What is
the first book that made you cry?
Magic, by William Goldman.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
It depends on how long the
session is. If I only have a little while, it’s exhausting. You have to get
yourself back into it, back into the character and the scene, and then it’s
hard to have to stop. If I have a couple of hours or more, it kind of creates
its own energy, and I lose track of time as I slip into the book.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Falling in love with particular characters, scenes, or
conversations that don’t move the plot along. It clouds your mind and your
judgement. The law of writing is, if it doesn’t serve the plot, they have to
die, or it all becomes self-indulgence.
Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
Sometimes, with John
Irving or John LeCarre. Some of their books take a long time to get into. The
payoff in their stories is always worth it, but sometimes I don’t feel like
making the climb.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what
they want?
I don’t have the skills to
do either, yet. For me, it’s just about learning the process and trying to tell
each story in a clear and understandable way. You have to learn to stretch
canvas before you learn to paint.
Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel
emotions strongly?
Yes. Read Isaac Asimov.
Great plots, interesting characters, terrific craftsmanship, but every bit of
emotion seems to be observed, rather than felt.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to
build a body of work with connections between each book?
In my head, every book takes
place in the same world, on the same timeline. A lot of things happen in PoHo,
which is a fictionalized version of my hometown. The character interactions between
books have been slight, so far, but that’s changing.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would
it be?
Get off your butt and
write. Write more, even when you hate it. It gets better the longer you keep at
it, and you can always fix it in the editing stages.
How did publishing your first book change your process of
writing?
I learned a lot about
editing and marketing. The first, that it takes so long, and it’s the hardest
part, killing all of the bits you love, but can’t use. The second, that there’s
so much to know, so much work to be done, and what works constantly changes.
What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
John LeCarre. Tim Dorsey.
Hunter Thompson.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Half-finished? Only 1 or 2.
But I have bits and pieces – sometimes lots of bits and pieces, in physical file
folders and in Google Drive, – for about 80 more.
What does literary success look like to you?
Having regular readers...
people who look forward to the next thing that I publish.
What’s the best way to market your books?
For me, reading everything
that Amazon says about it, then doing it. The rest is all the quality of your
work.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend
researching before beginning a book?
It depends on the book.
For ‘Rest Stop’, I read a lot about all of the bizarre behaviors that parasites
can cause, and some more about serial killers – the different types. Daryl Gladring
is miles away from Harvey Lee.
Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
No. For me, that’s writing
music.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from
the opposite sex?
The little, everyday crap
that women have to deal with. Is that man checking me out in a creepy way? What
do I do if he approaches me? Do I have a tampon if I need one? Am I being talked down to? How do I brush
off this guy in a way that won’t potentially put me in danger or cost me my job?
How does this outfit make me look? Women have to think about a lot more than
men do, and most of it has to do with external threats and internal self-doubt.
How do you select the names of your characters?
I figure out who the
character is – what they’re willing to do, what they want, and how they look.
Once I have that, I can usually tell what their voice sounds like. From there,
their name just comes. They tell me their names.
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people
will find?
No. That seems silly. Maybe
even destructive. Writing is about communication. I don’t play favorites. You
buy the ticket, you get the whole ride.
What was your hardest scene to write?
Trying to describe the
monster in the finale of ‘Frost Flowers’. I rewrote it so many times, and each
time my editor/muse sent it back, and told me that no one would understand it.
It turns out that describing an interdimensional entity that can only partially
be seen in the dimension is hard – so hard that I just had to do it again in ‘Crayon
Sugarsweet and the Spooky Thing’.
Do you Google yourself?
No. Who has time? Why - what
does it say? Does it say I’m cute?
What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?
Doritos. Every flavor.
This is serious.
What is your favorite childhood book?
‘Journey to the Mushroom Planet’.
When I was a little older, Susan Cooper’s ‘The Dark Is Rising’.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
I haven’t gotten to the
artistic part yet. For me, editing. I have a tough time knowing when to stop.
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