Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve always assumed I was the inspiration behind Misery’s behobbled author Paul Sheldon, although I’ve never been held against my will. I hate long books except for the ones that are awesome. I also think short books should be made longer unless they are better short. I think hip-hop and punk are great genres to write to, unless you hate that kind of music.
My debut thriller, A Necessary Act, is out now and I think it will creep you out.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is titled A Necessary Act, and it sprung from the question “Can you stop a killer before he starts”? It’s meant to be like that ABC show What Would You Do?, except way less fake, exploitative, and awful. I want readers to put themselves in the shoes of my protagonist and think about what they would do if confronted with the same situation. Hopefully they would make better choices.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t write at home or laundry starts calling me the first time I get blocked for more than three seconds. So I head to the local coffee shot with a pair of coversation-killing headphones and crank up some music. But there is a science to that as well. It has to be upbeat and probably loud. Lyrics can be distracting, so it can’t be a new album I’m excited about. Familiarity helps, but so does a bit of obscurity. Deep cuts are good. Early Replacements, Fugazi, R.E.M. are top notch. I’ve been listening to a lot of Doomtree and Lizzo lately. Rodrigo y Gabriella is lyricless, so that helps. Probably the best album I’ve written to is LavaBangers by Lazerbeak. A good hour of hip-hop beats with no MC. Perfect.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read Misery when I was in 7th grade. It was my first “adult” book, and I was hooked. Since then I have been chasing every creepy, disturbed bad guy I could locate. But my first favorite book was Who is Bugs Potter?. I’d probably pay $50 for a copy of that to give my kids. They can read Misery later.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m actually writing a book for my daughters. It’s the adventures of a cat we had that escaped the house and didn’t come home for a month. (she’s fine, BTW) I never saw myself doing anything for kids, but it’s actually a good writing palate cleanser for me. After so long living with my first book, I had a hard time starting my second. This is so far off what I normally do, it’s a perfect reset.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve hit social media hard, with good success, and now I’m branching out to other venues. I’ve gotten some good reviews on blogs, and… Awesomegang? Am I supposed to say Awesomegang? Is that what this is about?
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Listen to how people talk. I’ve read so much bad dialogue I sometimes wonder if these writers started off writing scripts for 50s TV shows. Read your dialogue out loud. If it doesn’t sound like something a human being would say, try again.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In “On Writing” Stephen King said “kill your darlings”. Embracing that made my book what it is. No matter how well-written a section/chapter/sentence is, if it doesn’t advance your story it has to go. I cut 10,000 words (including my FAVORITE scene) between by third and fourth drafts and, while it was hard, it improved my story tenfold. Be ruthless as an editor. And pay somebody to be ruthless for you.
What are you reading now?
Just finishing up Book two of Anthony Eichenlaub’s Metal and Men series, Peace in an Age of Metal and Men. After that I will probably swing back into non-fiction with Carrie Brownstein’s autobiography. She may be great on Portlandia, but when you’ve seen her live you know she belongs on stage with Sleater-Kinney.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish up my cat adventure book, figure out if I am just giving it to my girls or publish it if it’s funny enough, then take the summer off before starting my next “real” book in the fall. I’ve got a few ideas, so I’m hoping to let them fight things out in my brain this summer. Winner gets a book.
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” because it’s my favorite and long.
“The Winds of Winter” and “A Dream of Summer”… Is it going to take me getting stranded on a desert island to get those finished? I’ll do it.
“Ten Ways to Get Off a Desert Island THEY Don’t Want You to Know About”
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