Author Spotlight – MJ Witt

In an effort to introduce my readers to other authors and their work, every week I run an Author Spotlight, sharing information about an author, their work, and how they go about writing their books.

MJ Witt grew up in South Dakota’s rugged Black Hills, where self-reliance, hard work, and respect for the land shaped him early on. His restless drive for adventure led him through an unusually varied career: wilderness outfitter, horse trainer, SCUBA instructor, casino operator in historic Deadwood, and dolphin trainer for the U.S. Navy.

A lifelong reader drawn to Robert A. Heinlein and Louis L’Amour, MJ found writing to be a natural next step. His action-thrillers are built on realism, resilience, and moral complexity, drawing on firsthand knowledge of wilderness survival, horsemanship, and old-fashioned preparedness. Skills he learned not as hobbies, but as a way of life.

Today, MJ lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and child, running a small farm and caring for horses and other animals. When he’s not writing, he’s out chasing new experiences… travel, exploration, and hands-on adventure that fuel the authenticity readers find in his novels.

A conversation with MJ:

When did you decide to become an author and why?

I was traveling back from South Dakota after the Christmas holiday in 2021 and picked up Robyn VasDerSys’s book 75 Miles. I loved it and got to talking with her on Facebook. She mentioned she was working on a book in the October Fall project, and I should read those, so I did. I fell in love with the concept of a location-based collaboration on a post-apocalyptic event and thought my location, which is an island in the Pacific Northwest, would be a good setting. I wrote three chapters and Robyn loved it, she pitched it to her publisher, Raventhorn Books, who saw something in it, and gave me the nod. The rest is history, as they say.

How long have you been writing, and what was your first book?

My first book, Vashon Island Fall came out in August of 2022, and this June I just released my 10th novel and my third series.

What genres do you write in?

Post-apocalyptic and action-thrillers

How many books do you have out?

10 books, 6 in the Vashon Island Fall series, three in my MacKay’s Justice modern western action-thriller, and the first book in Vashon Island Rises series, a sequel to the Fall books that takes place two years after the disaster event.

Are you trade published, independent, or a combo?

I’m a hybrid under Raventhorn Books, which is a small, independent publisher.

 What is your writing style? Panster or plotter or?

I usually say I’m about 75% pantser, and 25% plotter, but it varies on the book itself.

 Do you write more than one book at a time?

No, one book at a time only for actual writing. You still end up splitting your time as an indie, since I usually have one in the edit, release, and promotional stages while I’m trying to write a second, and that gives me a split-personality complex enough.

How much research is involved in your writing?

It varies, but it is significant. For the PA books I spent a lot of time researching survival, homesteading, and products, as well as old and new ways to do things we take for granted. With the action-thriller, the main character is a Deputy U.S. Marshal, so I’m constantly researching both the location in Montana, the Marshals Service and law enforcement, our legal and court system, and related topics.

 Where do you write? Do you have a home office, write in a coffee shop, or what?

That has shifted over the years. These days I try to find a public spot like a coffee shop or a cafe, sometimes the library. I like a little stimulus. But at the same time, I find it increasingly difficult to write at home in my office or elsewhere. I’m always thinking of the twenty other things I need to be doing, so getting away helps. When I’m deep into writing a book, I take my laptop with me everywhere, and any time I have a spare few minutes I pull it out and work.

Do you use any programs like ProWriting Aid, Grammarly, or ?

I’ve tried a couple of writing and editing aids. I’m a tech-geek at heart, but I find the number of false positives and other program constraints is more work than just rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done. Mostly it’s just opening Google Docs and putting the words down. I have been experimenting with Google Notebook and am liking it for a number of things, especially searching your own past books to recall some minute detail.

 How do you promote your books?

The publisher, Raventhorne, does some basic promotional work and newsletters, but I always supplement that with social media posting and Facebook ads. I also try to do some appearances for book signings, author talks, and similar when I can line them up and squeeze them in. I make my own book trailers and post them on social media and YouTube.

What are your writing goals, long and short term?

I’ve got a significant backlog of writing projects in my “to be done” pile. I always joke that it’s almost growing as large as my “to be read” pile of books! I have at least two more books in my new series Vashon Island Rises, and the MacKay’s Justice series is very open-ended with no end in sight for that series. I also have a series I want to write that is in the Dick Francis style, if you know his mysteries. He was a horse racing jockey, and all of his books are about some aspect of the horse racing industry. I want to leverage that idea about a different topic area that I think will be fun for readers. Lastly, post-apocalyptic has been very good to me, so I’m sure I will keep my hand in there as well. I’ve got a number of ideas percolating and a few invites to collaborate on projects. Ten books was a big milestone for me, and the next in my mind is twenty-five. We will see where I am at that point, but I always say, if the readers will keep wanting more, I’ll keep writing.

Any advice to new authors or someone who wants to become an author?

I’d say go for it. Just try it and don’t be afraid. If you are a reader, and almost all writers are, you know what makes a good book. Tell the story well and the rest will fall into place. These days, with indie publishing options, it’s easier than ever…but at the same time, you have to be ready to do more than just write, a lot more.

Please add any other comments you think might be interesting or useful to readers.

At the end of the day, I strive to be a good storyteller. Those are the kinds of authors I like and admire. I learn more of the “craft” of writing with each book, and it gets better from that aspect, but a good story should be able to stand on its own. That’s my North Star.

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Did you know that you can find all of my books and sign up for my free author’s newsletter on my website at www.nickrussellbooks.com?

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – I do not over-intellectualize the production process. I try to keep it simple: Tell the damned story. – Tom Clancy