What
genre do you write and why?
I write science fiction, horror, and urban fantasy.
Tell us about your
latest book.
My latest two published novels are
“Annah and the Exiles” and “Annah and the Gates of Grace.” They were published simultaneously this year
by my new publisher, Dark Moon Press.
They’re the second and third books in my science-fiction series
“Children of Evohe” which tells the story of a young woman named Annah, from a
distant world called Evohe, her human mate Gary Holder, and her search to
overcome a life of disabilities and adversity—a search that leads, eventually,
into political intrigue, war, and a destiny as the An-Rhyel, “the Restorer”, a
figure from her people’s legends who is meant to reconcile the divided people
of Evohe to the wholeness of their past.
On the whole, I’d say the series combines the coming-of-age drama,
cultural struggle and romance of a classic novel like “Jane Eyre” with the
mysticism, interstellar intrigue and politics of Frank Herbert’s “Dune”.
What did you edit out
of this book?
Well, I’m not sure if it exactly
qualifies as editing out, but originally, I had conceived books Two and Three
as a single novel, “Annah’s Exile”, and I eventually decided there was too much
story for a single volume, and edited and refashioned the narrative into two
books.
How was this book
published? (traditional, small press, self pub, etcc...) Why did you choose that particular publishing
route?
I’m currently signed with a small press
publisher, Dark Moon Press, out of Ft.
Wayne, Indiana. I personally don’t have any interest in
self-publishing at this stage in my career, so when my previous publisher, PDMI
Publishing, LLC, announced last February that they were ceasing operations, I
began looking for another publisher.
Fairly quickly, my thoughts turned in the direction of my good friend
Eric Vernor, who I’ve known a number of years through our mutual association
with the DragonCon science fiction convention.
I approached Eric about the possibility of becoming one of Dark Moon
Press’ stable of authors, and he was happy to welcome me on board. And I’m very happy to be there.
How do you select the
names of your characters?
Usually, they tell me their own
names. Which is to say, I trust in the
operations of the subconscious a lot.
Usually, I’ll find that the name a character has ‘picked’ corresponds in
some way to a quality that I intended that character to have, or which they end
up having. ‘Listen to your characters’
is something I tell beginning writers, a lot.
In the case of Annah, the protagonist of my Children of Evohe science
fiction series, I ended up finding out that the name she’d ‘picked’ meant
‘favored by God’, and given Annah’s eventual role as a savior/messiah figure
for her people, that made a lot of sense.
But I had no idea at first.
What marketing methods
are you using to promote your book?
Podcast interviews, online articles (such as
the recent spotlight article done by scifipulse.net), website interviews such
as this one, Facebook posts, and public appearances. I’m always looking for new ways to promote,
and you yourself have been a big help in offering ideas in that regard!
Do you read your book
reviews? How do you deal with the bad or good ones?
Honestly, to be in this business, you’ve got
to develop a thick skin. Reviewers, good
or bad, mostly don’t know you. Before I
was a published author, I worked on one of my novels, my vampire book Dark Road to Paradise, as a project in a
grad school seminar on Writing the Novel.
When I got my first chapter back, the professor had written THIS SUCKS
in huge capital letters on page one.
What can I say? It was a
draft. I knew it wasn’t perfect. So I revised.
In the end, that same professor not only agreed to accept that novel as
a thesis project, but to be my thesis director.
And ultimately, the book got published.
Most of the people who’ll review your book haven’t, and couldn’t, write
one themselves. That wasn’t the case
with this professor—she’d published six, and been well-reviewed. But if you can steel yourself enough to
withstand the disapproval of someone like that, and turn it around, you’ll be
able to withstand any bad review.
Remember: it’s about the work, not you, personally. They don’t know you.
Do you Google
yourself?
At least
every couple of months. Helps to make
sure that I’m who’s coming up when people Google me, and helps me know what
people are reading about me. Funny story
about that. On one of my recent
self-Google sessions, the results turned up what appeared to be, of all things,
a science fiction story with a protagonist whose name was Clay Gilbert. I went to the site, and found the blog of a
writer and teacher named Paul J. Gies, from Maine, who had indeed not only written one
novel about a man named Clay Gilbert, but a series of them. I messaged Paul, and when he wrote back, one
of the first things he said was, “I wondered how long it would take you to get
in touch with me.” He had apparently
come up with my name as a character name quite by accident. He was looking for a first name that was
‘elemental, and Earth-based’—Clay, check, as well as a last name with French
roots. “Gilbert” qualifies there,
too. He told me he’d been writing the
book for several months before he became aware that there was, indeed, a
science-fiction novelist with that very name.
He asked me if I wanted him to change it, and I said no. Later, he submitted his first novel featuring
his “Clay Gilbert” to PDMI Publishing, LLC, the publisher I was then Chief
Editor for. We accepted it, but as PDMI
went out of business in August of last year, it was never published. Paul’s a talented writer, and I know he’ll
get published eventually. And now I have
a new friend.
What formats is the
book available in?
All of my work is available in
paperback, and can be ordered online from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. My newest work—the Dark Moon Press editions
of my YA dystopian novel “Eternity”, and the first three books in my science
fiction series “Children of Evohe”—“Annah and the Children of Evohe”, “Annah
and the Exiles,” and “Annah and the Gates of Grace”—are all available in
paperback from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and direct from my publisher at
darkmoonpress.com. All of my upcoming
releases will also be available from Dark Moon Press. “Eternity” is also available on Kindle, and
the “Annah” novels will soon be available in that format as well.
Who are your favourite
authors?
Stephen King, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury,
J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Anne Rice, Tad Williams, Dan Simmons, Walt
Whitman, Herman Melville, E. B. White, C.S. Lewis—and that just starts to
scratch the surface.
