Q: In one sentence, tell me something that describes you as a person?
A: I’m uncomfortable trying to describe myself as a person and prefer to let others learn what I’m like as a human being through open dialogue and creative interaction.
Q: How many books have you written? How many of those are published?
A: I have written, and published, one work of fiction; 5th Floor Francis. When I was living and working in South Korea, however, I wrote and published more than fifteen textbooks for use in ESL classrooms.
Q: Do you have an upcoming release? If yes, tell me the title and impending release date.
A: 5th Floor Francis was just recently released, officially, on May 17th. The release date of my next novel is yet to be determined, though it has a working title: The Redemption of Ron.
Q: If you could “create” your own genre of what you write, what would you call your books?
A: This first work of fiction, 5th Floor Francis, and the novel I am currently working on would be what I consider “dramatic realism.” I like to write about intense situations that could possibly take place.
Q: Without quoting your back cover synopsis, tell me about the last book you published.
A: The last book I published is basically concerned with the ups and downs of life; how things can go terribly wrong, become balanced once again through personal effort, but then go terribly wrong again, and so on. We always have darkness or lightness on the horizon, and we never know how truly dark or light it is going to get until we have actually reached that point.
Q: Tell me something about yourself that is separate from writing.
A: I spend a great deal of time mowing my lawn. It’s actually too large for a push mower, but I enjoy the hours it takes to cut my grass; I consider it a great time for meditation. I also spend hours upon hours watching the different birds I attract to my yard with feeders.
Q: Who is your favorite Author?
A: I don’t really have a favorite author. I enjoy John Steinbeck and Mark Twain a great deal. I also really like works on Buddhism by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Q: What is the last book that you read? (Not counting anything you wrote)
A: The last book I read was “Ulysses” by James Joyce. I’m sorry, I can see it took a great deal of effort and time to pen, but I can’t say I enjoyed it.
Q: When writing, do you have a system or something you plan, or do you just write?
A: When writing, I come up with a core idea for the story and sort of build the outline as I write. It’s a fluid activity and I do not like to stick to a strict outline. I’d say I start with the ending and build the story towards that conclusion.
Q: Why do you write?
A: When I wrote nonfiction textbooks I was writing for the pay checks. I write the fiction because I like to tell stories. Writing fiction is also a productive way for me to vent frustrations and express ideas that are uncomfortable to express verbally in conversation with another individual.
Q: Any final thoughts that you want to give to your fans or even future authors?
A: If you have a story you want to write; write it. Don’t fool yourself into thinking people won’t be interested in reading it. If you worry about grammar and punctuation, flow and continuity, don’t. That’s what editors are for.