Author Interview

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

Alaska. Like the main character in Sugar Scars, I like to be alone. I love the idea of a beautiful, vast, empty wilderness. I would love to just explore the land.

Of course I’m not much of an outdoorsman, so I’d probably get eaten by something else that was also trying to enjoy the solitude.

What do you think makes a good story?

A story without clear heroes and villains. Where you can understand the perspective and motivations of each character. Where you can see why each character does what they do, even if you think what they’re doing is wrong.

Tell us about your family.

I have an awesome wife and five children. Two girls and three boys, ages from six to seventeen. We adopted one of our sons from Kazakhstan.

We had another girl that was in our home until she was nearly four. We adopted her, but there was a legal battle and the adoption was voided. In my heart she’ll always be my daughter and every time I have to say that I have five kids, instead of six, it stings a little.

What are your favorite TV shows?

I don’t watch many shows, but my family always takes time for Survivor. Of all the reality shows they understand that it’s really about finding interesting people. The producers find a way to weave a story. It’s not the whole story. People are often misrepresented. But they find a way to make a consistent narrative instead of just filming stuff and presenting a timeline.

I love Doctor Who. My kids introduced me to it. At first I thought it was too weird, but then I got into it. I particularly like the long story arcs.

My favorite new show is Daredevil on Netflix. They are handling the characters wonderfully. Even the villain is a sympathetic character.

What are you passionate about these days?

Caring for abandoned children. My wife and I have done foster care and also adopted. This theme shows up continually in my writing, even though I don’t always consciously intend it to. The heart of real morality is caring for those who can’t repay you.

Do your friends think you are an introvert or an extravert? Why?

I am the king of all introverts. It’s not that I don’t like people. Being around people drains my batteries. I charge back up when I’m alone.

A perfect work day for me is to work on a problem and not speak to anyone. Then when I get home I’m eager to spend some time with my wife and kids. If I have to spend the whole day talking with people, then I want to be by myself when I get away from work.

Of course, when you’re a husband and a father, you don’t always get to have it the way you want. Sometimes they need to charge their batteries by being with me. I understand and can adapt pretty well.

You just won a huge lottery what is the first thing you’ll buy?

A larger house. My wife and I have five kids in a 1,900 square foot house. I make a decent income and most people would expect us to live in a larger place, but we decided to spend our money on adopting some of our children (which is extremely expensive). We’re happy where we are and keep putting money into other things, but if I win the lottery, we’re going to get a little more leg room.

Is there a piece of advice that you have received that has really stuck with you? If so, what was it?

Always have an ending in mind for a story. You can’t just start writing and hope it works out. We’ve all read books that started great and ended poorly. With each of my books, I always have an ending that I’m advancing toward. I think of a lot of things as  I write, but everything is always progressing towards a satisfying ending.