PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE NOVELIST

 WHAT ARE YOUR FIVE FAVORITE BOOKS, AND WHY? 

I have struggled with dyslexia throughout my life. In my case, seeing the order of letters of a word in a scrambled manner. So, reading for me was always a difficult and slow process. I had to translate each word from the foreign language of dyslexia into one that was distinguishable and understood. Until now, few people were aware of my learning disability because I've tried so hard to disguise it. Even now, I think they would find it hard to believe, considering my career successes as a brand marketer, writer and former announcer...where reading is such an essential requirement. As one can imagine, it was not an easy road to travel or navigate. I survived by rote memorization and confident performances. The only books I've ever read were schoolbooks and the occasional best seller. It's too cumbersome and frustrating. So... I write, instead of reading...deriving my stories from life experiences instead of others' written interpretations. For some reason, I don't have the same difficulty when writing as reading.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST START WRITING? 

In sixth grade, when an aging and strict Catholic nun saw something...beyond my dyslexia. Most kids thought she was a mean witch. I learned to look at people differently.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP, AND HOW DID IT INFLUENCE YOUR WRITING? 

On a busy street in Rochester, New York, I spent most of my time watching the traffic, listening to the sounds, and wondering who they were and where they were heading.

HOW DID YOUR CHILDHOOD INFLUENCE YOUR WRITING?

My father was a blacksmith who immigrated to America from Germany as a young man. My mother was the eldest of twelve children from parents who immigrated from Belgium. Her family survived as migrant workers who traveled farm-to-farm and state-to-state following the growing seasons. My parents met when he was forging the metal rim around the wooden wheels of horse-drawn wagons and when she was an 'upstairs' maid for a wealthy family. My interest in writing started with that rich heritage.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST STORY YOU WROTE? 

Yes...about a family secret.

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS? 

Letter writers.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST JOY OF WRITING FOR YOU?

Touching others.

DESCRIBE YOUR DESK AND OFFICE.

Walls and desk layered with objects that take me places.

DO YOU REMEMBERTHE FIRST STORY YOU READ AND ITS IMPACT ON YOU? 

It was a play...Our Town by Thornton Wilder. I loved its truth and intimacy.

WHAT DO YOUR FANS MEAN TO YOU? 

Everything.

WHAT IS YOUR WRITING PROCESS? 

It begins every day at around 4:00 a.m. - no exceptions. I start with an outline, story blocking, character development, layering of protagonists and antagonists, creating conflicts and details—always details, always reality.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE STORIES YOU WRITE? 

In a word, claustrophobic. I've always been curious about what compels people to do certain things and what motivates and stimulates individuals to choose or develop a behavior for their internal satisfaction or fulfillment. I enjoy getting under the skin and exposing the true, deeper workings of a character.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CHARACTER? 

Vulnerable ones. The ones that are easy targets to prey upon. They make the most interesting characters because they often describe most of us.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF STORY SETTING?

I write claustrophobic, not on a grand stage with numerous locations. I especially enjoy placing my stories and characters in a box...one location or one neighborhood. In doing so, everything becomes more intimate, more honest and true. It confines things. Everything becomes a 'closeup' rather than a 'wide shot' in movie terms.

WHAT DOES YOUR HEART GO OUT TO?

Innocent victims. They're always my central story characters.

WHY DO YOU WRITE?

To flush things from my mind...good and bad.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO GET OUT OF BED EACH DAY?

The excitement of the chase.

WHAT DO YOU FEAR MOST?

Failure.

WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST? 

Liars. Closed-minded people.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME AN INDIE AUTHOR? 

The immediacy of the process. The elimination of self-important literary agents and publishers with no imagination, interest in taking a risk, or rising above their level of mediocrity.

WHAT BOOK MARKETING TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN MOST EFFECTIVE FOR YOU?

Cross-promotional tie-ins to my brand marketing and direct response businesses create additional interest and curiosity about who and what I am. Effective marketing is not contrived...it's fueled by personal desire and fascination.

HOW DO YOU APPROACH COVER DESIGN?

Cover design is intimately linked to the story. It is the continuity of emotion and impulse that captivates and intrigues. It is the label on a product that entices the desire to purchase. It is as essential to the story as color is to a painting.

WHEN YOU'RE NOT WRITING, HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME?

Painting, woodworking, gardening, and my insatiable appetite for garage sales, flea markets and antique searching.

WHAT DO YOU READ FOR PLEASURE? 

Descriptions about antiques and collectibles I'd like to own.

WHAT ARE THE OTHER BOOKS YOU WANT TO WRITE?

The list is very long. I hope to write half before I go on to my next life.