1. How did you discover your calling to be a writer? I was always dramatizing, critiquing, and living stories as a child. Technically I wrote through acting. While most children play house", I acted out detailed plots around the play "house." I never watched a film as a child without doing mental character, plot, and sub-plot analysis. Sometimes, I even judged cinematography, covers, and film scores. I have simply never stopped writing.
2. What books influenced your life the most? Influential books were classics such as Where the Red Fern Grows, Jack London's works, The Black Arrow, Smokey the Cow Horse, Ivanhoe, and various other boy adventure stories. I was not a fan of series or teen detective mysteries; but if it was about a horse, or a boy in the wilderness, I grabbed it up.
3. What is your favorite time in history? My favorite time in history is undoubtedly the on that the vast population of the earth today knows so little about- the antediluvian period. This is the period even the Bible says little about- mostly because God's children were so few. I plan on publishing on this topic later.
4. Please tell us a little about your newest book. My newest book is the first of a Christian/allegory series called Reagan and the Gryphons. It is about an epileptic boy who finds his way into a world of talking beasts and gryphons. The same gryphons help him on his way to find a Great Lion who is the only One who can save him from his disease and the warlock hare who is after his soul.
5. Any fun behind the scenes tidbits you'd like to share? I don't know that the behind the scenes are truly fun. It might be annoying to most that I can be very broody while gestating a story. I don't socialize when I am deep in thought, and perhaps, I wander around quietly for hours until inspiration strikes.
6. What is the next project you're working on? The next project I am working on will be 2nd in date order to Reagan and the Gryphons but the 4th of the entire series. I do not have a clear picture on the 2nd and 3rd books yet, but inspiration for the said 4th struck last week; and I'm ready to go. It is the darkest age of Teshran, where The Great Lion's Sword has been driven into stone and lost for over 1,000 years.
7. Which one of your books do you consider your "pride and joy"? Why? While far from my best work, I must consider Paper Shackles, my first book, my pride and joy. Each time I read it, even I see and learn something new. It is very evangelistic and "soul-winning" in nature, a bit of a tear jerk-er, and in my opinion, screen worthy. Where are you Sherwood films Baptist crew?!
8. We all have family, work and other obligations...how do you maintain balance while in the middle of a writing project? I can't say that I balance around family as well as a day job. I try to help mom in the kitchen, but she is very understanding of my writing and tries to call my sisters' help first. Otherwise, I am up writing late into the night. Inspiration is usually best at those hours anyway.
9. What is one piece of advice you received about writing that helped you the most? The best advice I ever received was from C.S. Lewis. And I quote him: In writing. Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please will you do my job for me.”
10. Where can we purchase your books? (Provide a link) and how can we keep updated on future works? Since I am a self-published author-newb, all of my current works are available on Amazon in Paperback and for Kindle. This link to Paper Shackles: http://www.amazon.com/dp/
The best way to hear about my latest works is to follow the official fan pages of Paper Shackles and Reagan and the Gryphons on Facebook, or to follow me directly on Facebook at Phoenix Pyrocreations Pyrography.
11. Do you pattern your heroes/heroines after real people you know? I am a keen observer of people, however, I don't pattern my heroes/heroines after people I know personally as often as I use them for self-exploration. I think any author would be foolish in denying that he has left a piece of himself in his character. It is inevitable.
12. What is the next project you're working on?I'm authoring number twelve because I like even numbers and I can. I'm going to use this space to publish how much I appreciate being asked to participate in this questionnaire.
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