-I am the author of the Sci-Fi mysteries Crackle and Fire, Fractured Lives, and Hot Ash, the ongoing series featuring my intergalactic private eye Angela Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler. I’ve also written the parallel Universe/space adventure, Crossline, and the SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza. And I was also the editor of the Sci-Fi mystery anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem (I also contributed a story) and co-author and -editor of the noir anthology Murder in Montague Falls.
I’ve also contributed a dozen sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery short stories to various anthologies.
What is your favorite genre to write?
-Sci-Fi mystery
Favorite food.
-Pizza
Tea or coffee?
-Green tea
Pizza or ice cream?
-Pizza, followed up by ice cream
Wine or beer or soda or what?
-Diet Dr. Pepper
Where would you like to visit?
-One of my best friends lives in Auckland, New Zealand. I haven’t been there in 20 years. I’m due to go back.
Favorite musical artist.
-Billy Joel
Do you listen to music when you write?
-Rarely. I listened to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon at least 50 times
while writing Crossline, my space opera, to get into that headspace. But overall I need silence when I write.
What makes you laugh?
-Humor
How old were you when you started writing?
-10
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards?
Or just write?
-A little bit from column A, a little bit from column B.
Describe your perfect evening.
-Sunset at Cape May, NJ, sitting back in a chair, with my wife and kids, listening to the surf.
Where do you get your inspiration?
-It comes in various forms, from various places. I’m not dodging the question, it’s just that ideas come from… wherever they come from. A fragment of a song, a memory, going for a walk, having an argument with someone. The possibilities—and sources—of inspiration can literally be and come from anywhere.
What do you do when you get writer's block?
-I don’t get classic ‘writer’s block’ often, but when I’m really stuck, I take a walk.
Who is your favorite author?
-I don’t have a single favorite author, but a few that stand out for me (in no particular order) are Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Sarah Gran, Harlan Cobin, Christopher Moore, and Kurt Vonnegut
Best book you ever read.
-My top five novels include (again, in no particular order): The Stand, Fahrenheit 451, Lamb, The Catcher in the Rye, The Sirens of Titan.
Last book you read.
-Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
-If I had the skill… a carpenter.
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?-My wife, Liz, no doubt. Because she helped civilize me! LOL! Although I’m only half-kidding. She’s my rock and partner in life as we raise our 12-year-old twin ninjas. And as I often tell her, she may be my wife, but she’ll always be my girl.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
-Mark Twain. His wit, intelligence and ability to keep his sanity and sense of humor while we, as a people, treated each other so poorly, is something I greatly admire. Especially the way things have been in the U.S. lately.
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?-Put your butt in the chair and write. And keep writing, especially when it’s difficult. Share your work with people whose opinion you trust and will give you feedback that you can actually apply (dialogue, pacing, structure, plot, setting, character, etc.), with the goal of helping you improve. If you only listen to people who tell you what you want to hear, you’ll delay or even smoother your growth. And don’t assume you’re gonna ‘make it big’ right out of the gate. It takes years and years of working on your craft to see meaningful results (I’m talking quality of writing, not sales). Focus on telling a good story with compelling characters. Do the best you can, and then accept that the readers get to decide what they think about your work, whether you agree with their assessments or not.
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