When did you know you wanted to be a writer? I don’t think there was ever a defining moment. Story telling has been in my blood from an early age. Before I could write stories, I drew them. I’ve always needed a creative outlet, whether writing, drawing, or sculpture. If I stop creating, I get bored and restless.
How long did it take you to write Dead Petals? What was the hardest section to write? I originally wrote Dead Petals as a short story which languished, unpublished for about a decade. When I decided how it could be a novel, it took about three years, on and off, to get it to where it is now. The middle was the hardest section to write. I created scenes, but when I put them together, it felt choppy and disjointed. I had to work at it to get it to try and get the scenes to progress more naturally.
How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite? I have written two novels: Dead Petals and The Dark Destiny, though The Dark Destiny was written before Dead Petals. They are quite different from each other and I like both of them for those differences.
What is your favorite genre to read? To write? I read and write mostly horror and dark fiction, though I am not averse to reading any genre if it’s a good story (I’m currently trying out Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things). More recently, I have written romance (To the Moon and Back) and fantasy (the Hero’s Promise), which I never thought I would have done, though the romance was wrapped in a little scifi.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone … about writing? Oh I don’t know. Keep at it probably. Stories don’t write themselves, and the more you write, the better you become.
What are you working on now? I have been finishing up Dead Petals for release, then plan on producing a book of short stories, then start editing The Dark Destiny for release later this year.
Is there anything you’d like to plug? Dead Petals is out on April 8th, pre-order now. Love Dust from Pixie Forest Publishing is a great anthology of love stories and contains my short story To the Moon and Back. March 8th sees the release of their new anthology, Magical Reality (pre-order now) which contains my fantasy short The Hero’s Promise. On April 15th comes Zombie Pirate Publishing’s Flash Fiction Addiction, containing my flash piece Horses for Courses.
BONUS QUESTIONS:
Do you have any pets? Why do they have the names you gave them? My wife has a budgie called Joey. He’s Joey the 4th or 5th. They have all been blue and are all called Joey, but they all had surprisingly different personalities and temperaments.
What’s your favorite book? Why? I don’t have a favorite, but I do have fond memories of reading IT by Stephen King, The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith, The Godfather by Mario Puzo, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. In the indie world I enjoyed The Altered: Subsist by Donise Sheppard, and have the other two book in the trilogy lined up for when I have some down time .
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That was cool you hot yo interview him. Proud of you. Keep up the good work, Madame Writer.