#KnowJoe Q&A, Part 1

It's time. Back in the beginning of December, I decided you guys should get to know me better. So I challenged you to ask me whatever you wanted.

Well, 54 questions later, I've been asked random (as well as not-so-random) things about me. If you paid attention to the title, you noticed this was part 1. Because of the huge number of questions and me wanting to answer them all, I decided to divide it up into two parts. But enough chitchat! I suggest we stop wasting time and get this show on the road!

Yes, believe it or not, that's me under that mask.

1. How many years did it take for you to love writing?

I only started liking it when I was about 12 or so--you know, when I began that awful story I'm mocking in my Humble Beginnings post. Even though I poke fun at my old writing, it's important because it helped me on my journey in becoming a writer.

Before that? You couldn't pay me to enjoy writing. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but my mom would probably tell you I grumbled whenever I had a writing project in school. At least, that's how I started off. Now that I think about it, there was an in-between stage where I kinda liked it, but I only started loving it when I wrote the first Portal Chronicles story.

2. When did you first start playing video games?

Dang . . . it feels like a long time ago! I can't remember the exact date, but one of my first real games was Webkinz World. Anyone remember that?

How creative! A frog named Hopper! 8-year-old me was clearly already on the path to becoming a successful writer.

I eventually played other games, such as Club Penguin.

This was one of my favorite MMOGs ever!

I also played some PS2 games at my friend's place, until his neighbors gave another one to him and he passed it on to me. He also gave me his Game Boy Advance SP, which sparked my love for Nintendo games with this nostalgic title:

source; I can hear the overworld theme already . . .

3. If you could have any writing-related superpower (real or imagined), what would it be? (Or, if you had a superpower, what would it be, and how would you use it to help your writing?)

I'd want to have the power of speed. Wanna know why?

source; I try to quote this, but my Irish accent isn't on point.

I'd love to be able to run fast and be super cool like the Flash, but I'd use to type my stories really quickly. Of course, there is the possibility of going through multiple keyboards, but in the end, my stories would get written a lot swifter . . . maybe.

4. In Legend of Zelda, who do you like like more the most: Zelda, Hilda, Malon, or Saria?

Your boy is good at making collages of attractive girls! Wait, does that sound weird?

Hmm . . . what a deep, thought-provoking question. I think I like like Zelda the most--particularly because she's cute and British in Breath of the Wild. Perfect combination, am I right? She's probably my video game bae or something.

My second choice would Saria, provided she left Kokiri Forest along enough for her to grow up and not be a child anymore because . . . well, because reasons. If that couldn't happen, I'd pick Malon. (That artwork of her is actually pretty ador--um, amazing. I was going to say amazing.)

Sorry, I'm just not into Hilda that much. She seems like a very, shall we say, focused person. Not that it's a bad thing, but I don't think she's happy a lot of the time. Then again, I've only seen her in dire circumstances, so I can't really blame the girl.

5. Name one lyrical and one instrumental song that describe your mood today.

"Motivated" by NF and "Jump!" by Two Steps From Hell.

6. Why are you writing? Like, what makes you keep writing even when you feel like quitting?

I'd say it boils down to a couple of things. One of my top reasons is that I believe God has gifted me with the ability to imagine and pen stories. It's a shame to waste what He's given, so I keep at it, even when I don't always feel like it.

There's also a joy to brainstorming and creating characters and struggling with the issues and themes of the stories. It's a joy that keeps me hooked to the craft.

Lastly, when I get feedback from other, be it encouragement or constructive criticism, it feels good. I never want to take for granted that people are willing to spend precious time reading what I've written. It makes me want to keep doing it, as thanks to them.

7. Best book title you ever saw?

One of the best I've seen is A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's one of the most imaginative and original fantasies I've ever read, and I read a lot of fantasy.

8. Which character, out of all the ones you've created, is your favorite?

Do you also ask parents which child is their favorite? It is not a choice that can be made! I love ALL of my characters, from heroes to villains to everyone in the middle.

*sighs* But if I'm really forced to choose, it's a tie between Kayne from The Tournament of Convicts and Selah from Digital Pulse. Kayne is someone I very closely identify with. His struggles are mine, albeit exaggerated somewhat. I just get him. I also love his character arc in the story, even if it hurts my heart at times.

Selah--a personal assistant program--actually comes really close, though, and she only appeared when I did my Beautiful Books post back in November. So why do I like her so much? Because she's really different from anyone of my other brainchildren. She's very chipper and amusing much of the time; one of her quirks that I particularly enjoyed was her love of anime and references to it. But she's also very self-aware: she knows that she's programmed and that none of her emotions are real. It makes a very unique and interesting character to write.

9. What is your favorite video game of all time? (That was probably an evil question to ask. *cackles*)

Yes. Yes, it was. I'm very glad you realize this. BECAUSE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PICK JUST ONE?!

I'm going to list three of my top favorite games, because I cannot for the life of me narrow it down to one. I'll say The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. These are many others on the list, but because Christine tried to make me pick one (*glares*), I'm doing the best I can.

10. If you could live in any video game world, which one would you pick?

Hyrule, hands-down. It's a fantasy world, so it's the obvious choice, right?

source; yes, it's post-apocalyptic in Breath of the Wild, but who cares? It's gorgeous!

