You were born and raised in East LA and later served in the Peace Corps—how have those very different life experiences shaped your storytelling?
When I was shipped overseas they gave all volunteers a book locker, stuffed with about a hundred paperback books. For most of us, it was more than enough to last the two years. Isolated months at a time in a small village with no running water or electricity, it was an opportunity to read a whole book for pleasure and not as an assignment for a class. The experience was magical. That’s when I learned to read for pleasure and when I also started to write.
Reading and writing by candlelight in a small African village sounds unforgettable. Did any of those moments directly inspire a character or scene in your novels?
Some of my African village experience made its way into my recently published, Under the Tree of Life. The Baobab tree is known to have a number of medicinal qualities and I wove that into a plot line in my book.
A story I wrote during my stay, about a boy in the village I lived in, was bought by the BBC for world broadcast. That was my first ever sale.
After a career in development for the City of Winston-Salem, what drew you back to fiction writing full-time?
Since the Peace Corps I’ve written off and on but it was only after retirement that I’ve been able to devote the time to the craft. As you would expect, having been a businessman, I’ve woven aspects of business into my Black Mountain Mystery Series. In the series my amateur sleuth, Emma Shaw, returns to her small mountain home town to open a photography studio, so I include quite a bit of the struggling entrepreneur’s experience in the books. Also, the town’s founding fathers are all greedy businessmen so that creates an interesting background for the books. My new series also involves a business, a renovated motel on the Florida Coast where people keep turning up dead.
Your first published novel was historical fiction, “The Cottage on the Bay.” What inspired you to make the shift from history to mystery in your later works?
The Cottage on the Bay was a book I just had to write. I have always been fascinated by the north/south dynamic of the Civil War but only being a transplant here, I didn’t understand the underlying lying complexities of the struggle. Researching the war was a thrill and crafting the story was a labor of love. Although a love story, the plot of the book also carries a mystery, so I was still in my domain there.
What draws you most to the mystery genre, and how do you balance suspense with character development?
Life is a mystery so naturally most stories have at least a touch of suspense and surprise in them and I’ve always been drawn to the mystery of life and what makes us tick.
Although my characters are drawn from real life the suspense is manufactured. Whether I do it seamlessly is the question.
Murder on Black Mountain launched your Black Mountain Mystery series in 2020. How has the series evolved over its three books so far?
The fourth book in my Black Mountain Mystery series just came out. I have created an underlining arc to my main character, Emma Shaw, that brings her full circle from escaping from the small town to her return. Although there is a murder to solve with each book there is also the opportunity to watch Emma in her journey of growth, resilience, and love.
Do you find it easier or harder to write a continuing series compared to a standalone novel?
I have a standalone espionage/suspense/action adventure book just out, Under the Tree of Life and I also just finished the second book in my new series, Cabana Bay which takes place on the Florida Gulf Coast, a completely different locale than my Black Mountain series. I love a series and revisiting my character friends and I hope readers do as well. But it is interesting and challenging to create a stand alone book and I welcome a challenge.
You also have an action/adventure novel under contract for 2026. How different is your writing process when approaching that genre compared to mystery or historical fiction?
In a quirk of publishing, my action/adventure book came out in October, much to my surprise. That gives me three published books in a six month span. The books were all written over the course of two years but just happened to reach the publish stage within a six month period. Not that I’m complaining. I know many writers struggle for years before landing a publishing deal.
With mystery there is more back and forth with clues, characters, and scenes. Historical fiction is set in a specific time period and characters revolve around the steady scene. With action and adventure it seems it’s all about the present and your character’s reaction to their environment. If I’m honest - good writing probably has all those ingredients.
Teaching part-time at a community college, how do your interactions with students influence your writing, if at all?
Characters in my books are drawn from my real life including my classes. Of course for me, business is a central theme in most of my stories, in one way or another.
Many writers struggle with discipline—what does your typical writing routine look like now that you write full-time?
Although I have time to write full time, I still have a wife, grandchildren, and grass to mow, so I budget my time and when on a deadline I get up at 4:00AM to squeeze in the needed extra time to write.
Your career path has taken you from education to city development to writing. What skill or lesson from those earlier careers has helped you most as an author?
Education is what opens your eyes to the world and the stories that need telling. The world of business brings an understanding of budgeting time and resources. Writing is the vehicle to let it all come together.
Who are some of your biggest influences in mystery and historical fiction?
I’m a huge fan of Sue Grafton’s alphabet murder mystery series. She would have to be my biggest influence on the mystery side. Sadly she passed away before the Z book was written. What a mystery that is.
I love historical fiction. I’ve completed a second historical fiction book that I have out on a query now and I am anxiously waiting on that. The best thing about HF is the research and the internet just makes it so easy to do. So, I’m almost finished editing my third HF book. This takes place both in the past at the end of the Second World War, and the present with the solving of a mystery. I think it’s pretty good.
If a reader were picking up one of your books for the first time, which one would you suggest they start with and why?
Such a hard question. I think my latest book is the best but my next book will be better. But don’t wait for the next one. It could be a year before that one is published.
Looking ahead, do you see yourself continuing the Black Mountain Mystery series, or are you eager to branch into new genres and worlds?
I will continue the Black Mountain series up until a natural ending. I have already branched out into other genres. I enjoy the variety and hope I can continue to write effectively in several genres at the same time. In addition to my new Cabana Bay series, I have a series concept I'm working on that takes place in another setting, different from what I have written up until now.
Lastly, how has your experience with AllAuthor supported your journey as a writer so far, and what kind of features or opportunities have been most helpful to you?
I appreciate the varied tools that AllAuthor offers and look forward to fully exploring the many others I have yet to employ.
