Which is your favorite childhood memory?
Waking up Christmas morning as a child, racing down the stairs and running in the back room of the house where the Christmas tree was to see the set up of toys under the tree. Specifically, the time the millennium falcon, x-wing, and tie fighter were there. Another great Christmas, featured the Shogun Warriors and Godzilla, and even another the legendary board game Dark Tower. They were magical Christmas mornings. My parents had a way of making very cool presentations of my toys under the tree. You would run into the back room and be totally wowed seeing them under the tree.
Do you remember the first story you ever read and the impact it had on you?
I don’t remember the first story I ever read, The Hobbit was the first fantasy book I read that had an impact on me, I tried to read Lord of the Rings but was too young, the first time and had trouble getting through it. However, the Sword of Shannara was the first fantasy book I read to the end and found it to be easier to understand when I was young. It had a big impact on me wanting to become an author as well as Elfstones of Shannara which I consider to be one of the greatest stories of good vs. evil ever written.
Who is the most supportive person in your life when it comes to your writing?
My Mom was probably the most supportive person when it came to my writing and always encouraging. Often told me not to worry about what anyone else thinks and to focus on what I think and to stay with it.
At what age did you begin writing? Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Return of the Demon Queen, was the first real fantasy short story I ever wrote in eleventh grade creative writing which received critical acclaim from the teacher and a 98 score, despite numerous grammatical errors, my teacher was very impressed with the story and my use of the semicolon which was one punctuation I understood and used correctly. Let’s hope I use it correctly during this interview.
When writing novels, is it better to have daily time-spent writing goals or words-written goals?
I do not believe in either word written goals or daily written goals. I think what ever works for you as an individual author is what’s best for you. I’ve gone months without writing and I’ve written twenty pages a day for three months straight. Whatever works best for you is what I believe in however if you stop writing for long periods, make no mistake, it only gets harder the more time you let go by without writing so I do think an author should try to write a little something every week.
What challenges did you face while writing your first book, Demon Lord Rising?
There were multiple challenges. The biggest challenge writing demon lord rising…well there were two big challenges. The first was I started writing the book at the end of the eleventh grade and we didn’t publish the book until 2019 when I was 49 so I had to re-write large parts of the book almost on a yearly basis as my education and maturity increased and my writing improved; the book needed almost yearly updating for several years.
The second biggest challenge even though I am the author, I worked with a co-author who came up with the original story, several plot lines, characters, cultures etc. However, we agreed the book would be written in one voice by me; he possessed the ability to express certain chapters to me and I had the ability to write them almost as he saw them in his head with hardly any revision. Fortunately, we had great chemistry in that regard and very rarely disagreed about plot or characters. The challenge was we lived in different states so writing the book consisted of lots of emailing back and forth and tweaking this part and that part. It’s not the easiest way to write a book.
Due to technology have people stopped reading books?
I would say no. At least, I don’t think so. Technology certainly makes it easier. Audio books are hugely popular. I, myself, love a good audio book, however, nothing beats laying on the couch or sitting on a balcony with an ocean view and a great book in your hand.
Which option to you prefer, reading some books or watching movies adapted from them?
I’ve always loved movies. Movies are pure magic and have the power to make those great images described in so many books come to life for us. Granted, you will often hear, “Oh, the book was way better than the movie.” Every now and then though, the movies get it right.
Which is the best compliment or fan mail you have received for your work?
There are two answers. For Demon Lord Rising, my first published work, I have received compliments and fan mail of people outraged that a particular character which I considered a supporting or “B” character, was killed off. They considered the character, not only a main character, but their favorite character. Something like that tells me I did a really good job with character development.
The second is a compliment I received about an unpublished work of mine that a friend read called The Demonologist & the Exorcist. After reading it, she said she was seriously thinking about going back to church. For that genre, I can think of no better compliment.
What according to you are the key ingredients to a successful book?
There are a few basic things that have to be there. First, you have to capture/hook the reader right away within the first five pages. Second, there must be characters, especially the main characters that are compelling and evoke strong emotion in the reader. The reader has to care about the characters to some degree even if they dislike or hate them but there have to be characters they can identify with, like and believe in. Third, the story has to have a fairly good pace and flow.
Essentially, a strong beginning, followed by a compelling middle that doesn’t drag, and the author must deliver a strong, satisfying ending. The ending has to leave the reader wanting more…wanting the next book or a potential next book.
What is a helpful advice for people interested in writing their memoirs?
I’m not sure I’m qualified to give advice on this. No, I’m sure of it, I’m not qualified. At a guess I would say the same things I would about almost any story. Have a good hook in the beginning. Make your character likeable and compelling, someone the rest of us can identify or sympathize with. Keep the story interesting and moving and try and finish with a strong ending.
What’s something on your bucket list that you think is unique?
I’d like to learn how to speak Japanese and Sign Language.
How important do you think it is to spend time with yourself?
As an author, I think it’s important because you need to figure out what your best process is in order to write and be your most creative. For me, it’s being alone in a place with a great view (preferably water or mountains), soundtrack music playing in the background with a glass of bourbon, scotch, or Irish whiskey and coffee brewing in the kitchen.
What are you currently working on? May we know when to expect a new book?
Currently working on several projects. I’m finishing book four sequel of my first fantasy trilogy called Demon’s Gambit. I’m also working on the sequel to my supernatural series which began with a finished but unpublished work, The Demonologist & the Exorcist. Additionally, I just started an entirely new fantasy trilogy with the first book called Dread Queen of Malakar.
My second book, squeal to Demon Lord Rising, called Secret of the Emerald Star, will hopefully be published before the end of this year.
The short answer is I’m working on too many projects, however, the good thing is…I’ve always got plenty to work on.
When did you first come across Allauthor website and what were your expectations coming in? What are your thoughts now?
I think I first saw Allauthor advertised on a Facebook ad and I was attracted to it mainly for the Cover of the Month contest and became a member, at first, so I could enter my book in one of the contests. Other than another avenue to promote the book; I had very few expectations coming in.
My thoughts now are I’m very glad I joined. The book feature you do on twitter is a great economical way for authors to promote their book. The additional tools and marketing banners that the site is ever expanding are fantastic marketing options for authors who do not have thousands to spend on this stuff. Additionally, it’s a great networking site for other authors to get to know each other and one another’s work.
My only critique and its more of a fact or a wish than a critique is I wish the Cover of the Month contest was judged by industry professionals and not just who gets the most votes. It seems like the winners are whoever can garner the most votes from friends and acquaintances rather than which book truly has the best cover. I do like; however, the contest is going genre specific. I think that’s a step in the right direction but overall, I think your site provides a fantastic service to authors at a reasonable price.