Second choices would be either the Underground from Undertale or Dream Land in the Kirby franchise. But nothing can top Hyrule for me.

11. What is your Meyers-Briggs personality? (HA! I FOUND A WAY TO MAKE YOU TAKE THE TEST!!!)

*blinks* . . . Yes, Tracey, you did. (Forget about learning stuff about me; we're learning about my oldest sister today!)

So I took the test, and it turns out my Myers-Briggs personality is . . . *dramatic drumroll*

ENFJ-A! For those of you who don't know what that means, it stands for Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging, and Assertive. That means I have what is called the Protagonist personality. While obviously not perfect, it describes me with great accuracy much of the time. Thanks, Tracey, for helping me understand myself just a little better today.

12. If you could describe your life in 5 words, what would they be?

Awesmazing. Satisfying. Fulfilling. Stretching. Epic. (I really had no idea what else to say.)

13. Have you seen HTTYD? If you have, who is your favorite character and dragon?

Obviously it's Hiccup and Toothless. Who else is there to pick? Besides Astrid, that is. But in my mind, the two main protagonists are the best.

14. What is your favorite color?

Green, like the outdoors after a nice rain!

source; take me to this place, please!

15. If you could have been cast as any character in any movie, who would you choose to be?

Well, I know you said movie, but I would love to be a villain in the LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu TV show. And I wouldn't want to be one from a previous season, because they've all been cast perfectly. I would want to be in a future season. It'd be so much fun to voice act a bad guy!

Or if a Legend of Zelda film was ever made, I'd so be on board for that.

16. What one object would you want to take into the Maze (from The Maze Runner)?

Jetpack, hands-down. Then all I gotta do is fly up out of that sucker and be free. Or maybe a particle accelerator, so that we can all become metahumans! Unless people would use their powers for evil purposes. That probably wouldn't end well. Or perhaps a portal gun from the Portal games . . . provided it could help me escape. One of those three will do quite nicely!

17. Top three movie fandoms?

Marvel, The Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars. BOOM! *drops mic*

18. What's your favorite season?

You know, it used to be winter. And while I still like winter--particularly things like Christmas and my birthday and sledding and taking walks during a snowfall--I actually have decided recently it's not my favorite. It'd be a toss-up between spring and fall, because I prefer weather that's not too hot and not too cold. It's the perfect time to go for walks, especially when it's raining. All in all, they're pretty good seasons!

19. How many full-length books have you written?

Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha! HA HA HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

ONE.

The Attack on Gotham, a superhero fanfiction that throws Marvel and DC characters together. I've been working on a novel-sized project since 2013, and I have a few novel projects in the works at various stages. But most of my stories are either novellas or unfinished. Tee hee . . . what a great author I am.

20. What is your least favorite color?

I just looked up "disgusting colors" on Google Images, and . . . I cannot unsee what I've seen. Y'know that pukey shade of green? Yeah, I hate that. Moving on!

21. What's your ultimate dream job?

In case you haven't guessed already, being a full-time author would be fabulous. I'd love to have that as my job, because . . . well, because I love writing! When a job can be something that you enjoy doing and that you're good at it, it's a dream job. It'd also be fun to work with kids or voice act on the side.

22. Which character of The Flash do you relate to the most?

I've never thought about this before. I'd have to say either Barry, Wally, or Cisco, but I'm not sure exactly who is my top choice. Probably Barry, but maybe that's because he's the main character. *shrugs* And if you haven't seen this show, you haven't lived yet. Seriously. I can't recommend it enough. I went into it fairly blindly and do not regret it.

23. Top three book fandoms?

Brandon Mull's Beyonders Trilogy, John Flanagan's books (like Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband Chronicles), and all of Andrew Klavan's teen series. BOOM! *picks up mic, then drops it again*

24. If you had to live in a made-up world, which one would it be and why?

I'd choose the Message Boards Island from my story An Old Face, a New Game. It's an island with a friendly community, with lots of nature to explore and a quaint city to live in. It'd be one of those places you create that you wish actually existed so you could live there for the rest of your days. Please, someone make this happen!

25. If you could time travel and change one historical event for good, what would you do?

I would save Abraham Lincoln from being assassinated. I feel like the Reconstruction would've gone a lot better if he had still been president at the time. The butterfly effects on that would probably be huge, but I'd be curious to see where the US would be now.

source; in my opinion, this man was one of the best presidents in history.

26. Do people ever mispronounce any part of your name?

Yes, and quite frequently. I've been called Joshua multiple times, because people probably just read the first three letters and make an assumption. One of my college teachers pronounced my name as Jeziah for the whole year, and I didn't have the heart to correct him. I feel like someone has even called me Jehoshaphat or Jonathan or something. It's pretty crazy. But at least I'm named after a good, young king in the Bible! That's a plus, right?

27. What's your favorite instrument?

Hmm . . . I can't decide between piano or cello. But one of the two! I'm a huge sucker for strings and keys in music. You can tell that if you've listened to any of my playlists or a lot of songs that I love.

And that concludes part 1 of the #KnowJoe Q&A. Part 2 will come in a couple of weeks. Thanks for all the interesting questions; I hope you've enjoyed my answers! (And I hope I don't regret any of them in the future . . .)