My full-time job is working for a fortune 100 technology company, so I write only on weekends and vacations. Writing in the Historical Fiction genre, I used the arch of history to guide the story line, inserting my characters to explain the military strategy and technology used by each side. I researched well known historical figures and gave them voice through their dialog. I would listen, if possible, to the speaking cadence of a character and craft dialog that would remind the reader of the historical figure. For example, many recordings still survive of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and they guided me while writing his dialog. Try to imagine Roosevelt say these words. “Gentlemen,” began Roosevelt, “these are tragic days we are in with much grievous news to endure. However, I am confident that we will soon turn the tide of this horrible war and drive our enemies into submission. The American people are sturdy, and we have proven we can fight if the cause is just. Japan attacked us, and the American people want justice. You, the men of the Joint Chiefs, will be the weight behind the spear that will guide and direct our forces to victory. Your vision and planning will light our path to victory.” Instead of researching every part of the Pacific Theater during World War 2, I chose to break the war down into major sections. The development in England of Radar and the Cavity Magnetron and how the United States mass produced the technology, pre-World War 2 preparations by Japan and the United States, and each major battle from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a natural procrastinator, breaking down the story into manageable sections reduced the anxiety I felt tackling the entirety of World War 2. After researching a section, I would sit down to write about a battle sequence or important technology. Using character dialog to describe technology or the environment of the scene, prevented overly dense text blocks enhancing the readability and enjoyment for my reader. Switching scenes (chapters) between the Japanese and United States perspective helped the reader understand the motivations and decisions of each side, creating a complete understanding of the Pacific Theater. Through the backstory of my main characters Charlie and Hadaki, I was able to give context to the decisions and motivations of each character. Humanizing both men, the reader could dispassionately follow their role in this historical drama while creating empathy for each man as he experiences loss through life changing decisions.

I look for events that capture my attention. In my novel The Secret Eye, I became enamored with how Radar helped win the war in the Pacific against the Japanese. My interest was driven by the service of my Step Father Charlie who served as a Radar operator on the USS Lexington and the USS Yorktown during WW2. Charlie Brand, my US Radar operator was loosly based on my real Step Father Charlie and his early life in Arkansas. In fact, many of the stories from the early portions of the book are based on stories I have heard most of my life. Hadaki, the protagonist of the book was used to help tell the story of the Pacific theater from the perspective of the Japanese people. He and his family helped provide context and motivation for the story. I used short chapters that moved between the US and Japanese perspective to help drive the story but also help the reader see how each side made decisions and how their decisions resulted in wins or lesses throughout the war. I used real people (major figures) from WW2 and fictionalized their dialog to help the reader understand their motivations and concerns.

Writers block is a time in your life when you are not motivated to write. For me, I do not feel the desire to write so I accept how I am feeling and I go for a walk or I do more research. This happened many times for me but it never lasted very long. If I researched a section of the story I needed to write, the words just flowed onto the page which limited the need to restructure the book. I used the flow of the story of the Pacific Theater during WW2 to drive my story removing most of the writers block issues most writers experience. I already knew the end of the story before I wrote it.

Everyone has opinions and of course, I would be lying if someone gave a review that was unkind or critical. I choose to wait a few days and read it again to see there was any validity to the criticism or did they just not like the story. To each his own.

Being consistent. Recently, I have been struggling through some health challenges so my writing has been on a bit of a pause. I spent almost 3 years writing my novel The Secret Eye and taking time away from my family was very difficult. I still work full time for a Fortune 100 technology company so I can only write on weekends and vacations. Given the limited time I have, balancing family and writing is always difficult.

I started my first book in the fall of 2018 and completed it in early 2021. Since that time, I have been blogging and looking for other projects that capture my attention.