What advice do you
have for other writers?
Read a lot. It provides raw fuel
for your craft. Also, write a lot. Write every day, without fail. Finish what you start. You can’t revise what you don’t finish, and
everything is going to need revision.
Where can people find
out more about you and your writing?
The official site for my Children of Evohe
science fiction series is at www.childrenofevohe.com.
My author blog is at https://portalsandpathways.wordpress.com/.
How long did it take
you to write your book?
My two newest releases in the “Children of Evohe” series took about two
years combined. My other new release
this year, the YA dystopian book, “Eternity”, took a year for the initial draft
and a longer and more roundabout journey through editing and revision to
eventual publication.
Who designed
the cover?
The
CEO of Dark Moon Press, Eric Vernor, designs all my covers, and I think he does
a fabulous job.
Who inspires
you?
God,
my parents, other authors; friends and relatives. I guess there are different kinds of
inspiration. Other authors can be a
tremendous inspiration specifically in how I do my work. My publisher, Eric Vernor, has a tireless
work ethic that’s certainly inspiring.
My personal tastes and life experiences inspire certain facets of my
stories. And my family and friends are a
constant source of sustenance and inspiration.
Also the music I listen to, movies or TV shows I watch, and books I
read.
When and where
do you write?
‘When’ is 8-10 hours a day;
‘where’ is at my desk in my apartment. I
always tell people that regularity in writing, meaning doing it in the same
place at the same time daily, is important.
I do the same myself.
Are you a
plotter or a pantser?
I’m not overly fond of either
of those terms, although I guess if I have to define myself, I’d use the latter
of those two p-words. I wish someone
would do the writing community at large a great service, and popularize a
less-condescending-sounding term than ‘pantser.’ (Laughs) But yes, I’m in the category of
writers who, by and large, don’t outline.
I can’t say I don’t plot at all, because I start with a main character
or two, and I usually have an idea of the general journey those characters are
going on. But I let them take me
there. ‘Controlling’ the story is
something that, for me, leads to boring and unsuccessful writing. Stephen King wrote once, “I write to find out
what I think.” King, like me, doesn’t
plot or outline. I like the idea of
writing as a journey, but it’s NOT the only way. The best way is the way that works for you,
and I know plenty of writers who get good stuff out of outlining and
plotting. I just wish some of those
folks wouldn’t call me a ‘pantser.’
Do you believe
in writer’s block?
Not a bit. I think the non-writing world over-mystifies
and over-romanticizes the creative process, to the point where some creative
folks actually buy into the concept and expect to be blocked. I’ve been writing since I was four, and
writing seriously since my teens (I was first paid for publication of a story
when I was thirteen). I’ve never been
‘blocked.’ Regularity and repetition lead to a mindset that allows writing to
occur anytime. Revision can always fix
whether what comes out is any good or not—and a first draft rarely is. But you can’t revise a blank page.
If you could
tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Stick with it. Don’t worry
about a ‘fall-back plan.’ It will all
pay off.
How do you
research your books?
Most of my stories take place
far enough in time and space from the ‘real world’ of today that research isn’t
necessary, but when it is, Google and the Internet are amazing resources. During my grad school years, I learned enough
about finding credible sources that I don’t end up dragging bad facts into my
fiction. Fortunately. Readers tend to catch things like that.
What is your
work in progress? Tell us about it.
“The Conversationalist” is a
science-fantasy novel set in the universe of my “Children of Evohe” books, although,
since Annah’s not in it, it’s not technically a part of that series. It’s about a guy, Northrop Wynn, who is a
data analyst stationed on board a starship whose job is to monitor signals from
passing ships and respond to them if necessary.
North comes in contact and eventually develops an ongoing conversation
with a girl on another starship whose name is Rynn Handel. Rynn and North are headed to a common
destination, a world called Holdfast that’s a hub for intergalactic
travel. On their way there, they get to
know each other a little bit at a time.
But each of them has a secret.
For North, it’s that he has a somewhat-debilitating condition which
causes his brain to work faster than normal humans, which is good, but it
deteriorates his motor functions to some extent. Rynn has an even more isolating
disability—she’s a cyborg, a being comprised of part human tissue, including
human DNA, and part mechanical technology.
She doesn’t even have a body—she’s going from Holdfast to Mercy Prime, a
planet known for building cyborg bodies, to fix that problem. So in a sense,
North’s mind is like a computer, and part of Rynn IS a computer, and they have
to decide whether they’re going to accept each other—whether ‘human’ is a
condition more complex than either of them may have been willing to accept
before. Rynn was a character who first
appeared in the third Children of Evohe novel, “Annah and the Gates of Grace”,
and I wanted to do more with her. It's a
sci-fi romance like most of my other stuff, but this one, I think, has a little
more humor in it, although the questions it asks are serious. “The Conversationalist” should be out from
Dark Moon Press sometime in 2018.
Does your
family support you in your writing career? How?
They’ve encouraged me in my writing
since I first started doing it at the age of four, but these days they support
me by reading the books, of course, and by helping me with book signings and
convention appearances, and getting the word out about new releases/. They’re the best ‘ground crew’ I could want.
What are you
currently reading?
What are some of
your all time favourite books?
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, The Stand by Stephen King, Dandelion Wine
by Ray Bradbury, Prince Ombra by Roderick MacLeish, Leaves of Grass by Walt
Whitman, Dune by Frank Herbert, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein,
and the Bible.
What is your
favourite book you've read this year so far?
What books or
authors have most influenced your life?
Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Robert
Jordan, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, Frank Herbert, Robert A. Heinlein.
When
you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
Watching movies, listening to
music, reading, hanging out with friends and family, and my cat and snake.
