Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing all my life. I ran for the University of Texas. After college, I wanted to run the Boston Marathon because you have to run a qualifying time to participate in it. I qualified and ran it in 2003. I have five books published: Oiorpata (a spy thriller), Blue’s Point (the story of a racist town), Death is a Machine, The Touchstone Cult, and Spirit Runner. Spirit Runner is the closest thing to an autobiography that I’ve written.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Spirit Runner. The idea for a story has to come to me. I can’t really explain how, but when I get the idea, it percolates in my mind for a long time. If it doesn’t fade away, I set out to write it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I believe in writing clean. I once read that a musician should never throw a note away. Every note should count. I believe the same thing about the words in a novel. Every word should contribute as much as it can to the story.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to give them all. A few that come to mind are Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Ken Kesey, Larry McMurtry, Anne Rice, and Bryce Courtenay.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you keep plugging away and honing your craft, you might be successful. Don’t pay attention to what non-fiction writers say other than if they are bored at what you write. Never stretch your story just to have enough words for the genre.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just write.
What are you reading now?
A book about writing by Ellen Metter.
What’s next for you as a writer?
A book about the future.
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?
One would be the book that got me started reading when I was about five: The Maneaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett.