Tell us a little bit about your childhood and where you grew up.
I grew up in the mitten (for those not familiar, the 'mitten' is the state of Michigan, USA) in a very average way. Mostly lost in a group of 6 siblings.
Were you an avid reader as a child? Do you still read books?
I've loved reading from the time I learned there were books out there written for something other than class work, in those impressionable teen years. Back then it was Sci-Fi & Fantasy with the masters that pulled me in. I've never regretted picking up a book from that time on.
Where did you go to college? What was your major?
My Alma mater is the Universty of Michigan. A perennial football powerhouse that held so much more for me than just study. I smoked weed and listened to Led Zeppelin, Moody Blues, America and the Beatles and chased my Groove. Finally growing up my Junior year.
What encouraged you to pen your first fantasy novel?
I fell on my head. True story. I suffered a concussion & traumatic brain injury and now live with PCS (Post Concussion Syndrome). For months I could not read for more than 15 minutes at a time... and I started having vivid dreams of a story that was coalescing in my muddled mind. I found that writing it down was therapeutic. All those fantasy stories and authors I'd read became muses and added pieces, here and there and before long, it became a novel.
What are the challenges of being an indie author?
Reaching readers... my hope and dreams are to find a way to reach more readers. I love their reaction and response to my words, my story. I write to give readers an escape like I long for when ever I read.
What inspired the plot of your novel, DRUID QUEST: Maegics Heir?
Wizards. I've always been fascinated not only by the heroes in the fantasy worlds I read, but this masters of magic that helped them reach their goals. What were the coming of age stories of Mithrandir, and Merlin, and even Dumbledore. So I wrote one.
Arias Côeurdrægon is such a unique name. How did you come with it?
Ha. Ariastone came to me in a dream and Côuerdrægon means Heart of a Drægon, what could be more fierce (and Pendragon had already been used)
What is your writing kryptonite? Inversely, what is something that never fails to inspire you?
Wow. My kryptonite. The real world. It has a way of creeping into my imagined worlds, and pulling my away from the swords & sorcery. Nasty, nasty, the real world. But inspiration is just a dream or movie theater or a new Indie author's book away.
Have you planned all the books in the Maegics Heirs series?
I'm a Pantser in my writing world. There has always been an overlooming theme that I've not revealed yet. But for each book, so far, I've written the first and last chapters and have let the characters take the story from A to B. New characters just emerge...and grow... and their tales become part of the larger story. This is my writing truth. My characters are telling the tale, one scene at a time. The stories have truly written themselves with no forward plan.
What is the best writing tip you ever received and who gave it to you?
The tip- just write...until the story is out and complete. There will be plenty of time, through countless edits to polish and evolve the details. The journey through the first novel was a solitary one. I wrote with a flurry, trying to get the words out. It took 3 months, with a stylus on a smartphone, in longhand and cursive. Only after, did I hear that same advice. Time and again from other writers. I didn't speak with them before hand, because I knew none.
How do you spend “quality time” with yourself?
I don't spend 'quality' time with myself. I spend it with family and friends, doing anything...a card game, golf, or a quiet evening tucked in my recliner with my dog, watching some fantasy on the TV with my wife. But to sleep, perchance to dream, is always special.
Do you write merely for entertainment or do you have a "message" or something you want to change through your books?
Life lessons may leak out of my quill, but I'm no philosopher and take pleasure in simple things, and if I can please a reader, give their life an escape valve, well then, I've done my job.
What is your ideal setting to write in?
Any quiet corner with my stylus and smartphone. I've written 2-1/2 books this way. I know no other way.
Which is the next book you are working on? Is it a series or a stand-alone book?
I'm into book 3 of my Maegics Heirs series. The series will probably have 5 books? Not sure. Book three is my chance to delve into the characters more deeply, as opposed to strickly worldbuilding. Book 1 was a lot of that along with the Coming of Age story of Arias, but now I get to let the other characters move center stage. They are picking up the mantle and becoming glorious in their own rites. I'm loving it.
How has your experience with AllAuthor been?
Thank you so much fire letting me share. Expanding into this new world of writing has been a marvelous experience, and you've given me one more chance to make it so. I encourage readers to give Indie authors a chance. We've some awesome worlds and stories to share.
