Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of five novels, including the forthcoming mystery Death on the Boardwalk.
I write in the Mystery and Action & Adventure genres as a member of the International Thriller Writers. My two previous novels, Blackbeard’s Lost Treasure and The Search for the Fountain of Youth, were shortlisted for the Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Competition Award.
I live in Myrtle Beach, SC with my wife and son.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Death on the Boardwalk, was inspired after we moved to the Myrtle Beach area. I read an article about an unsolved murder at a medical equipment facility in the area and had the idea to include elements of that mystery into one set on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For now and the next few years, I stay at home with our son who turned three in August. If I don’t wake up before he does, I get no time to write. Most of the time, I write between 5 and 8 a.m.
I can also use the Word app on my phone to write when I get a spare moment during his waking hours.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Clive Cussler has been my biggest influence with action and adventure writing. I like to combine elements from his stories with those of Dan Brown to create exciting mysteries that blur the line between fact and fiction.
As far as mystery, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, John Lescroart, and John Sandford are the three writers who inspired me to write in that genre. I love the pacing and structure of Lescroart and Sandford novels.
What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on the third draft of Death on the Boardwalk while also doing a loose outline for the next book in the Lucas Caine Treasure Hunter mystery series, Drunken Jack’s Revenge.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I get the best results on Facebook. I don’t try to sell, sell, sell to my followers. I do that, yes, but I enjoy starting conversations and letting readers in on some aspects of my personal life.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Focus on writing stories that resonate with readers. Most authors have to take care of all the marketing of their books, but you run the risk of spreading yourself to thin if you try to be active on all platforms. Pick one or two that you excel at and where your readers are at first and concentrate on those.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In Steven King’s marvelous book for authors, On Writing, he wrote about writing with the door open and closed. One thing that I did with my first few books was that I’d get anxious about if it was any good while still writing it and share incomplete versions with friends to get their thoughts. Then I would wait and get their feedback. That led to taking longer to finish and muddling the direction of the work.
That’s writing with the door open.
Mr. King suggests writing with the door closed. That is, write your book with your ideal reader in mind, but don’t divulge the details until you are done with at least the first draft. That way you can focus on your writing and crafting a great story without outside static to slow you and water down your ideas.
What are you reading now?
The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham.
What’s next for you as a writer?
After I finish everything with Death on the Boardwalk, I will write the next Lucas Caine Adventure novel, Drunken Jack’s Revenge. Death on the Boardwalk is the first of at least three books in a series, and I leave the first novel with a huge cliffhanger. If that book sells well enough, and I get the demand, I’ll do the next book in that series next. Gotta strike while the iron’s hot, or so the saying goes.
What is your favorite book of all time?
I know it’s way off from the genres I write in, but Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is a book I reread at least once every decade (if not more). I get this sense of awe every time that no other book has been able to capture.
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