What is your writing process like?
I write like I'm watching a movie in my head. By the time I sit down to put the words on the page, I have a good idea of where the story is going, but every now and then I get surprised. I always tell people that I am more like a narrator, I create a situation, place my characters into it and then sit back and report on what they do. I have had times when I sit back after writing a chapter and think; well that's something I didn't expect.
How do you come up with ideas for stories and characters?
I scan news articles for interesting crimes and try to see how my characters would fit in that scenario. Other times the idea is something swimming around in my head and I keep working at it until it becomes a story line.
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
It means I sitting in front of a blank page and have no idea what to write. In most cases, I use stream of consciousness and just start writing anything that comes into my head. No paragraphs or editing, no structure. just write anything.
How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
I don't deal with them. I write for my satisfaction. If someone reads one of my novels and leaves a negative review I just assume they didn't get where the story was coming from and it's their loss.
What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
Being organized. I can't sit in front of the computer day in and day out and write. I have to write when the mood hits me and that might be at 9am or it might be at 3 am.
How long have you been writing, or when did you start?
I started writing in 2016 when I decided to write a memoir about my late wife and our 9 year battle with breast cancer. The self publishing process was relatively easy so I decided to start writing novels. 11 novels later, I'm still at it.
What advice would you give writers working on their first book?
Keep writing. Finish the whole book before you go back and start making corrections or changes. After you finish the manuscript put it aside for a day or two. then come back and read it as if you had just purchased it, no corrections, no editing. then set it aside and after a day or two go back and start making changes. Write what you enjoy and don't worry about anyone else.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
I come up with a concept and then insert my characters into the story. I fill in with extra or new characters as needed and then I watch them interact. Sometimes the plot goes places I didn't expect it to go, but I always travel along because my characters know what they are doing.
How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?
I just finished the first draft of Book 11 in my CRIME series. My favorite book is Crime Denied. It's about a female serial killer whose grandfather was also a serial killer and she is trying to guarantee their legacies and also complete a promise she made to her grandfather before he died.
What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?
Getting into the mind of a female serial killer. I've read lots of stories about real-life male serial killers, but I needed to get into her head. She didn't become a serial killer in the normal manner. She was a normal college student until it was revealed that her grandfather had been a serial killer before he suffered a tragic accident. The conversation between grandfather and granddaughter after his crimes were revealed were interesting.
What inspired the idea for your book?
I was tired of reading and watching crime shows in which the cop is an ex-navy seal with a drinking and authority problem always one step away from being suspended. I wanted a character who was a family man, who had just lost his wife to breast cancer and just solved crimes. He is capable of bending the rules, but he never breaks them and he is all about getting cooperation from his colleagues and bring together a team that works together to solve the crimes.
What was your hardest scene to write, and why?
The hardest scene I wrote was when my character Buck Taylor found out that his father, who he hadn't spoken to in years had passed away. Buck was in the middle of solving several crimes and was undecided if he was going to the funeral out of state, even though his mother was still alive. He showed up and stood off to the back as a Marine color guard followed the casket carrying the American Flag and the Medal of Honor flag. The scene actually brought me to tears and still does when I think about it.
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Nothing. I can write with or without music on, or the television playing in the background or I can write in total silence,
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
Lee Child. I enjoy his Jack Reacher series and even though our characters are nothing alike, except in their quest to help people who can't help themselves, I enjoy the way he writes. I try to style my writing after his.
When was the last time you Googled yourself and what did you find?
I have never googled myself.