Where were you born?
I was born in San Leandro California but I grew up and went to school in Vallejo California.
What was your childhood like? Which is your fondest memory?
While no childhood is perfect, I can say that overall, I had a really good childhood. I came up in a close-knit Christian family. Among the many lessons we learned, our parents taught us about the importance of family and being there for one another. I grew up in a house with three sisters, and three brothers. I was the youngest. We also had many cousins around our ages who lived near us. So, my fondest childhood memory was being surrounded by so much family while we were growing up, that it was never a dull moment. Even though none of us were rich and we struggled financially at times, I never felt like we missed or lacked anything.
Were you always interested in games? Is this why you decided to get a degree in Bachelor of Science degree in Game Software Development?
Yes, I was always interested in games. From the time we spent at arcades and at the house of friends who owned Atari game consoles, I was always into video games. When our parents got us our first game console (The Nintendo Entertainment System), I eventually became interested not just in playing games, but in how games were made. Near the end of my time in the Army, when I was in the reserves, I decided to go to school for game software development.
What inspired you to make a switch from studying software development to aspiring to become a writer?
When I went into the Army, I was an Information System Operator/Analyst, and I have worked in the IT field ever since. Though I did go back to school to get my bachelor’s degree in game Software Development, I was unable to leave the IT field to pursue a career in game design for various reasons. My brother and I, along with a friend from school, did start our own game company for a while, but we never really got that off the ground. It was a good learning experience that showed me that I was more interested in creating stories for games than actually programming them. While it didn’t happen right away, I eventually decided to try my hand at writing, which was also something that interested me over the years. In fact, I used one of my game design courses to force myself to come up with the backstory upon which Cargo 3120 was based.
How did you come up with the idea of your book, Cargo 3120: Ties that Bind?
Cargo 3120 was not just my idea. The concept was based on an idea that my co-creators: Lloyd Walker Jr. (my brother), and Daymond C. Roman (my close friend), came up with about 25 years ago. At that time, we were trying our hands at screenwriting and came up with an untitled science fiction movie idea. We never actually wrote that script, but we did create a lot of notes about the universe and two of the characters.
Life took us all in different directions, and we lost a lot of the ideas we jotted down. Years later, after I got out of the Army, I tried to reconstruct as many of those ideas as I could from memory. I didn’t have much, but it was enough to get me started. When I was in school for game software development, I came up with a new narrative for that universe in a game design document called “Cargo”. Eventually, I would go on to write a teleplay based on those ideas back in 2011. I reunited with Daymond and Lloyd after I wrote the first draft, to help refine the ideas. And we’ve been working on it ever since, eventually teaming up with my mentor, Larry Brody, to help get Cargo 3120 into its current state as a novel.
Why are most contemporary stories character-driven instead of plot-driven?
Years ago, one-off movies and episodic television ruled. People wanted something they can jump in and out of without having to know what happened before or any history about the characters. Over time, I think serialized storytelling has taken the forefront. As a result, people wanted characters that they could emotionally invest in and follow over time. They wanted protagonists they can identify with and root for, and antagonists they could not only love to hate but are nuanced and interesting as well.
Because of this rising popularity of serialized storytelling, I believe that stories in general are becoming more character-driven than ever before. However, I personally think the best stories are ones that are both character-driven and plot-driven because it’s not enough to have interesting characters, but the story and universe/world in which they live must be compelling as well, or you may lose people’s interest.
What was your reaction when your first teleplay was placed as a finalist in the TVWriter.com 2012 People's Pilot Competition?
In a word: surprised. Not because I felt our story wasn’t good, but it was that the competition was so stiff, I felt the chances of placing would be remote at best. The people’s pilot competition was one that was open to both new writers, and professionals. People who were currently working as television writers and screenwriters entered teleplays for this competition. The judges were industry professionals that were looking for works that were “Television Ready”.
Even though we didn’t win, we came close. There were only fractions of points that separated the finalists from the ones that eventually placed. The fact that our work stood out, and even beat out some of those seasoned writers for the finalist spots, was a huge confidence booster, to say the least.
When was the first time you were inspired to tell the story of Cargo 3120 as a series of novels?
