We had the good fortune of connecting with John Otte and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi John, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Because at my heart, I’m a storyteller. I’ve always been a storyteller. Facts and figures may slip out of my mind shortly after I hear them, but if I encounter something as part of a story, it tends to stick. And for as long as I can remember, my lifelong goal was to be a published author. I remembere reading in a library book that the record for youngest published author was a four year old who published a book about dinosaurs. I was so bummed because I was several years older than that. But from that moment on, I wanted to achieve that as well. So when I was still in elementary school, I started drawing really awful comic books that I was convinced would one day be bestsellers. When I reluctantly realized I was a horrible artist, I moved on to writing really bad novels. I’ve also tried my hand at writing stage plays and movie scripts. But I kept coming back to novels and eventually, after developing my craft, I was able to finally publish my first novel ten years ago.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I primarily write Christian speculative fiction. That’s a fancy way of saying that I write stories with fantastical elements that arise from a Christian worldview. That’s a hard sell in the publishing industry. If you check out the Christian fiction section of a bookstore, the vast majority of books are clean romances with a few mysteries and thrillers thrown in. Most of the big Christian publishing houses have little to no interest in speculative fiction. That’s understandable since, historically, speculative fiction doesn’t sell well in the Christian market. But there are a lot of people out there who enjoy those types of stories and want to write them.
I feel that I’ve been successful for two reasons: I was in the right place at the right time and I was able to make the right connections that I needed. Thanks to professional writing organizations, I was able to meet with and make connections with industry professionals, some of whom were willing to take a risk on a new author in a niche genre.
But I also can’t overlook the necessity of working to develop my craft and continuing to show up even after disappointing failures. My first writing conference I attended was not a success. No one was interested in what I was offering and I nearly gave up afterwards. But I convinced myself to keep trying.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, I’m not from the Denver area, but my family went on vacation there last year. We really liked the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and we also really enjoyed the cog train ride up Pike’s Peak.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A lot of people helped me in my journey to becoming a published author. The good folks at American Christian Fiction Writers were instrumental in teaching me how the business worked and helping me grow in my craft. A really great friend of mine, Jill Williamson, has encouraged me along the way and helped me make the needed connections in the industry. My first agent, Amanda Luedeke, was also a great blessing in those early days.
Website: www.johnwotte.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otte.jw/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnWOtte
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjohnwotte
Image Credits
The headshot is Jaime Russell of Anthem Photography