is to life.
Where can readers go to find out more information about your work?