Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired Police Chief (Bangor, Maine Police Department), and I have written three novels and a little poetry. I started writing seriously for my grandchildren, and four stories for my Granddaughter with a recurring fantasy pirate theme came together as my first young adult book, “Cady’s Treasure”.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest efforts have been a crime fiction series based on Bangor and some of it’s historical interest as well as my more than two decades of law enforcement experience. “Past Due” and “Past Perfect” are the first two books in the series, and “Past Master” is in the works.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I try to write every day but, to prevent boredom I usually have two or three projects in the air at the same time and I divide my time between my writing and my hobby of custom knife-making.
I begin every session by reading the previous day’s work and generally write in a pretty linear fashion, from beginning to end with frequent continuity edits.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am in awe of Stephen King’s productivity, imagination, and total mastery of the fiction genre, and I admire John Sandborn’s ability to tell a crime story from a realistic police point of view.
What are you working on now?
Right now, besides “Past Master” I’m working on “A Kids Guide to Creative Writing” (with the help of my granddaughter) and thinking seriously about the next young adult offering which will involve a haunted rural train depot.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like Awesomegang.com and several other promotional sites as well as Facebook.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write, write, write…
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“The worst thing you ever wrote is better than the best thing you didn’t write.”
What are you reading now?
Whatever I can get my hands on.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve published a bit of poetry on Amazon, and I think I’d like to explore that a bit more.
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?
“The Stand,” Stephen King; “Robinson Caruso,” Daniel Defoe; “The Survival Medicine Handbook” Joseph Alton
Author Websites and Profiles
Richard Stockford Amazon Profile