Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m old but not dead yet. At the age of seventy-six, I had my first novel, Let Freedom Ring, published by The Wild Rose Press (2016). Two years later, my second and third novels were released (Before We Fade Away-The Wild Rose Press and A Conflict of Time-Full Moon Publishing, LLC.) In February 2020, my fourth novel, Whatever It Takes, was published by Moonshine Cove Publishing LLC.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Whatever It Takes (What are the odds? Gabe Wakefield is a thief. He is burglarizing the immaculate, suburban home of Dr. Derrick Byrnes, a local podiatrist, and his wife, Denise, when Gabe notices a rank odor coming from a garage closet. Upon opening the door, he discovers an emaciated child clothed only in dirty underwear lying in a fetal position in the midst of filth, excrement, and urine. What should he do? No child should live in such deplorable conditions. Against his better judgement, he kidnaps the child.
WHATEVER IT TAKES is a tense suspense/thriller of 92,300 words. Throughout the manuscript, Gabe, a single guy of twenty-five who works as a stocker in a local superstore, is challenged with how to deal with what he has done. He is hell-bent on bringing down the couple who grossly mistreated the child. But how is that possible when he just committed both a felony and a kidnapping? )
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I write, I actually become the characters in the story. It is as if I am in their world taking part in their challenges and endeavors.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have recently become a big fan of books by Linwood Barclay. I’m not a series writer, nor do I usually read series. I figure at my age I might not be around to read or write the last in a series. A few other authors whose books I enjoy are Harlan Coben, David Rosenfelt, Lisa Scottoline, and Mary Kubica.
What are you working on now?
I recently finished another thriller manuscript called There Was An Old Woman. I am having it professionally edited before I attempt to get it published. My other four books were set in the mythical town of Nawinah, Florida. However, since I’ve moved back to Ohio, this book and another I have just started (1010 Colleda Avenue) are set in Northeast Ohio.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My first three books did well with book signings. However, Whatever It Takes was published weeks before the pandemic, and I had to cancel all my personal signing dates. I have resorted to online publicity.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. It took me three attempts to get my first book published.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’m not sure of this. I’ve lived a long time and have had advice given to me by so many people. Some of that advice turned out to be garbage. Some of it was phenomenal. So now when I’m given advice, I wait; I test it; and if I find it truly works, I accept it. I have become skeptical in my old age.
What are you reading now?
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
What’s next for you as a writer?
I will continue to write more books for as long as I can. I have a backlog of ideas waiting in this brain of mine. Whether or not I’ll be able to put them on paper before my eyes or heart gives out, remains a question.
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?
I’d probably decide to bring on of Linwood Barclay’s series. Then I’d know I’d have a chance to read them from the first through the last.
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