Frequently Asked Questions
 

Have you always dreamed of a writing career?
When I was two years old, I'd sit on my mother's lap while I told her stories. I was beginning to read words and sentences at the time. She wrote down my stories while I created illustrations, then we bound everything into little books. We continued doing this throughout my early childhood. We've saved some of the books. At times I considered this a possible career, too, for example when I won a creative writing contest in the sixth grade (the short story was inspired by C.S. Lewis's Chonicles of Narnia). However, life has been a winding path for me. This has been fortunate, in hindsight, because now I have a well of experiences from which to draw inspiration.

Who are your favorite writers?
I try not to pick favorites. Shakespeare and Dostoevsky are becoming major influences. Other influences on my list, for various reasons, would be Melville, Tolstoy, Cervantes, Chekhov, Sinclair, Dickinson, Eliot, and Gertrude Stein. Among my childhood favorites were Susan Cooper and Franklin Dixon.This is not an all-inclusive list, by any means.

Who are your favorite filmmakers?
Picking the Top 10 of anything is not my forte. Nevertheless, some obvious greats are Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick. One of favorite films is Lewis Milestone's 1930 version of All Quiet on the Western Front, an underrated anti-war film of depth and bravery. Today, film remains a dynamic, cutting-edge art form. Miyazaki Hayao, the leading creative force behind the anime and manga sensations, has brought a new level of maturity to animation, and actors Ron Howard, Robert Redford and George Clooney have made interesting transitions into the realm of behind-the-camera work.

Who are your favorite musicians?
Readers often comment on the musicality of my writing, and indeed music is critical to me as an artist. One of my favorite musicians is Bach Sr., not only for his genius, but also for the emotional richness of the Baroque period. Beethoven is sublime. Then in the twentieth century, the United States produced great, innovative music of its own: jazz artists Coltrane and Davis come to mind, but I especially love the blues. I'm also a fan of rock. My high school favorites included Genesis, The Who, Rush, Pink Floyd and many others of the classic era; today, my tastes in music are more eclectic. Shadow Fields contains dream pop harmonies that were inspired, in part, by the sounds of Sirius Chill, but I drew some inspiration for the final dream sequence from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. While writing Snooker Glen, Sirius Blugrass helped me rediscover the wavelength of my relatives in eastern Kentucky. I love bluegrass.

Do you plan to write more?
Yes, I have many other projects in mind.

Will you read my manuscript?
No, I don't offer individualized advice.

May I contact you?
I don't publish contact information, but for updates on my writing and other news, please visit my Amazon profile. Media inquiries should be directed to BookSurge LLC.