In addition to to SF, you’ve also written other kinds of stuff. Like this Unofficial Guide to Shopping at Aldi. First of all—um, what? What inspired you to start the website Aldi Reviewer and become an expert on the Aldi grocery chain? And how often do you run into people who need a guide?
One of my favorite authors is Isaac Asimov, who not only wrote some of the great science fiction–the Foundation series is my favorite–but also famously found his way into almost every section of the Dewey decimal system. He had a very wide array of interests, and wrote about all of them. So I guess if one of the grand masters of sci-fi can write about math or photosynthesis or biblical animals, nothing is too farfetched, right?
At any rate, the idea to write about Aldi came about as a result of conversations with my wife. She grew up shopping at Aldi, so she continued to do so when we got married. The problem was, when we saw things at Aldi, we often wondered if they were any good, but had no way to find out, because no one was talking a lot about most of this stuff, especially the appliances and tech and such. We saw a void there, and decided to pilot a blog that did Aldi product reviews, just to see where it went.
Aldi Reviewer went live in July 2016, just a few months after Edge of Oblivion released—and it has surpassed just about every expectation we had. In 2018, we hit 1 million lifetime pageviews, and the site continues to grow every day. And, of course, I penned a little nonfiction book to go along with it.
I want to also note, too, that the nonfiction writing has been really good changeup for my fiction writing. I credit blogging for Aldi Reviewer for helping me keep my brain fresh as I was drafting Through Chaos in the summer of 2016, and editing Into the Void in the fall of that year. But it’s also been something that has come to stand nicely on its own.
In addition to those, you also write about video games and parenting. Given the range of categories, what determines what you’re going to write next?
I have a writing spreadsheet that I keep where I note various ideas and prioritize them. There are certain core writing projects that I try to keep high up on the list—right now that would be Aldi Reviewer, my next novel (I am working on one), and a little site my wife and I are testing out called A Well Advised Life—but I sprinkle in other things along the way.
For example, I bought a Nintendo Switch earlier this year, and it let me do some review writing for the Nintendo fansite Nintendojo, a site I’ve written on and off for since the mid-2000s. I also keep a couple of pet writing projects on the backburner, and I occasionally play around with them.
What are the best ways that readers can support their favorite authors?
First and foremost, tell other people about them. Spreading the word is so important, since people can’t read about what they don’t know about. Word of mouth is a powerful thing for any author.
Secondly, buy their books. Get the physical ones, and put them on a shelf where your friends can see them when they come over. This supports the author financially, but also points back to the first point.
Finally, leave feedback for authors. Many people make book decisions based on the likes of Goodreads or Amazon, so leaving reviews there is incredibly helpful.
Find Joshua A. Johnston’s author page here:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/joshua-a-johnston
Through Chaos
The Chronicles of Sarco #3
Joshua A. Johnston
Enclave
A singular evil. An unlikely salvation.
Captain Jared Carter and the Navy cruiser Hattan have helped liberate an alien race from the clutches of darkness, but at a terrible cost of lives and ships. While regrouping, they receive word that a shocking fate has befallen the Confederacy during the Hattan’s distant campaign. Jared and his crew face the prospect that their home as they knew it is no more.
Danger now threatens them on two fronts: ahead, in the empire of the Domain, and behind, in the warring factions of the former Confederacy. The Hattan battle fleet must split up in hopes of combating both evils—their separate destinations leading to a singular enemy…
Discover more about Joshua A. Johnston’s book here:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/joshua-a-johnston/books