Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
To begin with, I’m the author of PARADISE ROT (BOOK ONE) and ONCE AGAIN, WITH BLOOD (BOOK TWO). I earned a degree in film from CSULA and was an award-winning art director for 16 years. And then I got the hell out of Dodge (advertising) and decided I was better at fiction for the greater good (entertainment) than fiction to make people buy shit they don’t need (advertising). I’d written two novels and a ton of scripts in my 20’s but I don’t really count them as over 20 years passed since writing Paradise Rot. So really, let’s call Paradise Rot the first novel. I just dropped the second book of the trilogy, Once Again, With Blood.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Once Again, With Blood is the second of a trilogy, which I’m calling simply, “The Island Trilogy.” The series was inspired by a couple of things. One, in the time-honored tradition of Hitchcock, I wanted to take an innocent and put him through the meat grinder and see how he reacts. I was also inspired by the satire of Hiaasen, Moore and the comedic film duo who brought such greatness to the world as “Shawn of the Dead.”
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a catch as catch can writer. I leave my laptop on all day and steal an hour here or there to write. I work from a color-coded chapter analysis to help me keep track of where my characters are. I usually have a soundtrack for each book. For this one, Ravi Shankar, Satyajit Ray and The Talking Heads are on constant rotation.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hunter S. Thompson for his velocity and bite, Carl Hiaasen for his humor and plot, Christopher Moore for his absurdity. There are many books that have inspired me, ranging from non-fiction to pulp fiction. I’m also heavily influenced by cinema. My books are dialogue driven and take my cues from the movies and the way people converse. I’m also a big fan of the 3 act structure.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on Book Three of the trilogy. Since I’m winding things up with the characters, I feel as if I’m writing two books – one for the story continuation and one to bring the characters to conclusion.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube book trailer (http://youtu.be/dETwMucaKoo)free ebook listings (my first novel, Paradise Rot, is perma-free), blogging, reposting blogs, retweeting, spamming good friends and family.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get something down every day, even if it’s a couple hundred words. Some days it’s gonna be a slog and others 2k words in an hour. It’s like that.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Most anything Hugh Howie says, various folks on KindleBoards, my wife.
Buy the ticket. Take the ride – Hunter S. Thompson
What are you reading now?
Eric Schlosser’s “Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety”
Stephen King’s “Mr. Mercedes”
Craig Lancaster’s “600 hours of Edward.”
What’s next for you as a writer?
Book three in the trilogy and then I’m giving myself a couple of weeks to think about nothing, which seldom is the case.
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 never reread anything. That being said:
The Wool series
LOTR
Principles of Internal Medicine
First aid for dummies
Author Websites and Profiles
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