Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author/screenwriter originally from New Orleans and have been writing since I was eight years old. It started back in the third grade due to always being one of the kids who finished their worked first and got bored. After my teaching caught on to what I was doing, she simply told me to ‘Just keep writing’. That evolved over the years to writing plays once I got to college and later morphed into screenwriting. The odd thing is that while I’ve always been a writer in some fashion, being a published author was always something I laughed at because I’d never finished college. There was no way in my mind that it could ever happen. My dream from and early age was working in Hollywood as an actor/screenwriter. However since I was in the third grade, my mother always told me that one day I would write a book. Fast forward to today, I’ve written and published two novels, two short stories and a children’s book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is REVELATION: THE RETURN OF JACOB FORLORN which is the sequel to EXODUS: A REQUIEM FOR JACOB FORLORN. The book is loosely based on several horror stories I’ve heard from other people’s relationships with a supernatural twist to it. Jacob Forlorn is a beleaguered everyman escaping from the shadows of a bitter and broken past to find his place in life when he meets Miranda, a beautiful and mysterious woman with a past of her own. Drawn by love at first sight, a whirlwind interracial romance brimming with intense passion ensues, culminating in the birth of a beautiful child. But all is not well in paradise. Against the remains of a hidden past, something dark and deadly emerges, threatening to either warn Jacob or rob him of both his heart and his sanity. Jealousy, resentment and deception emerge, soon forming a deadly web of intrigue, lust and secrecy which all have repercussions far beyond anything he ever imagined.
As dark visions and nightmares haunt him repeatedly, Jacob soon begins to walk a very fine line between right and wrong, against a backdrop of misery and death that pushes him to the limits of his faith in God. Someone…or something is after him. The secrets of the past begin to destroy him both physically and spiritually, forcing him to make a dangerous choice.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m usually better at writing late at night or early in the morning. Other than, drinking absinthe also helps. The rumors about hallucinations are false but it really does inspire creativity.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been inspired by everything from great authors to screenwriters and of course movie directors. As for writers/directors, the list is as follows:
Ernest Hemingway
Truman Capote
James Baldwin
Richard Wright
Stephen King
Arthur Miller
August Wilson
Edward Albee
Akira Kurosawa
Quentin Tarantino
Elmore Leonard
Aaron Sorkin
What are you working on now?
My latest project is a novel entitled PORN AGAIN, which is a funny and insightful take on my years of working as a manager in an adult retail store. For years, the one question I always heard was ‘What’s it like working here?’ I’ve always said that I could either write a book or make a movie about it, so here it comes.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far Kindleboards has given me a tremendous wealth of knowledge not just in terms of writing, but also in terms of better networking and marketing strategies. Others that I use are World Literary Cafe and Author Marketing Club.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write the material that you would want to read, and write with an honest voice. You can go to school or workshops and learn everything from structure, narrative to characterization, but a unique voice can never be taught. You either have it or you don’t. Also, study the best practices of the top selling authors. Can your book stand on the same shelf with theirs? If the answer is no, then spend a valuable amount of time finding out what makes them successful. Whether it’s getting professional book covers done (which is a huge plus) investing in a website/blog or use of social media, always try to emulate the success you want for yourself.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Just keep writing.” Courtesy of my third grade teacher Ms. Hayes.
What are you reading now?
Currently reading Physics of the Future, by Dr. Michio Kaku.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The next step for me is to take my short story OCCUPATION and adapt it into a screenplay. The story deals with the epidemic of zombies invading New Orleans during the time of Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl.
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?
The Art of War
The Great Gatsby
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Sun also Rises
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