What was your childhood like?
I had a pretty happy childhood. In my house it was just mom, dad, and my sister. I’m older than her by eight years. We were all avid readers so I suppose that’s a big reason why I found my way into writing.
Do you remember the first story you wrote and who did you read it to?
Growing up, I played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. I would write my own campaigns and play them with my friends. Later on, my mother suggested that I try turning one of them into a story. I’d never thought of that before, but she was the first person who ever got to hear an ‘original tale!’
Did you ever write anything in your earlier years that you never published? If so, do you think you would ever revisit those ideas, edit them, and make them into a book?
Almost every idea I ever had is now in print! I am terrible at letting things go. Two of my books: Birth of the Vampire and The Hearth remained incomplete for years. I eventually pulled them out, edited them, and fixed what was holding me back.
What encouraged you to start writing dark-fantasy books?
I wanted to write vampires in a way that (to me) had never been done. I associated vampires as being cookie-cutter creatures. They were always the same in movies and literature. So, I thought the first order of business would be to craft my own world. I placed them in a fantasy setting. After that, I made different breeds of vampires. I just wanted to write in a genre that I knew very little about but wanted to learn more.
How did you come up with the idea of writing a family drama that spans two planets, Breath of Mars?
I thought it could be a unique spin on a story that we see all the time. Life comes with problems. Money, health, and sometimes distance. I imagined how hard this would all be if you were separated from your loved ones across millions of miles.
How did you begin writing The Covenant Series?
In 2003, I broke my back at work. It kept me bed-ridden for six months. Early on, I knew that I needed something to do to keep my mind from going crazy. So, I wrote. That’s how I entered the whole business and it’s how I fed my love for writing. I was on my back, but my mind was as healthy as could be. I did most of the groundwork for my first book in between doctor visits and surgeries.
What challenges did you face while writing a novel, The Devil's Footprints inspired by true events?
Actually, that was a simple one! I found the story while doing research for another book and it stuck with me. It did involve a lot of digging and research, but that is one of the most enjoyable parts for me. That particular incident had very few witnesses, so it took a long time to find credible sources.
Do you believe in "aliens?" Why or why not?
I go back and forth on this one. I think there is something out there, or at least there was long ago. It doesn’t make sense that we have this huge universe out there with only a pinprick of blue floating in the middle of it all.
Who inspired the character of Deacon in "The Containment Bureau"?
I based Deacon on a guy I worked with at the library many years ago. He was always what you’d call a ‘go-getter’ because he’d clean up any mess. If there was a problem, no matter who was to blame, he saw it simply as something that needed fixed. I liked that about him, and I saw Deacon the same way. He has to save his sister and he’ll walk through whatever mess he has to in order to do it.
What is your favorite suspense novel and why?
This is an oldie but a goodie: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I have a first edition and it is one of my favorite books of all time. I’ve often said the level of suspense and the way the author builds the plot around the character feels far ahead of its time.
How do you structure your mystery, thriller, or suspense novels?
I like to start with a historical event or person and build mythology around it. In Better Left Buried, it was Anne Bonney. In Ghost Train of Treblinka it was a Holocaust train that went missing. I like to have a deep plot and decide what kind of characters would be most interesting to figure it out.
What are your tips and tricks to stay on track and creative with your writing?
I am a VERY structured writer! I have my days down to fifteen-minute increments in my planner. In addition to my books, I also ghostwrite and do writing commissions. I average writing around 100,000 words a month. I do two things that help me immensely when it comes to writing: I keep what Neil Gaiman would call a ‘compost heap,’ that is just random bits of ideas. That’s so important to being creative. And second, I outline everything. My current book has an outline that is around 750 bullet points. That’s not the whole story, but it is a good start.
Is there such a thing as having too many books?
Never! My wife and I combined our books when we got married and we were right at 10,000 of them. Since then, we’ve had to put library software on our computers and QR codes on bookshelves. We now have around 13,000 books. We have a dedicated library in our home but there’s not many rooms without a bookshelf!
What book ideas are you currently working on?
My current work-in-progress is about a group of cavers who investigate a hole in the Scottish Highlands. Several people have gone missing here over the years, and it has become the job of a girl named Elisabeth Wingate to lead people down to retrieve the bodies. But there’s an awful reason why no one ever comes back out . . .
How has your experience at AllAuthor been?
It’s been great. The exposure is nice and I love the banner tools. I’d recommend this to anyone!
