By Gini Dietrich
I have been a big fan of Jim Mitchem for a long time.
First, a reader of his blog, Obsessed with Conformity, I started to stalk him online. We eventually became Facebook friends and the rest, as they say, is history.
His writing is raw, authentic, and sometimes very painful, which is extremely difficult to do and keep readers engaged. But he does it better than anyone else I know.
Throughout the years, we’ve learned about his struggle with alcoholism, how he and his wife met under non-conventional circumstances, what it’s like to raise teenaged daughters, and how a man who fights “The Man” still can fit into a capitalist society and do it well.
Because I don’t know him in real life, I’m hesitant to say this, but he strikes me as off-the-charts intelligent, cynical, and downright belligerent about the societal things he disagrees with (and I agree with him, in most cases, which is why I’m always impressed he can put it all out there so eloquently).
Minor King
So, when I learned he’d finally published the fiction he’s talked about writing for years, I couldn’t want to get my hands on it.
Minor King is the story about Jim Christianson who, in many ways, mirrors Jim Mitchem.
He met his wife under non-conventional circumstances. He has two daughters. He fights against The Man, but also knows what he has to do to provide for his family. He is a copywriter who longs to write longer form content.
I saw a lot of what I know about my friend Jim mirrored in the book’s protagonist, which made it a compelling read.
But, more than that, it captivates you from the first chapter when an incident with a daughter’s friend shows how our society has become about buying our way out of trouble.
Because I am a fiction lover and because I believe very strongly that communicators should read novels to become better storytellers, we have decided to expand our author Q&A series to novelists.
What You Will Learn
Though this author Q&A is not about a business book, I imagine you can ask Jim things such as:
- How fiction writing differs than business writing;
- What he’s learned in his career that helped him write a novel;
- What the fiction world is like, in terms of sales and marketing a book;
- How he got the book written with life in the way; and
- Where the idea for Minor King came from.
So, get your questions ready, and grab some Gatorade (because these chats move really quickly and you’ll need the sustenance).
Our author Q&As go at a fast and furious pace and you won’t want to miss a second.
Today’s Author Q&A with Jim Mitchem
At noon ET (that’s 11:00 CT, 10:00 MT, and 9:00 PT for those of you who can’t do time zones), Jim Mitchem will be here to answer any and all of your questions.
In order to participate, all you have to do is:
- Make sure you have a Livefyre account or be ready to sign in with one of your social networks.
- Set a reminder for noon ET today.
- Order Minor King right now! It’s free on the Kindle so you have no excuse. Hurry before the Amazon deal ends!
- Create a list of questions.
- Come back here, scroll to the bottom, and write a comment in the form of a question. As soon as you hit “post comment,” Ryan will see it and reply to you. You can even join the conversation around questions others are asking, if you like.
We’ll be here for an hour so you can join us the entire time or step in and out during the hour. It’s entirely up to you; just make sure you’re here before 12:59 EST.
Win a Copy
Those of you who participate in today’s author Q&A with Jim Mitchem (even if you’re late to the party, but not if you’re an Arment Dietrich employee) will be entered into a random draw for a free hard copy of the book.
Don’t forget—you have to actually leave a comment, ask a question, or participate in the chat to be entered in the draw. Otherwise we won’t know you were here.
Get ready with your questions and join the conversation. And don’t fear! If you missed the live portion of this, we’ll keep the drawing open until midnight PT so you still have time to get in your questions.
Former Guests
For former guests, check out Margie Clayman, Sarah Robinson, Mark Story, Beth Hayden, Sarah Evans, Stanford Smith, Chris Brogan, C.C. Chapman, Mitch Joel, Danny Brown, Chuck Hemann, Michael Brito, DJ Waldow, Tom Martin, Ahava Leibtag, Jay Baer, Shel Israel, Mark Schaefer, Gini Dietrich, Rob Biesenbach, Steve McKee, Neal Schaffer, Ed Zitron, Ann Handley,Tim Frick, Tom Martin, Paul Roetzer, Diana Kander, Jeremy Miller, Hessie Jones, Maddie Grant, and Ryan Hanley.
Who’s Next?
- June 17: James Altucher with one of his 15 books, including bestsellers Choose Yourself and The Power of No
- July 15: Laura is in charge and she knows who I want