Please tell us a little about yourself…

I am an inveterate reader, an incorrigible optimist, and an all around great guy. I was born under auspicious stars in the summer of 1968 into a seriously dysfunctional family. Soon after I became a ward of the court. I grew up in a monastic orphanage in the middle of a redwood forest, which was also my playground. I discovered my love for reading there.

As a young man I had many adventures and saw many things. I learned a little about the world. Always I kept reading and writing. I paid the bills with construction work. College was an intermittent affair. I went when I could afford to and never received a degree although I did get an education. I also learned to Fence and Ballroom dancing. By the age of thirty I was a licensed building contractor and running my own business. It was a success since I soon earned a reputation for integrity. This was the time when I met and married my lovely wife Christine.

Over the next decade we moved to Nova Scotia where we renovated a twelve bedroom Georgian house overlooking the Annapolis River. Then we went to Huntsville, Texas, where Christine grew up. We were there for a year to build a house with Christine’s Mother. From there we moved to some acres we had in the cedar forests of Oregon to build another house and live off the grid for a year. Then it was a final move to the Austin area to be closer to Christine’s family. We also wrote “Rowan of the Wood.”

What drives you to write?

My love of literature. It is a compulsion. Even when I don’t have the time to write I often compose stories in my head. I am something of a deep thinker but not much of a talker.  My isolated childhood had a lot to do with that. I will contemplate anything and everything. Writing is the best medium for expressing what I come up with. I have been known to write a three-page response to a bumper sticker. I also read a lot of fiction and have an active imagination. Writing for me is simply taking reading to the next level. It is a socially relevant extension of an anti-social activity.

What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment?

I would have to say my relationship with my wife. It is what has allowed us to successfully write a book together. Actually getting a book published is a major accomplishment. Up until recently my focus has been on writing. Moving beyond the creative phase and into the business and marketing aspects of writing is a necessary stepped that many writers like myself until a year ago do not really understand.

Making ones work available to readers is probably ninety percent of the process. For years I thought all a writer had to do was write, submit, and collect rejections until the big break came along. Realizing the need for packaging and marketing is what put me into the published author category. Christine was a big help with that.

How would you describe your muse?

Nubile Greek marble lass wearing something diaphanous.

I am also influenced a great deal by all the books I have read. You might say I have developed a love of the art. Not just putting words to paper, but the right words in the right way to express exactly what I am feeling or describing. At other times I am overcome by mirth, a dry and silly humor often results.

Anything really can set me off. When I visited Paris for the premier of Christine’s movie “Liberty Bound” I found myself with little to do while she was busy with the Film Company. I bought a notebook and pen in the Louver gift shop and the first thing I wrote about was how the pen was made of cardboard and the painting featured on the notebook cover was from a different museum. As I said anything big or small can set me off.

What would you say is the best cure for “writer’s block”?

Going for a walk with a notebook and pencil always works for me. Reading over the last few pages often works also I suppose I don’t really suffer from writers block. A few moments without distractions and the pages begin to fill. I have more trouble finding the time to write down all the thoughts and ideas that pile up in my head. Of course not everything I produce is worth reading.

Outside of writing, what are your other passions/interests?

Reading of course. I enjoy building and woodcrafts of all kinds, from simple carvings to building houses (yes I have built a few). We are currently engaged in a traveling book signing show, which aside from bookstores takes us to Renaissance Fairs and Celtic Festivals. Along with “Rowan of the Wood” we also offer paintings done by my wife and various woodcrafts and carvings, which I do myself. This activity has been a lot of fun. The process of creation is very satisfying for me. I also enjoy being outside. Walking through the woods is one of my favorite pastimes whether it is a short stroll or overnight hikes. I dream of finding the time to hike the Appalachian Trail.

What is your advice to young writers/first time authors?

Take your writing seriously. If you want it to be your career than treat it as a full time job even if you have to work a second one to put food on your table. Learn as much as you can about the industry. Be creative, but also remember that the bottom line is that you are creating a product that must be marketed if you want to live off your efforts. Take the advice of industry professionals seriously. If you want to write for your own pleasure and maybe offer a few books through a Print on Demand publisher than you can disregard the above.

What do you want the world to remember you for the most?

Being a good person. I see a lot of problems with the world. Many beautiful and wonderful things as well, but also many problems. I have experienced more than my share first hand. I try to live my life as an example of how one person can make a difference. I want my actions to be beneficial to others and the world as a whole. I will never be as influential as someone like Jimmy Carter, but sometimes just influencing the people around you in a positive way is enough.

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