Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I never know where to start when it comes to talking about myself. So to brief over a few things about me, I was moved around as a child. I went to four different high schools in my high school career. I finally graduated from James Monroe in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and then went straight into the Marine Corps. Seriously, I didn’t even have a summer. I was on the yellow footprints four days after graduating.
I was honorably discharged five years later because of a few contract extensions. Then, I put myself through college. I graduated from Frostburg State University with a B.S. in English. Since then, I have written three novels and a children’s book.
“A River in the Ocean” and “The Deeper Dark” are novels that I plan on converting to screenplays. “When You Miss Me” is the children’s book for kids who are missing a parent, whether through divorce or if a parent is in the military and currently on assignment overseas. No matter what the situation is, this book can help them get through it.
“A Danger to Society” was my first published book. It’s raw with a lot of philosophy as it tells a story. But it was my first try and you have to always be proud of your achievements, no matter what they are.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Deeper Dark” came to me one night after I had spent all day working on converting a screenplay I had written into a book. As soon as my eyes went closed that night, my mind started to think up this entirely different book idea. The thoughts were so strong, I had to struggle to get back up and start writing notes. I couldn’t stop myself. The next day, I looked at those notes and thought about the book conversion I was in the middle of doing. That’s when I knew, I had to bump “The Deeper Dark” up and start working on it immediately. The story was burning in my brain and nothing was going to put it out, but to get that book written first.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know about writing habits, but my life gets turned upside down. When I’m involved in a book or a screenplay, I get lost on time. My eating schedule is whenever my stomach is screaming at me. I sleep when I absolutely can’t keep my eyes open anymore. It’s a crazy time. But I love the journey.
As far as writing itself, I have a building process where I write what I know about the story. I get the details. Then, those details grow as I write each of the parts. When I feel I’m finished with the first draft, I put the book through three or four rewrites. I go through the book page by page, rewriting what needs more detail, taking notes where gaps in the story might be, this is a very critical look that I take at my book. Then, it’s ready to be edited.
At this point, I know enough about myself to let go. As writers, we often question ourselves, especially when we’re doing it all on our own and we don’t have a huge team going through the process with us. So, we can tend to stand in our own way. I’ve learned enough now about myself and my ability to write to let go at this point. I’m no longer critical of my own writing. I’m supportive of it because I know after putting it through all that, it’s ready.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” is one. “Clear and Present Danger” by Tom Clancy is another. Edgar Allan Poe’s works were very influential in my early years. They were so entertaining, I remember hoping one day that I could write like that.
What are you working on now?
Well, “The Deeper Dark” was just published. So, I’m working on promotions right now. But, 2020 has really done a number on us. It has changed the way I have to do things. I used to setup book signings and now, I’m working on an online book tour. So, the same amount of work, but trying to accomplish it differently.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method is to do book signings or book readings. I have set them up at children’s wards and even at a children’s hospital where I read a few chapters to terminally ill children. Doing things like that gets the book talked about. But, that’s a challenge now because that option won’t be available again for quite some time. So, I’ll have to find out post-2020 what my new favorite method is.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t question your work. I have heard some writers talk about editing the first chapter a hundred times and even the first paragraph over and over. Get out of your own way. Of course, you have to rewrite and edit. But, get it down first. Then, rewrite and edit. Then, there comes a time to let go and let the world see it. Don’t be afraid to do that. That’s what you’ve been doing this whole time, to get to that point. Don’t be afraid to take that step.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A college professor was walking around the classroom and just dropping gold pieces of knowledge all over the place. I couldn’t write fast enough. But I loved it when he said, “I like a book to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. And I prefer them in that order.”
It sunk in with me because I looked at a few of the pieces that I had written in the past and I noticed I didn’t have those parts in the right order. I had the tendency to ramble on or go off on some tangent and it has made all the difference in the world.
What are you reading now?
To be honest, I’m reading notes from a director who wants me to write a screenplay based on her idea. I get very little time to read outside of the projects I’m working on. I should read more books and hopefully one day, I’ll get that luxury of time back.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a screenplay I wrote a few years ago that I would like to convert into a book. That will be my 2021 book project. It’s another thriller, but this one is about an internet stalker and it explores how social media can be used against the very people who are so happily enjoying it.
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?
“A Separate Peace” by John Knowles would be one. Two would be “The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe” or is that cheating? And three would be “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky as I mentioned earlier.
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