Spotlight On . . . Author, J. B. Millhollin
BY ANGEL KANE
1. You and your wife, Rhonda, are residents of Wilson County, how did you arrive here? How does it compare to where you were living before?
When I sold my practice and Title Company in Iowa, we knew we wanted to live near our daughter and her family. She is Director of Sales with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. We liked the concept of the Del Webb lifestyle and bought a home in that community while still living in Iowa. We love Tennessee and particularly the Wilson County area. The people are wonderful, and, of course, the entertainment is second to none.
2. What line of work were you in before you decided to write your first book?
I was an attorney and owned a Title Company. I was also the County Attorney in our community, elected and then reelected a total of 8 times. The 
Author JB Millhollinexperience I had in the courtroom while practicing, is now reflected in most of my novels.
3. How many books have you written?
I am in the process of completing my fifth novel.
4. How did the idea for your first book come to you?
“Brakus,” a fictional account of Roy Brakus, a professional thief, was my first novel. I had always wanted to write but never had the time. My profession occupied all of my weekdays and many times, the weekends. As I started to wind down my practice, I decided to take the time and try writing a novel. I wanted to use my experience from my practice and particularly my experiences from the Courtroom. The Brakus story consists of three volumes of which the first is now available. The second volume will be available on August 3, and the last available this fall. The main character is in and out of the Courtroom. Roy also struggles with OCD which makes for an interesting and fun writing experience—a thief that breaks into homes but struggles with stepping on a crack in a tile floor presents many, many interesting situations indeed. Keep in mind, the novels I write are generally about bad events that happen to good people. Many times they involve characters that you would not want to invite into your home. As a result, the language and the situations they get into are not something you would probably want to read to your child.
5. How long did it take you to write Brakus? Do you have a set pattern in which you write?
It took me quite some time to write “Brakus” since I was still practicing law. Now, normally I write each morning and it takes about six months to complete a novel. Of course, there is much more to it than simply planning each chapter and writing it out. I review every chapter, word by word, sometimes seven or eight times, to make sure it says exactly what I want it to say. I once spent an hour on one sentence!
6. Where can someone buy your book right now?
At this time, “Brakus” is available as a Kindle download and in paperback, from Amazon. It is also available in paperback from Touchpoint Press, Barnes and Noble and Books A Million. Subsequent novels will also be available from the same sources.
7. When will your second book come out?
My second novel is entitled “An Absence of Ethics” and involves a young attorney by the name of Rosa Norway, who becomes involved with a Judge, while in the middle of a trial over which he presides. Most of my novels are set in the Nashville/ Wilson County area and this one is no exception. It is now available through Amazon as a Kindle download and will shortly be available in paperback through those same locations.
8. What would you say to writers who have still not been able to publish their first book?
First, get a real job. This is a difficult profession. It took me months to find an agent and then a publisher. And, I was one of the lucky ones. Figure out a way to make a living WHILE you write. There are so few writers that become successful but if you are one of the lucky ones, you can be “discovered” just as easily while you are making a living, as you can if you have no job and are starving. However, Do NOT give up. It is a difficult process but so worth it in the end.
9. How can your readers meet you or learn about new releases?
We are in the process of setting up book signings in the Wilson County area which will be outlined on my local resume services website, JB Millhollin.com and also on my Facebook page, JB Millhollin, author.
