You’ve lived a life of service—first in the U.S. Army and now continuing to support Soldiers. How has that shaped the themes or characters in your books?
Knowing military life and tactics helped me to create a military atmosphere around my characters, not just the chain of command style but how they interact with each other.
What inspired you to start writing, and how did you realize that your dreams could become stories worth sharing?
I have always enjoyed fantasy stories and have a big interest in time travel. My dreams are very vivid, and I remember many of them. I realized they are stories, complete but incomplete. I wanted to see if I wrote them out what could become of them.
How do you capture the details of your dreams so vividly? Do you journal them, record them, or just remember them?
Capturing my dreams is just something that happens naturally, I cannot explain why or how that happens. Many time I lay in bed once awake and rewind the dream(s) I just had. Later when alone I write them down as I remember them.
Can you tell us about a specific dream that turned into a full-fledged book?
The Chronos Resurgence: Echoes of Time is out for sale now. I dreamed the how people were trying to erase someone from history, and I was using a device to go back in time and battle the enemy to stop this from happening. I wrote down all the details I recalled, separated the events into scenes, then into chapters and went from there. Over the year I filled in the missing parts and added them to.
What role do faith and family play in your storytelling?
I was raised that faith and family first always, those values of having faith in one another surely is displayed in the characters as they over many hurdles
As someone with a degree in Social Science, do you find that your academic background influences how you develop characters or plots?
How society is expected to act, live and love is a basis for the background of the story.
“JimDandy” is a memorable road name. What’s the story behind it, and how does it represent who you are as a person and an author?
I was given the name by my wife’s closest friend Melissa, who needed my support on many occasions. For example, her car breaking down on the side of the road, having to meet her to drop off something needed or her daughter who grew up without a father who sees me ass her Dad and I her my Daughter. “JimDandy to the Rescue” Melissa would often say. From then on it stuck. As a person I am always willing to help someone in need, especially our Veterans, some say I am too nice or concerning. As an author, with many stories, someone or something is always coming to the rescue, whether it’s a person, an emotion, or an event. Coming to the rescue is not always physical and I try to tie that into my characters when they struggle with dilemmas of choice, right, wrong, or indifferent decisions.
The camaraderie of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association® clearly means a lot to you. Has that brotherhood influenced any of your stories or characters?
Of course, Brotherhood is having your back, always (IGY6) is a reference we use. In my characters it is the same, not operating alone, but as a team.
Do you feel there’s a particular message or mission behind your writing—something you want readers to walk away with?
I would hope readers would walk away with satisfaction from a good story. Some may walk away with how the boundaries of love are timeless, How coming together as a team for the greater good, or the struggle of what may sound to be good and right on the forefront may not be and causes you to question your morality.
What does your creative process look like? Do you write right after waking from a dream, or do you take time to develop it?
I wish it were as simple as writing it all out and being done, however I spend much time with rewriting. Once I have my story outlined, I go over it many times and change it multiple times, Then sometimes go back to what I originally had, hence the year it took me to write my first book.
You’ve worn many hats: soldier, father, mentor, writer. Which of those roles comes out the most when you’re writing?
All these roles play a part in my writing. I believe they have equal parts.
What was the most challenging part of transitioning from military service to being a published author?
I faced the challenge of transitioning from the military to civilian life many years past. If there was a challenge I face when writing I would say its learning how to not complete a chapter and learn to walk away and think about what it is I am trying to convey, then when I am able to gather my thoughts come back. Many times, in the military we are trained to drive on, complete the task, complete the mission. My task may be to complete a chapter that day and when “writers block” per say happens instead of fighting through it, to walk away and gather my thoughts. That would be the hardest for me.
Do you read other authors who write based on dreams or subconscious inspiration? If so, who?
Not really, I like science fiction fantasy stories that deal with time travel, history, space, and medieval times as well I also like a good espionage mystery story.
What has your AllAuthor experience been like so far? What are some highlights?
AllAuthor has given me the opportunity to advertise my book. I like the flyers AllAuthor sends out for posting, this gives another source of advertising. .
