One lesser-known fact about your childhood?
Before I started driving I was an avid biker. I would often ride my bike down trails and often be in the woods for hours at a time. Several times when I got in trouble as a kid and my parents grounded me, I would ride my bike on a particular trail to a friend’s house without them knowing.
Do you remember the first story you ever read and the impact it had on you?
One of the first stories I remember reading was Edgar Allen Poe’s Mask of the Red Death. I remember enjoying the mixture of mystery, horror, and fantasy in the story. Poe’s story still continues to inspire me.
Who all are a part of your family? How critical are they of your writing?
I have a wife and two kids. My wife is usually one of the first people to read anything I write. She edits my writing and gives me ideas on how to make the subjects I write about better. She deserves a lot of credit for making me a better writer .
What inspired your first original story? Did you share the tale with anyone?
I wrote a lot of stories in high school when I took a creative writing class. Unfortunately I don’t have any of them anymore. My first original story since then was inspired by Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I wrote a modern telling of the story about four years ago to share with my students during what I called Haunted History Week. I wrote several short stories for Halloween week over the time I taught classes in Mobile. In fact, that’s really how I got back into writing.
What do you enjoy the most about writing crime fiction?
Without a doubt the characters. Writing about their growth, development, relationships, and their peculiarities is what keeps me interested. Coming up with a compelling story is much easier when you have characters that are driving the story. I also enjoy exploring the whys of the characters, especially the villains. Their motivations, and reasoning for their actions are compelling to me.
How do you write a satisfying end to a story?
I actually write or at least plan out the ending first. My writing is focused with that end in mind as I develop the story. That’s not to say I don’t change my mind about the ending, but I like to have a good idea how to complete the story. Once I’m satisfied with the ending I start to work on the story and work toward the ending.
How did you come up with the idea for your book, A Long Road to Redemption?
Strangely enough the idea for Long Road came from playing a video game. In the game you investigate a crime scene and find the who, the where, and with what, but the motive is never addressed. To me, the motive is the most important part of the story. The game got me thinking about why would someone want to commit a murder, and a story began to emerge from there. That was the original inspiration.
What is your ideal setting to write in?
Typically I sit either in my favorite recliner or at my kitchen table. Most of the time I put on a pair of noise canceling headphones, and listen to a playlist of songs. The unique thing about my playlist is that no matter which one I use, the Earth Wind and Fire song “Let’s Groove” is always the first song on the list. It’s kind of funny that I could be writing anything from a murder scene, horror scene, love scene or what have you and that catchy bass line and upbeat tempo is what’s coursing through my mind.
What is one message that you try to impart through your books?
While I don’t write religious fiction, I don’t shy away from exploring the lives of people of faith. Most people of faith are not that much different from those who are not part of the faith community. I like to depict them as being just normal, everyday people who try to live out their faith as best they can. They have the same faults, likes and dislikes, struggles, and challenges that anyone does.
Who inspired the character of Sidney Lewis?
I don’t know that any one person was the inspiration for Sidney. From the beginning, I always imagined her as someone who was a little sheltered. She grew up in a Bible believing home, and she seemed to always make good decisions and stay out of trouble. She attended a small college, and was more interested in graduating than partying and looking for a boyfriend. In some ways she’s more surprised by her own response to Lawson’ s advances than she is that someone would take notice of her. She’s very inexperienced in how the world works at the beginning, and she has to grow up and mature to survive.
Originally she had a very different character arc. She was at first written as an unintentional criminal, who committed a murder in the heat of the moment, and tried to hide her crime. In fact, there are still some elements of that arc left in the book. However, after working with that idea for a while, it just didn’t work. Instead I tried to imagine how a shy, bookwormish young woman could find herself in the situation she faces in the book.
What are some of the books that are really worth reading that you can recommend?
The Stand by Stephen King is amazing. The three books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy are equally amazing. I’m also a fan of Asimov’s Foundation series. Another trilogy I enjoyed was Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire series, which I found a far more compelling sequel to the Star Wars trilogy than the more recent movies. Tim O’Brein’s book The Things They Carried is a compelling read, and I used it when I taught American history class. A more recent book I’m reading now is Dark Harvest by Will Jordan.
How do you spend “quality time” with yourself?
I enjoy traveling to historical sites, usually once or twice a year. When I’m at home I usually watch sports or reruns of the Big Bang Theory. When I’m not doing that I play electric guitar, mostly rock songs since I’m not a country music fan. I do have a few country songs in the rotation, just not many.
Do you usually write the 'back-of-the-book' blurbs at the back of your books or does your editor?
I wrote the blurb for Long Road. I think I spent more time on that small section than I did on any chapter of the book. One of the things I don’t like to do is talk or write about myself, so it was a challenge.
What other things, apart from writing, do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy going to Civil War battlefields. That’s something I’ve enjoyed doing since I was a teenager. I also enjoy going to baseball and ice hockey games. I also enjoy public speaking when invited to speak for a club or organization.
How has your experience of being associated with AllAuthor been?
It’s been a positive experience so far. I’ve started to gain a following, and that has helped me stay focused on writing the next book. I’ve also been introduced to a number of authors and their work.
