Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a comicbook geek who grew up on the classic monsters and superheroes. I’ve only written the one book, Frenzy, but have written and published short stories years ago.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I love werewolves! They are unstoppable machines of rage, like the incredible Hulk but with a lust for blood that can scare the pale off a vampire. There’s also the struggle of knowing that once they lose control outside of certain death they can’t be stopped. That can kill a person from the inside and makes for interesting character struggles.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write all over the board but tend to do most of my work in the morning when the kids are at school and I’ve got some quiet time.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Laurell K Hamilton gave me the biggest push to Urban Fantasy. Authors that also inspired me are R.A. Salvatore, Richard Matheson, and hy & Sapir (the Destroyer series).
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the next book in my series titled Full Moon Blitz. I’m following my lead (Kyle Poole) after he tore through his home town and is now on the run trying to find a cure to his curse. I’m looking to dig deeper into how this affects his mind and spirit.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promotion is challenging. I’ve met with other published authors and soaked in as much info as I could on being more than an author but becoming a business. I can’t say at the moment that I have solid advice on best methods. So far, Facebook was my most advantageous.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Aside from writing what you love, make damn sure that you clean that book up until it is free of any typos, grammar errors, run-on sentences, extra crap that doesn’t tell the story, and so on. If you’re self-publishing you need to hammer your copy out in as clean a format as possible or it will be shot down in flames. Mine was! It took me plenty of time to see my mistakes and more to clean them up. Also seriously look into setting up a writer’s platform. Make a brand. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn daily. Get out there in the thick of the social media and make friends but don’t jam your book down their throats. Play nice and take all advice with a thick skin.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t edit yourself. I met author Mark Henry at a book signing some years ago. It was the single piece of advice he gave me. I’ll never forget it. Editing your creative self will kill any story you think you love. Let it out. Don’t be afraid to tell it. Once it’s out on paper you can tear it up and play with it but if you hold back it will be obvious to all that read it.
What are you reading now?
I need to finish the Reckoning of Asphodel. It’s a major epic fantasy that grabbed me from the get go but time and other circumstances pulled me back.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Maybe experimenting with superhero fiction. I’ve got some ideas burning in my brain that need telling.
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?
Obsidian Butterfly by LKH. One of my favorites full of monsters and big guns. Bentley Little’s the Collection. It’s full of twisted tales. And A Tale of Two Cities. My grandpa gave me his copy that he got when he was a boy in school. I promised him that someday I’d read it.
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