Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a professional writer in one capacity or another (international shipping, anyone?) for over twenty years, but I’ve been writing fiction on and off since I was sixteen. I only recently started to focus on writing novels after leaving a Clinical Psychology doctoral program back in 2016, though.
I currently have two books available to the public. Tabernacle tells the story of Edward Jones, a wildly successful salesman who sells a product that none of his clients actually wants. And I just released The Ballad of Ricky Risotto, a novella about an underappreciated and marginalized man working for Ozark Championship Wrestling (OCW), an independent professional wrestling promotion in 1979.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled The Ballad of Ricky Risotto. The book is inspired by my love for professional wrestling, especially pro wrestling from the 1970s and ’80s, back when the wrestlers were expected to “live their gimmicks” (act in character) twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I wanted to do a character study about a wrestling manager who was living an additional gimmick beyond the character he played on TV, which is exacerbated by societal (and OCW’s) expectations back in 1979.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really don’t! Or at least, I don’t think I do. Maybe some people would look at the habits I have and find them weird. The only habit I really have is to be sure I write 500 words a day, minimum. I don’t outline and I do jump around a lot between scenes in various places in the book, which is something that maybe a lot of other writers might find weird or confusing. But it’s working for me so far.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I try to read a wide variety of authors, so I’m probably influenced by a broad range of authors working in a number of different styles. William Faulkner is certainly an influence, as is Flannery O’Connor–I always enjoyed reading their works, and those two are probably a big part of why I love that lyrical Southern style of prose so much. O’Connor’s work is especially fun to read, given how sharp and witty she was.
As far as the actual books go, I’d probably list The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby as two huge influences. Hemingway’s ability to be both simultaneously spare and evocative is incredibly impressive, and Fitzgerald’s lyricism and observational skills are always something to aspire to.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a pair of sequels. First up is going to be The Man from Coronado: A Lance Sacramento Story, which is the sequel to The Ballad of Ricky Risotto and falls under that Ozark Championship Wrestling banner. It follows a returning Vietnam veteran named Lawrence Santarelli as he struggles to readjust to civilian life in 1972. He ends up hanging out with a biker club that provides security for The Rolling Stones on their Stones Touring Party tour before eventually becoming a wrestler named Lance “The Hot Bod” Sacramento; the character and the story are both very loosely based on Jesse “The Body” Ventura.
I’m also working on Place the Flowers, the sequel to Tabernacle. Edward Jones is now retired and has a family of his own (sort of), but he’s drawn back into the sales game with the promise of an enormous commission. I think it’s going to be a fun little contrast to the first book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve had a little bit of luck with Facebook and Twitter, but I’m still in the process of figuring out what works best for me. There are so many authors out there and it seems like each of them has had success using a different method. But I think if you have a certain genre and audience that you know you’re focusing on, the best bet is to go to the sites they utilize and promote your work there.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing and revising. Find some beta readers or other writers whose opinions you really trust, and listen to their feedback. You’re not under any obligation to use any of it, obviously, but it’s important to listen to what other people say because it’s too easy to fall into the trap of being so attached to your work that you can’t see what’s wrong with it. That’s been my experience, anyway, and I’ve been lucky enough to meet a couple of other writers who really help me keep my work focused and grounded.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In terms of writing, it’s probably “Take the art very seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.”
Other than that, “wear clean underwear” is always good advice.
What are you reading now?
I just started Forrest Gump, by Winston Groom. It’s pretty different from the movie, which cuts out lot of the novel’s darkness and cynicism. As someone who enjoys dark and gritty fiction, I’m digging the book more than the movie. (Although the movie is excellent!)
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to finish up both of the trilogies I’m working on. I’ll probably finish the OCW novellas first by writing a story about Cindy Carmichael, OCW’s most popular female star. The plan is to then release all three of those novellas in one paperback. Once that’s done, I’d like to finish After the Gold Rush, which is the third novel in the Edward Jones trilogy.
After that, I’m hoping to pivot to some other ideas I have for a few different novels and novellas, and maybe even a play or two. We’ll see what happens, but I’m pretty excited to be able to have the opportunity to work on all of these projects.
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?
1. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.
2. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway.
3. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
These are the only three books I’ve ever finished in a single sitting. They really intrigued me right from the beginning and I didn’t want to stop reading until I’d read the final pages.
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