Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Toronto, Canada, over a half century ago, moved to Japan at the age of twenty-six and never really went back. In 1997, I married my wife, Akiko, and we’ve been living in Osaka ever since. I make my living, such as it is, as an English teacher, and write whenever I get the chance.
To date, I’ve written fifteen novels, all of them save on in the Young Adult genre, and I have at least another ten ready to go or are already on submission. I write fast, getting all my ideas down and then fleshing them out as time goes by.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest YA novel is entitled The Menagerie, and is the story about a young teen, scarred in an accident that claimed the lives of her parents, kidnapped by an alien race that needs someone to care for their collection of endangered animals en route to a safe planet where they can be bred and then returned to their points of origin.
The teen, Karen Fox, is probably the most unlikely candidate, as she is somewhat disabled, is afraid of animals in general, and being kidnapped doesn’t help matters, either. Over the course of the journey, though, she transcends her fear and comes to love the animals and protects them when poachers come to claim their prize.
I was inspired by stories of those who helped abandoned and abused animals regain their health. An animal does not need much, simply a warm place to sleep, food to eat, and a kind and loving word from its keeper. They give love unconditionally and ask for so little…how could anyone not like them?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I park my butt in my chair and start typing away. If you have to do something, then do it!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Growing up, I loved the novels of Ray Bradbury, Frederik Pohl, and Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Robert McCammon is also a favorite of mine. They all wrote tales of the fantastic and that’s what I want to do.
What are you working on now?
It’s another YA novel entitled The Titans of Ardana, and it involves superheroes, the FBI, and a lot of sugar! That’s all I can tell you. I am also editing the YA novels Catnip 4 and 5, (available from Devine Destinies) and waiting to begin edits on another YA trilogy, The Nightmare Crew 2 and 3 from my publishers at Finch Books. There’s always something to write or edit. I try to keep busy.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
One of the best methods is sites like these. They get the word out. I use Facebook extensively, Goodreads, and recently have begun using Twitter more. The key, if there is one, is to focus on one or two books you have out, play it/them up, and keep writing.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
As above, keep writing and don’t stop. Get your ideas down, don’t worry about bad grammar or mistakes. Get those thoughts down on cyber paper and keep going! Read other authors, see how they set up pace and narrative and dialogue. Learn all you can and use that knowledge to further your own work.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never stop. Pour your heart and soul into your work. As the line in The Titans of Ardana goes, “Hold nothing back. Give everything.” That’s what other writers said to me when I first started out. That’s what I say to everyone else.
What are you reading now?
Nothing much, as I’m busy with work and writing, but anything by N.K. Jemisin is great.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More work! There’s always a new idea to be written about. I want to improve my narrative skills as much as possible, refine my talent, and keep getting better. Never ending improvement is what it’s all about to me.
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?
Inferno, by Niven and Pournelle, as well as Lucifer’s Hammer. The Stand, by King, and Gone South, by Robert McCammon. They’d satisfy my lust for good reading, good stories and good action.
Author Websites and Profiles
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