Next Big Book Thing: Author Interview

Can we expect any other series from you in the future? Absolutely.

In the beginning, I started the Remy Moreau series as an exercise to work with a dialogue heavy story. But the more I got to know the characters, the more I wanted to keep going with it. Right now I have plans for 8 volumes, but the series will probably end up being much longer.

The series I’ve been working on for over a year is the one I’m extremely excited about. The working title right now is ‘The Portrait’ and the scale is just horrifically large. It’s about everything – life, money, power, politics, war. It’s going to be epic. I originally had it planned for a trilogy but it will more than likely end up being a nine part series – which I’m pretty sure is an ennealogy – so, yea…

What inspires you to write and why? I agree with Stephen King (and a few others) who’ve said that you can’t teach great writing. Maybe good writing, maybe even really good writing, but great writers are born, not made. They’re artists. I want to know if it’s something I’m capable of; that greatness I mean.

And I think writers, above all other artists, have the capacity to change entire societies and outlooks with their art. More than painters or musicians or anyone else, writers can craft lasting change with nothing more than words.

That inspires me to write everyday.

What are your goals as a writer? My goals right now are to put out books that affect people; it’s that simple for me. My first goal is to have readers say: “We love it. We want more. Don’t stop. Keep going.” When I hear that, then I’ll start thinking of larger goals

Long term, I just want to have that one thing I can look back on and say, “That’s the best I can do. That’s my magnum opus.” To know that’s out in the world, that it exists, what more can you ever ask for?

What books have most influenced your life? I’ll probably take a bunch of heat for this, and I’m constantly getting mocked for it, but Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ was pretty big for me. I went through my post-high school Hemingway phase, but I started to get more into politics in college. I started reading Orwell and Huxley and all the great social commentary stuff. When I finally got around to reading Atlas Shrugged, I already knew mostly what it was about, but I still loved it.

Just to be clear, I don’t take it as a justification to be greedy or evil or anything like that (like so many other people who love it do), but I do think it’s one of the best books for socio-political philosophy – whether you agree with the premise or not.

Plus, nobody really talks about the fact that it’s a great story, regardless of everything else. It’s just a really good plot with really well developed characters.

Have you ever considered anyone as a mentor? Sure. Hemingway, Rand, Orwell, Philip K Dick, Huxley, Thoreau, Einstein, Carl Sagan – all of them are my mentors.

What are some of the best tools available today for writers, especially those just starting out? You know, one of the best tools out there for writers just starting out is Scribophile (scribophile.com). That community is really great for beginning authors and the feedback is tremendous.