Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In my day job, which is also my night job I’m a firefighter/EMT but my degree is in journalism. Writing has been a lifelong passion for me, having finished a number of manuscripts and short stories over the years. Many of my most recent projects have made it out onto my podcast Ill-Advised Stories, home to funny tales for kids and people who refuse to grow up. The Adventures of Sparkie and Spazoid, which is also a webtoon is there to listen to. It’s a complete novel about a boy and his robot on a mission to save the human race.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Stars Beyond the Mesa is my third book and the beginning of a new series. It’s young adult, science fiction with a little bit of horror in the mix. I grew up on things like the Goonies and Monster Squad so I’ve always liked the idea of a group of kids coming together to overcome great odds. The worldbuilding in the series has been running through my head for the better part of thirty years, back when I was first diving into the heavyweights of science fiction.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a doodler. I like having a notebook or my iPad nearby so when I need a break I can stop and sketch out a few ideas or just goof around.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read pretty wide so it’s hard to say exactly what influenced my work. It seems there’s a tone among Young Adult writers of my generation that we’re often influenced by the pop culture of our youth, from marvel comics, to X-files, to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I will say that I treated reading like a mission, diving into classics of sci-fi and literature. It wasn’t enough to read one Issac Asimov book, I had to go through all of them, even ones that were out of print. I did the same thing with Steinbeck, Hemingway, Clark, and a number of other writers, filling in an education I feel I missed as a kid.
What are you working on now?
I’m a quarter of the way into the third book in the series that The Stars Beyond the Mesa begins. It’s called In the Giant’s Shadow. You’ll understand why at the end of the first book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Good question, I’m new to this promoting thing and I’m still trying to learn the ins and outs.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
So many people say to write to market but this would never work for me. I write the books I’d want to read. By the time you’re done editing your work, you better love it or you’ll only be torturing yourself.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep swimming.
What are you reading now?
Aurora Rising, its a really strong start to a young adult sci fi series.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve got a few interviews coming up to promote the new book and I’ll be going to my first comic con with a group of other authors. I’m really looking forward to being in a community like that.
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’ve got a number of books sitting on my shelf that I feel like I should dive into but I’m also a slow reader and they intimidate me. If I were on an island, with nothing else to do I’d be forced to get into them. First is John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. It’s the last one by him I haven’t read. Then there’s James Joyce, Finigan’s Wake. I’ll be honest I enjoyed Dubliners but struggled with a Portrait of an Artist. Anna Karenina is down there too. Apparently, I have a habit of picking up books I’ll never read. So maybe for the fourth book, I’ll go with the Lord of the Rings (yes, I’m counting it as one book) something I’ve read four times. Really though, if I’m breaking the rules with a collection then give me all the Hitchhikers books. Douglas Adams Rules!
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