Q: In one sentence, tell me something that describes you as a person?
A: A passionate storyteller who believes the pen is half full of ink, not half empty.
Q: How many books have you written? How many of those are published?
A: In addition to numerous short stories, I’ve written ten books, eight of which are published, the other two coming soon. Being a multi-genre author, my bibliography is quite eclectic.
Q: Do you have an upcoming release? If yes, tell me the title and impending release date.
A: My autobiography, Power of the Pen, has a release date of Christmas Day, 2016. It will soon be available for preorder, as a PDF on Smashwords, so that I can share the nearly 100 colored photos that are featured throughout it. In the book I chronicle the diverse life I’ve lived so far, including having went nearly blind as well as moving to a Third World country from the U.S., and all the hardships that followed, so as to be with my wife.
Q: If you could “create” your own genre of what you write, what would you call your books?
A: I kinda already have. My domain, DramaticNovellas.com, describes the two core elements of my literary works. All are dramatic, meaning they explore the human condition in a powerful way, and, so far, all are novellas. I feel most novels are too long, with a story not really needing hundreds of pages to be told effectively.
Q: Without quoting your back cover synopsis, tell me about the last book you published.
A: Riker’s Calling is a book with many layers, and different readers will take away different things from it. One thing it is not is cliché, so for those looking to escape cookie-cutter storytelling, this one’s for you!
What’s not mentioned in the synopsis is how it will also get you thinking about the current state of cable news, and how it’s so repetitive.
Q: Tell me something about yourself that is separate from writing.
A: I happen to be totally blind in one eye and legally blind in the other due to Acute Retinal Necrosis. As an author and enthusiastic reader, this makes life difficult, but I manage.
Q: Who is your favorite Author?
A: Stephen King tore my perspective on great storytelling wide open when I was 15, with his book Misery.
Anne Rice mesmerized me with her Vampire Chronicles.
And Ken Follett gave me new appreciation for master plotting.
Q: When writing, do you have a system or something you plan, or do you just write?
A: It varies from story to story. Some require a lot of research and/or outlining, while others flow when you sit down with pen and paper. (That’s right, I’m ol’ school-LOL!)
Q: Why do you write?
A: Certainly not because I’m getting rich from it-LOL! I have yet to make a decent payday, but that’s because I don’t have a powerhouse publisher behind me, so with each book it’s like playing the lottery, hoping, but not expecting, that this one will be the one people choose to turn their attention towards, as opposed to being led by big wig advertising that I have yet to be able to compete with.
I’d love to earn enough to get a laptop, as I am like a baker with no oven. I mean, yes, I still write in long hand, but in this day and age a writer still needs to do everything else electronically. Would be nice to not have to go to an internet café all the time!
Q: Any final thoughts that you want to give to your fans or even future authors?
A: To future authors I’d say find your own unique voice, then stick with it. There are over seven billion opinions out there in the world, so only a certain percentage will ‘get’ your work. For the rest, don’t let them stress you. Their loss!
For my fans, who I like to refer to as my supporters, thank you so much for taking the time to open your mind to my work. You’re appreciated more than you’ll ever know!