Q: Where were you born?                                                                                                  A: Corning, New York.  Yes, the same place they make Corning Glassware.

Q: Any brothers or sisters?

A: Altogether, six sisters and one brother.  All younger siblings.   I was an only child until the age of 12 when my mother remarried to my stepfather who had two daughters from a previous marriage.  My biological father eventually remarried as well.  Our family tree sort of grew in all directions.

Q: What’s your favorite food?

A: That would have to be cheese pizza with an ice cold glass of Coke.

Q: What about your next favorite food?

A: Pepperoni pizza.

Q: What kind of child were you when you were growing up?

A: Quiet, shy, aloof, uncoordinated in sports.  I earned average grades until I reached high school and college.  I was always the kid thinking about how to build a better mousetrap.

Q: Did you play any sports?

A: Not officially, but I was always very active.  Either running or swimming or shoveling an escape route from the mountain of snow in front of my parents’ house in Nebraska.

Q: What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A: Good question.  I’m still trying to figure that one out.  I love writing, so we’ll go with novelist for now.  I took a career aptitude test in high school.  The results came back and said I should pursue a career as a rock star or an astronaut.  I guess I failed at both.

Q: What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

A: Working part-time as a new car salesman to help pay for college.  Not that there’s anything wrong with being a car salesman.  I just sucked at it.  When I finally quit and approached the dealership for my last paycheck, they told me I owed them money.

Q: Aside from writing, what’s the most exciting job you’ve ever had?

A: Perhaps exciting is the wrong word, but I’d say the most memorable and the most rewarding, and definitely the most challenging job I ever had was working with Alzheimer’s patients.  I worked for a small company that provided care giving services for elderly patients who needed companionship or help doing simple routines like taking a stroll through the park or swimming in a local pool.  The rewarding part was knowing I was able to make a small improvement in their quality of life.  The hardest part was having to introduce myself over and over.

Q: I understand you’re a scuba diver.  Where have you been diving and what was your favorite destination?

A: Most of my scuba diving experiences have been in cold, murky water where I’m lucky to see my hand in front of my face.  Although I have been fortunate to engage in some warm weather diving in Cozumel, Belize, and St. Thomas.  Cozumel was my favorite destination and sparked the idea for my second novel, Without a Trace…

Q: What’s the most humorous thing that’s ever happened to you?

A: Finding out I owed more money than I earned when I quit my car sales job in college.  Wasn’t funny at the time, but looking back, the absurdity of that experience still makes me laugh.

Q: What inspired you to write Drastic Measures?

A: I wanted to write a book that was different from the rest of the mainstream fiction I read.  I wanted to write a book that touched people on many levels and brought two completely diverse characters together in a way that forced them to acknowledge their own insecurities, misconceptions, and prejudice toward one another.

Q: What’s your favorite line in Drastic Measures?

A: When Marty Collins, the best friend of the book’s main protagonist, Zach Taylor, confronts him with, “Zach you sound like you’re going off the deep end” – and Zach replies, “Not yet, but I can see it from where I’m standing.”

Q: Is it true that you are donating 10% of your royalty income from the sale of this book to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund?

A: Yes, it’s true.  I read about the Vietnam War when I wrote Drastic Measures to help me develop the character Sammy Biddle, a widowed Vietnam Vet suffering from flashbacks.   During my research I was reminded about the impact this war had on our soldiers, their families, and our country in general.  My quarterly donations will be a way of honoring those who served by helping the Memorial Fund educate future generations on the history of this war and the impact it had on our nation and those who served on its behalf.

Q: Have you ever served in the military?

A: No.

Q: What’s your next book about?

A: My next book is about a retired navy diver who confronts the disappearance of his wife and teenage stepdaughter during a dive vacation in Cozumel, Mexico.

Q: Lastly, any advice for aspiring writers?

A: Keep writing.  That sounds trite, I realize.  But the more you write, the better your characters develop.  Focus more on writing good fiction and less on getting published.  Eventually the former will take care of the latter.  Remember: In the absence of lies there is truth; in the absence of truth, there is nothing.

Q: What in the world does that mean?

A: I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know when I figure it out.