I’ve been a professional writer for six years. I’ve written for trade journals, news papers, and magazines. But my goal was always to publish my fiction, and I achieved that goal in 2012 when a small publisher picked up my fantasy novel “The Amazing Pitsville and The Beggar’s Invisible Railways.”How long did it take you to write “The Amazing Pitsville and the Beggar’s Invisible Railways”?
I worked on the novel for well over six--nine months, but actually writing time---with me sitting down and putting words to computer screen---it was around three months.
What is the working title of your next book(s)?
I have the sequel to “The Amazing Pitsville and The Beggar’s Invisible Railways” finished and to the publisher. It is titled Book II of The Amazing Pitsville series, “The Dimensional Surfer. Other than that, I’m working on a vampire novel. I can’t say much about it at this point other than it will be unique and wild.
Why did you start writing?
When I was in grade school I always chose poetry for the Forensics Competition, which was strange considering I was an athlete. But then one class period my teacher assigned each of us to write our own poems. So we all did, and when I read my poem in front of the class, the teacher was impressed. She thought my poem was excellent, and then other teachers started adding poetry writing to their curriculum because they wanted me to continue writing.
At the time, I never thought once that I should become a writer. I always believed that authors were incredibly special people, and I knew I wasn’t one of them. But I did enjoy art, music, and theater, and I pursued those all throughout my adolescence.
The day that I chose to become a writer was in English 101 in college. It was a GED. At the time, I had been picking up pen and paper to ink poems because I was into playing the guitar and writing my own songs. I wasn’t very good at writing the lyrics to the songs because I had no formal education on how to structure a poem. So, really, I needed guidance.
In my English 101 class, I received no guidance on how to write poems. What made me fall in love with writing was when the professor opened my eyes to the idea that writing was an art. I had always believed that writing was as dry as math. I always believed that there was only one way to write about something. If you wanted to write about a car, there was little more to say about it than to explain its capabilities. But my English 101 class destroyed my belief that writing was dry. I learned that I could make puzzles and games with literature. And I don’t mean word finds and crossword puzzles. I mean I was reading writers who could pen mystery within their paragraphs with such precision that it was possible for the reader to learn what the meaning of their strange writing was by observing the rules of their word patterns, sentence structures, and paragraph structures.
And that was just the tip of the ice burg. I immediately declared my major in English and began learning the beauty of creative writing. My path to becoming an author was set in stone, and that was ten years ago. Although I now write fiction, I still pen poems whenever the ghosts strike.
What part of writing books do you find the hardest?
The hardest part to writing a book is finding a plot line that works. I’ve started writing books that went no where because my plot wasn’t pure.
What do you do in your spare time?
The most of what takes up my spare time is kickboxing and fitness. I’ve trained in mixed martial arts for three years at a very good fight gym. I give it my all to stay in the best shape I can so that I don’t get beat up too bad when sparring with the other fighters.
Who is your favourite author?
I can’t say I have a favorite author. I have many.
What’s your favourite genre to read?
I don’t have a favorite genre either. There is no telling what genre the next greatest book will published under. I just keep my ear to the ground and my nose to the air to find the right stories for me.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
If you are a young writer, the best advice I can give you is to count the cost before you undertake a career in writing. It’s a tough road to go down. It could be a decade before you get your first piece published. I’m not trying to discourage you, I’m just saying that it will be easier on you if you know what you are getting in to. That way you have nobody to blame. It’s just the way things work in publishing. But don’t give up. If you truly love something, you’ll find a way to make it happen no matter how difficult it is. But if you are only in love with the idea of something, you’ll find an excuse.
“The Amazing Pitsville and The Beggar’s Invisible Railways” is available from Amazon.
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