Meet Dino Jones | Self Published Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dino Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dino, why did you pursue a creative career?
I decided to pursue a career as a writer because I wanted to create stories that move people. Whether that be through laughter or through tears I’ve wanted to create characters and stories that people can connect with. I wanted to get into writing stories since I was a child. Back then I had a desire to create my own animated series. These days I created my own universe that’s far from what I wanted as a kid. I’m currently writing my second novel and it deals with a lot of mature themes that I’ve felt a great desire to delve into these past few years.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is a bit of a dying aspect these days I feel. It seems like a lot of people now don’t care to read or don’t have the attention span for it which is a shame. That being said, I put my heart and soul into my work and I feel it can be easily seen. I like to write things that aren’t easily expected. If you were to read my work and could see something coming I feel that that would be a bit boring.

I’m excited to be in the final stages of completing my second novel, ‘Some Things Last…’. I’m eager to release it in the latter part of the summer/early fall of 2022.

Professionally speaking, I’m a self published author which means I do pretty much all the work of getting the word out about my work. Amazon takes care of the publishing aspect of things. It can be quite challenging to get the word out at times about my work but I’ve been blessed to have family help spread the word around about it.

When I released my first novel, ‘Born From A Wish’, it certainly was a learning experience. I plan for this time around to be a much smoother process. After I wrote my novel I then had to edit it entirely by myself which was some tedious work. I set a time limit and had to finish editing so I could release my novel at the stated release date. It was a stressful time and I wouldn’t want to put myself through that crunch period again.

I write stories that only I could come up with I feel. That being said, I do like to reference other works, whether it be music, movies or video games, in my work. I like to jerk those tears.

When I come up with ideas I tend to lean more toward the emotional melancholic side. I find stories like that to be quite interesting. If I can stir emotion within the reader and even jerk a few tears out I feel like I’ve accomplished my goal and then some.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d like to show them around some of my favorite places in Birmingham, Alabama which is about a half-hour from where I live. There are quite a few places I’d enjoy going to eat. One of my favorites is a place called Mount Fuji which serves Japanese food/sushi and has a nice hibachi grill. They also serve some reasonably priced cocktails…my favorite being the Long Island Iced Tea…

Another one of my favorite spots is the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. There are miles worth of walking trails there, tons of flowers to see, and scenic areas like the Japanese wing.

Another place I’d visit would be the Riverchase Galleria. I always enjoy bombing around the mall.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to two people. My good friend Sean is a musician. https://www.instagram.com/seannstein.official/

My second shoutout goes to my other acquaintance Jaylen. He’s the artist behind my first novel’s cover.

https://www.instagram.com/oso_amazing/

Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20981755.Dino_Jones

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinojones1988

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DinoJones88

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BanksianCentral

Other: https://www.amazon.com/Dino-Jones/e/B08J3MNMZR https://alberttrilogyinc.tumblr.com

Image Credits
The fifth image was drawn by Jaylen Morris. Used for the cover art of my novel ‘Born From A Wish’. All other artwork was drawn by myself.