Interview
What are your hobbies?
Attending sports events
and concerts, playing video games. I’m a highly ranked player on Grand Theft
Auto Online. Over the last year I’ve become pretty good at bowling, too.
What are you passionate about?
One of the things is The
Stanley Cup. I once waited in line for almost thirteen hours to have my picture
taken with it.
What social media do you use to
contact with your fans?
I use Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram. I have a solid following on Facebook so I do most of my
interactions on there. The other two are harder to gain any traction on. I do a
lot of giveaways on Facebook and love interacting with my fans.
What did you do before you became a
published author?
I was a sportscaster for
many years before moving over to sports writing. I announced and then covered
games in the NHL, NFL and NCAA. Then I started working for several online
sports magazines and it was an editor at one of those who told me I should take
a story idea that I had and try to make it into a novel. About a year later, On
Ice came out and to my surprise it was very well received.
Do you have another job other than
writing?
No
How long have you been writing for?
If you take into account
my sports writing... I’ve probably been writing off and on for about
twenty-five years now. I’ve only been doing novels though for about five years
now.
What's your favorite genre to
write/read in and why?
I love thrillers because
they keep you on the edge of your seat. Watching a good thriller movie, if it’s
done right, can quickly pass two or three hours without you even realizing it,
because it keeps you totally engaged. I love writing them because I get to
create the entire storyline, the backdrop, the characters, their flaws,
strengths and weaknesses. I challenge myself to try to keep everything as real
and current as possible, so people can easily relate to the characters in the
books and the stories themselves.
What's your least favorite genre to
write/read in and why?
I’m not a big fan of
sci-fi or any type of fantasy stuff. That’s just not how I’m wired. I like
reality stuff so if I don’t think it could really happen in real life – I can’t
really get into it. I don’t have anything against them though because everyone
has different likes and dislikes, it’s just not the genre for me.
Some writers have something playing
in the background, do you and what
Actually, when I’m
writing, I prefer complete silence so I can concentrate and transport myself
into the scenes. It allows me to see and feel what the characters are going
through. Sometimes I can hold that focus for several hours and get a lot done
in a single session. Once that concentration is broken though, that session is
over because it’s hard to get back to that state right away.
What's the inspiration behind your
books?
I get inspiration from
many things in everyday life. For instance, On Ice, was a story I saw on the
news about a cop who had been arrested. I didn’t know all of the details, but
it gave me the great idea for my story.
Twister Town was a
combination of a dream I had and a town I visited many years ago in Illinois.
This town had never been hit directly by a tornado and the residents paid no
mind when the warning sirens went off. That was crazy to me how they didn’t pay
attention to them. Several years later I had a dream of the storyline in the
book and started writing it the very next day.
The idea for On the Run
came to me while at an outdoor art show. The randomness of all these strangers
walking in and out of the artist’s tents, and the interaction between them... I
started thinking what if someone did this or that? Again, the story could
really happen in that type of scenario. It certainly wouldn’t be farfetched for
something to play out as it did in the book.
The thoughts for Deadly
Roses came from watching strangers. I’m a people watcher. I try to imagine what
their conversation is based on their body language. I was watching a couple
argue one day and as I was innocently acting out their conversation to myself,
the storyline was born, without even putting much thought into it.
If you could do it all over again,
would you change anything about your books?
That’s an interesting
question because I’m one of those people who always think about what might have
been better, as far as my books are concerned.
Twister Town could have
played out a little differently. I don’t want to give away the story, but that
one could have gone in a lot of different directions. I’m very happy with the
way it turned out, but there are several places where the story could have gone
a different way.
Is there anything you found
particularly challenging about writing?
Getting a story to be
entertaining, thrilling, with spots of humor and most of all realistic. That’s
a very hard combination to accomplish, but I think I have a pretty good handle
on it. When we go through dramatic events in life there is always something
funny that we laugh at. Maybe not hysterically, but a small laugh here and
there. I try to incorporate that into my characters so they can be related to
and it gives them a sense of realism.
It’s also very challenging
to come up with scenes of a thrilling event that could actually happen. I’m one
of those people who watch a movie and am quick to say something like, “No way!
That could never happen!” Because of that, it’s a challenge for me to write a
story that will not bring that reaction out of a reader.
what authors are your inspiration?
I’m a huge fan of John
Grisham. I also like Tom Clancy novels and early James Patterson when he wrote
his books by himself. I don’t really like his newer stuff because you can tell
a difference from those early books to the ones now, where others are writing
them with him.
I’m also a fan of Clive
Cussler. Clive does something in every Dirk Pitt book that I incorporated into
my books. I love what he does and I took that idea and expanded on it just a
bit. Fans of his know what happens in every single Dirk Pitt story and fans of
mine know what happens in every single one of mine. It’s nothing major and it
really doesn’t have anything to do with the main storyline, but fans know it’s
coming at some point and they can look forward to it, guessing where they might
find it.
What advice would you give any
newbie author or anyone that wants to pick up writing?
Work hard and don’t expect
to see results quickly. It takes a very long time to gain a following and
become established. There is a lot of frustration as a new writer. My advice
would be to just do what you love and keep pushing. Nobody hits the jackpot on
the first try. You have to face failure, sometimes countless times, before you
can taste success.
What are your fondest childhood
memories?
The summers... playing
baseball. I’d wake up every morning and listen to the radio to get the previous
night’s baseball scores, and then head over to the field for practice or a
game. The summer league I played in had morning games and when the freshly cut
grass was still damp from the morning dew... and the sun was just taking its
place in the morning sky... around nine or ten o’clock... simple times. I was
so much fun. I loved playing ball every day and I’d purposely go to the field
an hour early, so I could sit there alone and enjoy it before everyone else
arrived.
If you Don’t mind tell us a little
about your personal life?
I live about an hour north
of Tampa, Florida, on the Gulf Coast. I like life to be slow and quiet,
although sometimes that’s harder to come by in the city. I have a small, but
loving family, who would do anything for you in their power.
Do you have any causes, charities, foundations
that you are passionate about and donate to? if so why? how did you get
involved??
I like to get involved
with any kind of organizations that benefit animals or military veterans.
Do you have any pets?
I had a dog for about
eleven years and she was my best friend. I don’t think I really want to get
another one. However, we do have a cat that lives the good life and probably
weighs more than he should!