Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have three books published and two more awaiting publication by Tumbleweed Books. They are part of a series of memoirs to cover my adventurous life experiences around the world.
My latest book is HOME AT THE EDGE, a sequel to CHICAGO RAGE, and PARTY AT THE EDGE OF THE RAINBOW about the CHICAGO WHITE PANTHERS, and TEENAGE RUNAWAY will be released soon.
I was born in Chicago in 1952, the oldest and only boy with 5 sisters, and now live in Seattle, Washington, but I’ve lived and worked in many places over the years, from hippie communes to urban slums.
At 15 I ran away to New Orleans and dropped out to explore the counterculture before hitchhiking across Europe and Africa, working and loving my way on a roundabout Buddhist pilgrimage to Nepal.
My wife and I continue to wander the globe, but more comfortably and less adventurously these days. I am the father of two grown kids and a grandfather of three, so even though I’m 72 and semi-retired, I cannot just grab a rucksack and go like I used to. Writing about my times and experiences was always in the back of my mind. In the 1980s I began jotting notes and even submitted a short story to a student magazine, which they accepted, but as luck had it, that issue never got published and I’d given them my only copy. It was only after my circumstances became more settled and I took a university class in memoir writing, that I began to write with more determination and submit my efforts to peer review.
History and true stories have always been my obsession, although I’m often advised that objective truth is elusive and “there is no such thing as nonfiction.” I like to examine the psychology and motivation behind events, and we all hide behind masks, even from ourselves. To expose our hidden motivations, we must strip away our fictional defenses, and reveal our naked truths. I write memoirs that read like novels, creative nonfiction that brings the reader into an emotional identification with the protagonists.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is HOME AT THE EDGE, a sequel to CHICAGO RAGE, which picks up where the fist left off, from my arrest in the Chicago SDS riot and details my ten days in Cook County jail and several months in a mental hospital, which turned out to be an exciting place, full of radical hippies I could identify with. My clear memories are augmented by copies of my hospital record and the memories of those who shared my experience after we reunited years later. Too many of my friends committed suicide and I felt that describing our experience could help others who find themselves in similar situations.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Coffee helps. I need to be fired up to write effectively, and my memory of the events and the person I was at the time might be overshadowed by the excuses I’ve made to myself. But then, as I walk away from the desk and do other things my mind continues to mull it over and bring forgotten aspects of the story into better focus. These are brainstorms that I need to jot down before I forget. Back at my desk, I can incorporate the notes to flesh out and enlarge the story I’m writing about.
Therefore, I find that taking breaks from writing can refresh and improve the result.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
True stories, honest memoirs, and historical accounts have influenced me the most. Rudi Vrba’s I CANNOT FORGIVE which I read at age 13 made a big impact on me and gave me courage when the chips were down. Viktor Frankl’s MANS SEARCH FOR MEANING had a similar effect, but I didn’t limit myself to the historical “good guys” in history. STUKA PILOT by Hans Rudel, and THE FORGOTTEN SOLDIER by Guy Sajer, tell of idealistic heroism fighting for the wrong side in World War Two. While many of my favorite authors were from that era, I was also fascinated by the writings of and about Richard Burton, the Victorian explorer of Africa.
What are you working on now?
I’m finishing my account of Karma Farm, an organic farming commune that was home to me throughout most of the 1970s and was the springboard for many of the adventures and romantic relationships that I enjoyed during that time, however, I’m also scribbling notes on follow up books about my travels across North Africa and Asia, to be better focused on later.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Good question. I’m not sure as yet.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to writers is, “Don’t push yourself too hard, let the ideas flow as easily as squirting toothpaste from a tube.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Smile, don’t take yourself too seriously even when your life is on the line.
What are you reading now?
I just finished Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country, by Patricia Evangelista, and Soldiers and Kings by Jason De Leon. Both books are recommended by me to make sense of our current political reality.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Death is on the horizon, as it is for all of us. That realization keeps me going to finish what I need to do to make this life fulfilling and shareable.
What is your favorite book of all time?
I cannot narrow it down that far, love ’em all.
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