Where did you grow up and what was the scene like in your household, regarding reading and writing?
I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and moved with my family to Thunder Bay, Ontario when I was nine. We were well-off, and my family supported my love of reading and encouraged my writing.
Have you always been a big reader?
Ever since I was six. I got a little statuette in Grade One for being able to read aloud smoothly. As I got older, I became a voracious reader. That was what I got in trouble for in school most often: reading books during class.
Why do you think there is such a power in words and literature? When did you first discover this power?
I think the power of words comes from their association with powerful emotions. Think of the phrase “pushing one’s buttons.” All that means is saying words that evoke deep, often subconscious memories and thus emotions.
What was the impacting force that made you sit down and start writing?
I think it was wanting to add to favourite stories, to add myself or my own characters into stories that I loved by other authors. Then, I learned that I had the ability to write descriptions that made readers feel as is they were in the story.
What do you love most about writing historical fiction?
I love the creation of another world, of characters similar to people I know in some ways, different in others. And then, the surprise I get when the characters, seemingly of their own volition, take the story in a direction I did not expect.
How did you get the idea for "One Shade of Red"? Was your character Alexis Rosse inspired by real people?
That was sparked by the terrible best-seller, Fifty Shades of Gray. Everyone I knew who read it thought it was terrible—unbelievable, with hackneyed and clumsy writing. Yet it sold millions of copies. I thought, “I can do better.” So I tried to take the idea of that book and turn it upside-down.
In what ways did you try and lift your book, Wildfire up and make it different from other books of its genre?
Wildfire was inspired by a trip my wife and I took to California in 2015. I was invited to a writers’ retreat by a best-selling author in Sonoma, California. As we were driving to the retreat, though, that year’s wildfires had reached disastrous proportions; many wineries were destroyed. As we were driving through the falling ash, my wife said to me, “You should write a book about this.” The author sponsoring the retreat wrote mysteries, so it all came together. The locations are real, and I also used real people I knew, some of whom were at the retreat, as characters in that book.
Another way to make it different from others in the genre was the focus on food and wine. I researched details from wineries and restaurants, and the book includes a recipe from my favourite restaurant.
While it is a fantasy novel, what sort of real life research went into the making of "The Bones of the Earth”?
Lots. It’s a fantasy set in a real time and place: Constantinople in the late sixth century CE. I researched the history of Rome and the Byzantine Empire, the different peoples during that period of great migrations, their cultures and mythologies. All the names except one are authentic for the period; most of the fantastic elements are also taken from mythologies of various people of that time and place.
What will the next book in The Witch's Child series be called and what kind of changes should your readers expect?
The Witch’s Child series crosses genres: it’s going to be an occult-paranormal-spy story. I am also writing it in instalments. The next instalment will bring a shadowy government intelligence agency into focus.
What has been the most rewarding experience of being an author so far?
Creating stories and seeing them in print, equal to meeting and talking with readers.
What is a writing dream of yours that you hope to accomplish within the next 3-5 years?
Writing and publishing five more books, the ideas for which I already have.
What's a word of advice someone has given you that's changed your outlook on life?
“There’s no such thing as perfect.”
What is your favourite way to escape from the present and relax?
Walking in the forest.
Are you working on anything new?
Always. I have several ideas for books, including a new espionage tale that I have outlined. Its working title is Nesting Dolls—as in the Russian matryoshka dolls.
What are your thoughts on AllAuthor and its services?
I am surprised at the range of services, and impressed by their depth.
