Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As a former college professor, I published six books and over forty articles. I was also active in theater as an actor, director, and playwright–with some thirty-five of my plays produced locally.
Turning to fiction, I have fifteen novels to my credit from independent presses.
I live in Athens, Georgia with my wife Susan.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
TOUCHED BACK is a murder- mystery thriller set in Washington D.C. involving both the White House and a Virginia university’s football program. My interests in politics and football were the inspiration for this novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Must have title before I begin writing. I especially enjoy the first edit.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The classic authors primarily–in fiction they would be Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and William Faulkner.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just completed a novel-length treatment of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Gothic ballad CHRISTABEL and am finishing a humorous and book-length collection off three tales titled “Men Behaving Badly.”
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Securing promotions through my main publisher and through sites like yours.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be “street smart” about getting published. Try for agents but don’t ignore independent publishers. Don’t let rejection set you back an inch. Go on to the next publisher. Submit to several, not just one. Do your research.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From the famous 18th-Century writer Samuel Johnson: “A man [or woman] may write at anytime, if he [she] will set him[her] self doggedly to it.” Just write. Forget about your mood. Ignore “writer’s block.”
What are you reading now?
Ironically, I mainly read non-fiction–political, historical, biographical, sports.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My other projects, now in various stages of completion.
What is your favorite book of all time?
FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley.
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