Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well let’s see. I was born in Virginia, but spent part of my childhood in Venezuela. After graduating from Virginia Tech I moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting. Soon realize it was not for me, but in the process began writing for TV and film. It wasn’t long before I realized that writing was my passion and I switched to books. In the last 5 years I guess I have put out 4 different books. More to come for sure!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am actually going to put the book that I am currently finishing up. It’s the sequel to my young adult novel “Gene. Sys.” and this book was born because of twitter. The book is called “80” and centers on a character I had originally planned to kill in the first book. While writing that book however, I was sharing my process with quite a few of my followers on twitter. Well they loved the character named 80. I literally had people telling me that I better not kill him. I listened, and now he’s getting his own book.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure it’s that unusual, but I always created a playlist of songs that define the mood or tone of whatever I’m writing. It has a bit of a pavlovian effect on me. So whenever I hear one of the songs, my mind switches to writing mode.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The two biggest influential authors for me have got to be Douglas Adams and Stephen King. King’s proficiency is unparalleled and Douglas Adams was just plain genius. The books that shaped me however were scifi and dystopian books like “The Martian Chronicles” and “Brave New World”, among others. These types of books were so imaginative to me, that I felt there was no limit to storytelling.
What are you working on now?
As I had previously said, I am finishing up “80”, the sequel to my dystopian book “Gene. Sys.” It’s taken me a little longer than I had hoped because of life. Life always gets in the way.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best way I have found to promote my book is through social media like twitter and instagram. Those hashtags can get you in front of readers that had never heard of you before. It’s a lot of work however.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s simple. WRITE. Don’t think about writing. Don’t talk about writing. Just Write!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Hope is not a plan”. This was said to my by John Rogers, the showrunner on the TV show I used to write on. This has always stuck with me. Hope is passive. If you want something done, do it!
What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading “Ready Player One”. I just started it, but since the film is coming out soon, I feel I need to do the story justice by reading it first.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next for me would be continuing the “Gene. Sys.” series. It’s currently a planned 5 book series, and I would love to have the story finished.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
This is actually an easy answer for me. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, “The Martian Chronicles”, and a big blank notebook. It’s still a book so it counts. I’ll write with squid ink if I have to.
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