Without passion for your characters and their story, you cannot create a world your readers want to experience. Careful research of your characters and their place in history is essential to spinning a story that will motivate your readers to “pull” on the thread of the story through your book. Developing characters with real life problems and decisions helps the reader relate to their predicament within the story. The hardest part of writing a book is starting. But before you can start, you need to have a strong premise for your story. Over the years, I heard many stories from my real-life Charlie, the man who inspired Charlie Brand, describing his time on the USS Lexington, especially the Kamikaze attack. My Charlie was just another navy man no one had ever heard of before. But how interesting a story would it be if we looked at two men from each side of the war and followed their journey until the attack on the USS Lexington? Now that is a premise I could write about! Consistency is the key to being successful in a writing career. You must find a consistent time to write and stick to it. Nothing will derail you from your goal of completing a manuscript faster than deviating from a consistent writing schedule. This does not mean you have to write every day or every week for a specific time. Time to refresh is just as important as your time writing. Give yourself time to let the story marinate in your mind. My regular Saturday routine consisted of buying donuts and driving around the rural areas surrounding my home. Driving was where my story crystalized before me, presenting the details I would later put to paper. Find something that prepares you write. Finally, if this is not fun for you, then you may be writing the wrong story. I craved the time when I could write but be wary of burnout. The grind of writing and counting the number of completed pages can wear you down to inaction. You will have days where the writing is difficult, and you may not produce what you feel is required. Allow yourself some grace on those days and your inspiration will soon return. Do not crave the ending of your book, let your book dictate its own ending. Listen closely and you will know when to say, the end.

Writing an Historical Fiction novel required using the events of the past and placing interesting engaging characters inside these historical events. The main premise of my book The Secret Eye is following the lives of 2 young men, one from the United States and one from Japan as they enter the war. What caused them to enter the war? What did they give up or leave to join the war? Are there other cultural or religious reasons they chose to join the war? With these questions in mind, I use chapters to address a portion of the US side of the plot and then see how the Japanese addressed the same portion of the plot. My us Radarman, Charlie Brand was based on stories I hard about the young life of my Stepfather Charlie so his character but itself. My Japanese character required diving into the Japanese culture during the time leading up the war and then how the Japanese military leadership treated their soldiers and the Japanese people. The mythology of Japan including the Samurai and mystical reverence for Mount Fuji permeated how I approached the Japanese characters.

The Secret Eye was my first and only published book. I wrote an article published in a technical journal in early 2013.

I wrote and rewrote the first chapter many times because it was just too technical and the question "so what?" kept creating into my mind each time I looked at it. I wrote it and left it to focus on the rest of the book. Just before I completed my book, I reviewed the first chapter and saw the need to remove some of the content and create a Prologue. This fixed the so what argument my family and those reading the manuscript had with the chapter.

After the loss of my Stepfather Charlie in 2013 at the age of 88, I wanted to do something that would honor his memory. Service to others has been a bedrock foundation for my life and I felt called to write a story that would honor the young men who left everything they knew to go somewhere they had never heard of with no guarantee they would return alive. The story of our greatest generation needs to be remembered by those 30 and above but especially by our youngest generations. There are not many stories written about the Pacific Theater during World War II and none that I could find about how Radar played an instrumental part in winning the war. Writing a story about the motivations of men to join the war and the human cost those decisions take both on the battlefield and the Homefront excited me.

Any time a character experience immense loss, I feel the emotions of the characters. I know I have it right when I begin to cry while completing a scene. While writing the attack on the USS Lexington by the Hadaki, the Japanese Kamikaze, both of my main character experienced profound loss. Hadaki realizes his actions will have lasting consequences for his family and questions his decision joining the Kamikazes. Charlie is within 30 feet from the impact zone, waiting for his best friend to arrive in their secure compartment. He is only feet from safety when Hadaki hits the Lexington. This is not the first time Charlie experiences loss, and this attack nearly kills his spirit to live. Being emotionally connected to your characters helps you imagine how your writing will affect your reader. If you are affected by your writing, so too will your reader.

It would be great if it was quiet but my office is just on the other side of my office doors so using a set of headphones helped remove the distractions. Most of all, being excited about what you have to write helps remove the distractions.

I would love to have spoke with Tom Clancy. His ability to tell a story and mix the technical details was masterful. I will also say John Grisham because of his ability to create such depth in character development.

I do not remember when but the last time I looked, there were many people with my name so I was down a bit but it linked to my website and my book on Amazon.