The Goldwyn County Candy Ban: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
The Goldwyn County Candy Ban: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.Following find an interview with author J.Z. Zerber:
1. What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The Goldwyn County Candy Ban/ February 6, 2026
2. What’s the book’s first line?
“Hey! Chicken Legs!”
3. What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
An autocratic judge outlaws candy, and middle schoolers resort to running underground candy rings. When our reluctant hero finds a duffle bag filled with contraband, he is thrust into a war against rival gangs…and that’s just the beginning.
4. What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I wanted to write a mob-like story with candy as the contraband. So, instead of adults trafficking narcotics, I wanted to write about kids trafficking candy with some of the high stakes you might find in a Scorsese movie. In fact, the villain, Zacharias, has a certain knack for cruelty that might rival that of a real-world mob boss.
5. What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
It’s an interesting and unique premise: the banning of candy and how kids respond. However, candy is just a symbol for how arbitrary, unchecked power can lead to devastating consequences. What starts out as a ‘candy ban’ affecting children seeps into the adult world. A woman is arrested for baking with sugar, and the community realizes that the man behind the candy ordinance is growing increasingly tyrannical.
6. What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The first thing people comment on regarding Chat Kelley is how relatable he is. A well-intended kid, he is your typical unassuming and physically helpless eleven-year-old navigating his way through middle school. As the reluctant hero, Chat also reflects our desire for support and the realization that it doesn’t always meet our expectations, helping us see that the very things we protest most are what help us reach our potential. In some ways he reminds me of Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I wouldn’t say Chat is as depressive as Ferris’ sidekick, but Chat is certainly very tentative and anxious when having to face anything outside of his routine of studying and doing his chores.
7. When did you first decide to become an author?
According to my mother, I said, “Hello, mother. At some point, I would like to write books,” shortly after I was born. (She is known for being hyperbolic).
8. Is this the first book you’ve written?
Yes, one of many to follow in the Goldwyn County Legends universe.
9. What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I work at a grocery store. I used to work in concrete, and there is a presence of that in The Goldwyn County Candy Ban. In fact, I have a “Welcome to Goldwyn County” short story that introduces my philosophical reasoning for choosing the name Goldwyn told through the perspective of a journeyman cement finisher.
10. How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
The first novel took me ten years. I plan to release the next one a lot sooner. However, with marketing and whatnot, it isn’t easy to do, but I try to sneak in some writing here and there. For the sequel, I already have my next villain, which is the best part of being a writer. Coming up with bad guys!
11. What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part is being able to publish something that perhaps a traditional publisher would not want to promote. The worst part is not having a traditional publisher promoting your work.
12. What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Show up every day as if your book(s) were a business. I’ve had two small businesses before becoming a self-assigned book promoter, and I show up for my novel the same way I showed up for my businesses. The initial push is not about money. It’s about establishing yourself. The beginning can be discouraging, but ultimately it is worth it when you see a sale and when someone leaves a review. After all, we want to know what people think, good or bad.
13. Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I would. Not just for the money, but for the resources and know-how that they have and I don’t. It would also give me more time to put work into what I truly love doing, which is, of course, writing.
8. Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
My main motivation is to is to make this story into a movie. Some have called the prose in The Goldwyn County Candy Ban cinematic, which is telling since back in 2015, this story was originally a screenplay.
9. Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
William Faulkner. I sometimes describe my novel as “Imagine if William Faulkner had written The Goonies.” I say that only in the company of close friends, since I don’t want people to think I’m comparing myself to that brilliant writer. Imagining Faulkner writing about middle schoolers running underground candy rings is something that I just find humorous.
10. Which book do you wish you could have written?
Though I just confessed my admiration for Faulkner, I feel it would have been quite wonderful to have written One Hundred Years of Solitude.