After the warm reception from the competition, based on the feedback from the judges, we felt that we couldn’t abandon Cargo 3120 and just move on to something else. We also knew that going straight to Hollywood as a new writer, trying to pitch a new television show, was a long shot. After sound advice from my mentor, we decided to tell Cargo 3120 in another medium so that we can establish the intellectual property, which could make it easier to bring to Hollywood later.
Honestly, telling Cargo 3120 as a novel, wasn’t my first choice, as I was unsure if I could successfully make the leap from screenwriting to novel writing. Initially, we were aiming for a graphic novel, but that process was more involved than I anticipated. We just weren’t ready to tackle the comic medium first.
Eventually, we agreed that telling the story as a novel first was the best move. So, I adapted the pilot episode teleplay (Ties that Bind) into our first novel. We started putting it out in pieces as novellas, and eventually put out the completed work: Cargo 3120 Ties that Bind, which is the compilation of the four novellas.
Audio book vs e-book vs printed book, which one do you prefer and why?
Personally, I have become an audiobook fan, especially since Audible went to a subscription service. My life is very hectic these days, so I don’t have the time to sit down and read as I did in the past. Audiobooks have become a convenient way to get through books while I am on the go.
With that said, I think that as an author, having books in all three mediums is essential, because they appeal to every type of reader. While we do not have an audiobook at this time, we are working toward getting that done once we find the right reader.
Of science fiction authors who you read as a child, who holds up best?
When I was a child, I started off as more of a sci-fi movie and television fan. It wasn’t until Jr. High School that I read my first science fiction novel, which was Star Wars Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. From that point on, I started reading sci-fi (mostly Star Wars and Star Trek novels) every chance I got. As far as childhood authors that holds up best, I would say Timothy Zahn, as even today with his recent Star Wars novels, I find his work as compelling now as I did when I was a kid.
If you were a child now during this pandemic, would you like virtual school or would you prefer traditional school?
Based on my personality and how I was as a child, I would prefer virtual schooling. I have always been more of an introvert. While I did have friends and acquaintances in school, I also had no problem being by myself. So, if my school were to suddenly shut down as every school did during the pandemic, I think I would have wanted to remain on virtual learning.
I have always preferred to work on my own and at my own pace. I completed my entire degree online and found the experience quite enjoyable. I know healthy social interactions are important, especially for children, but I believe there are some children who can and do thrive in a virtual learning environment.
As a big fan of science fiction as a child , how did it affect your worldview and how has it influenced your life as an adult?
The aspect of science fiction that intrigued me the most beyond the fun characters and exciting action, was the vision of where technology was headed in the future. This is why I knew I wanted to work in the technology field in some capacity. This love of science fiction is also why I still have plans to further my education in the future, in the fields of astronomy and technology. Even today, this love of science fiction has influenced my decision to try my hand at creative writing. Science fiction is a genre that I have never outgrown and is something that will continue to interest me for the rest of my life.
Which is the better degree for becoming a video game programmer, the Bachelor of Science in Game Development or the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science?
While both degrees are applicable, I believe it is better to go with a program that focuses on game software development. In my opinion, there are a lot of aspects to game software programming that is different from business/general software programming.
In game development, it is about more than just producing a functional piece of software. The goal is to produce software that is both functional and entertaining, making it much different than business software. Therefore, I think getting into a program that focuses on the unique programming needs of video games, will better prepare a person to work in that field.
Which is the next book you are working on? Give us an insight into it.
Currently, I am working on book two in the ongoing Cargo 3120 series, subtitled “Severed Ties”. Book two picks up a few weeks after the events of Ties that Bind and will give readers a better glimpse into the characters that we introduced in the first book. In short, it is our hope that readers will find the book to be well worth the wait.
I am hoping to have a Christmas release at the latest. Originally, I wanted to release the book during the summer, but life threw a number of curve balls at me, so I started much later than I intended.
How has your experience with AllAuthor been?
I’ve had a wonderful experience with AllAuthor. In my opinion, one of the biggest needs for new and independent authors is to increase the exposure of our work. The frequent social media posts that you send out for us have helped increase the online visibility of the book. The professional graphics you provide for our blogs and social media posts are a huge help as well. I would definitely encourage any author to consider AllAuthor to help promote their book.
