Q: In one sentence, tell me something that describes you as a person?
A: A guy who escapes the worlds in his head by committing them to paper.
Q: How many books have you written? How many of those are published?
A: I am about to self-publish my third Anki Legacies novel. There is also a short story collection in the series.
Q: Do you have an upcoming release? If yes, tell me the title and impending release date.
A: Monkeyboy will be out on or before March 1st.
Q: Tell me about how you come up with your titles for your stories. Do you create the title before or after you write the book, and does it ever change from the initial title?
A: Monkeyboy came first. The other two novels got their titles after the rough draft. I didn’t want to name them before then because nothing great came to me. Then I settled on a title that just felt right.
Q: Out of all your characters in all of your books, who/what (sometimes a setting can also be an important “character”)do you think is the most interesting and why?
A: My favorite character is Acacia from A Paleolithic Fable. She was one of the first I created after really expanding my knowledge on how to characterize. She has a really rough past and drags a bit of guilt with her, but her youth renews her optimism and allows for a bit of foolish decision making. She is teamed up with all these people that have extraordinary powers and abilities, but at times she outshines them with the power and consequences of her curiosity.
Q: If you could “create” your own genre of what you write, what would you call your books?
A: Perhaps I have, and maybe I simply can’t settle into one. I find it hard to define my books as High Fantasy, Space Fantasy, Space Opera, or Science Fiction. I like to wiggle around a bit. I spent some time letting characters make science out of magic after alien first contact.
Q: Without quoting your back cover synopsis, tell me about the last book you published.
A: Stone Age hominins lived among multiple species of tool using people. Neanderthal, Homo Floresiensis, Homo Erectus, and Homo Sapien all interacted with one another like the elves and dwarves of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. A person from Earth’s near future travels back to save the world from two magical aliens bent on replacing humanity before the dawn of civilization. There is a long chase and lots of fight scenes.
Q: Tell me something about yourself that is separate from writing.
A: I trained in martial arts for years before becoming a writer. I wanted to compete in mixed martial arts, but schedule restraints drove me to practice another interest, writing.
Q: Who is your favorite Author?
A: Right now, it’s Brandon Sanderson. I can’t wait for the next Stormlight Archives!
Q: What is the last book that you read? (Not counting anything you wrote)
A: I just finished the audiobook, Running Bear (Wounded Warriors #1) by Kit Fawkes. The last thing I read was No Distance to Run by Leenna Naidoo.
Q: When writing, do you have a system or something you plan, or do you just write?
A: I plot. I like to plan out the novel in quarters: beginning, middle, middle, end. Then I write myself a short paragraph as a prompt for each chapter. I don’t plot out the whole thing at once because I like to let the story come to life before I decide exactly how it will end.
Q: Why do you write?
A: I always wanted to. When I was younger I thought I’d write when I knew something. I do. On top of fiction, I am a technical writer for a company that specializes in industrial filtration and air pollution control. I find that technical writing helps me understand each process and its equipment. For fiction I feel like it’s my opportunity to practice creativity, inherent to all children and neglected by adults to their detriment.
Q: Do you read your own work a lot? If so, what does it do for you?
A: I have a lot of fun reading my own stuff! There are so many little things that I forget when I simply write a synopsis or explain to people I meet why I spent months telling a story about magical cavemen.
Q: Any final thoughts that you want to give to your fans or even future authors?
A: I think it’s important that we all make the most of our lives. Especially when it comes to our health and pursuit of contentment. No matter who you are, a healthy diet, regular exercise, morning meditation, learning new things, and expressing oneself creatively through writing, art, music, etc. are all great ways to be your personal best. Taking care of yourself by addressing each of these components of wellness will help anyone face the challenges, disasters, and rejection that stand between us and our goals.
