He was born and raised in Southeast Texas. He's a father of two, a brother of two, and has two dogs that drive him crazy. He graduated from Texas A&M University, owns a residential construction company, and has maintained a lifelong love of reading. His favorite genres are fantasy, sci-fi, mythology, philosophy, history, and Shakespeare.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself that not many people know?
A. I do not care for clowns, and hate wire coat hangers.
Q.2 What inspired you to write the Second Eight series?
A. Ahh! It started when quantity became more important than quality in art and entertainment. Television, movies, literature, music, it all seemed to be garbage content cranked out as quickly as possible. I told myself I could do better.
So, I set out to prove to myself that I could. And while I’m no Rowling or King, I think book one turned out pretty well. Best of all, I had a much better time writing it than I would have ingesting more garbage content.
Q.3 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
A. Most definitely. I am about halfway through book 2, and I have a couple of side stories that have a good chance of ending up as graphic novels.
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. Writing their side of a relationship. I know how guys think about their relationships, but how women think remains a mystery.
Q.5 Do you plan out your book before you start writing, or do you just write and see where it takes you?
A. A bit of both. I create a very minimal, very malleable outline. That way, the story can go its own way fairly easily as long as it ends up where it needs to.
Q.6 How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
A. Owning a construction company and raising two kids keeps me pretty busy. The Three Rings took over two years to write, but I suspect that if I focused only on writing, I could complete a book in five or six months.
Q.7 What’s your writing schedule while working?
A. I wake up at three most days, so I try to get some writing in before the rest of the world is awake. Occasionally, I will find time in the evenings as well, but I reserve that primarily for the consumption of other media.
Q.8 Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?
A. Probably a lot of fishing, hunting, and work in my yard and garden.
Q.9 Do you try to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
A. Both. I want my work to be enjoyed, so I stick with familiar themes/tropes. But I absolutely don’t want the reader to feel like it is something they have already read, so I try to present the stories in different, original ways.
Q.10 It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing. Tell us about your marketing campaign?
A. Right now, I am marketing very lightly, mainly organically. I feel that since I am a new author, it would be wasteful to dump a ton of money into a marketing campaign. I’m currently focused on local book signings, attending conventions, and establishing a footprint on social media.
I know that many fantasy readers, like me, avoid starting incomplete series. So, as more books become available in the series and people see that it will be completed, I think readership will increase.
Q.11 If you could be a member of any fantasy race, which would you choose and why?
A. Probably a Tolkien Elf. Their longevity and physical prowess are pretty incredible.
Q.12 If you could invite one character to dinner from your book, who would it be and why?
A. Miss Aleena. I love her quirkiness and mysticism and think that would make for a good conversation.
Q.13 What three things can a reader expect from your book?
A. 1. A light, fun weekend read. It’s not going to drag you down a philosophical rabbit hole, and you won’t have to reread sentences to understand things properly.
2. Lots of mythology and references to world religions in the character base, artifacts, and lore.
3. An emphasis on strong character - honor, loyalty, perseverance, friendship, respect - or lack thereof. If my writing conveys a message, I hope that is what comes through. I feel that many of these things are tossed aside today, very much to our detriment.
Q.14 Among all the supporting characters in your book, who is dear to you and why?
A. The Misters. They are based closely on my real-life group of close friends, and I find great joy when writing about them.
Q.15 Who designed your book cover? How do you select them?
A. A comic book artist named Camron Johnson did all of the artwork. I talked to a couple of other artists that I knew already, and the timing/feel wasn’t right. One of them suggested Camron, and once we talked, everything just clicked. One of those meant-to-be things.
Q.16 How do you select the names of your characters?
A. I start by considering where their family originated, and then I search for popular names from that region. I try to find names that have additional connotations when possible, but sometimes, the name just jumps out at me.
Q.17 What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of the finished project?
A. Ecstatic. Camron does such great work, and I had no idea what he was planning. It was a total surprise.
Q.18 What was the hardest part of writing this book?
A. Finding the time to write and keeping the story straight. I want to create a universe with deep lore and lots of history while preventing plot holes and contradictions.
Q.19 Are there any new books or authors in science fiction or fantasy (or both!) you are excited about? What are you reading right now?
A. I’m not very adventurous when selecting books and tend to stick with tried-and-true authors. Right now, I am finishing up the Witcher series, and I’ve really enjoyed it. Sad to see it coming to an end.
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far?
A. It has been wonderful. I am writing about things I loved reading about when I was young, all set in my own backyard. Folding my friends and life experiences into it makes it that much more fun. My kids enjoy discussing the characters and themes with me, too, and that in itself makes it worthwhile.
Share your social account links -
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/the.second.eight
Website - https://www.thesecondeight.com/
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself that not many people know?
A. I do not care for clowns, and hate wire coat hangers.
Q.2 What inspired you to write the Second Eight series?
A. Ahh! It started when quantity became more important than quality in art and entertainment. Television, movies, literature, music, it all seemed to be garbage content cranked out as quickly as possible. I told myself I could do better.
So, I set out to prove to myself that I could. And while I’m no Rowling or King, I think book one turned out pretty well. Best of all, I had a much better time writing it than I would have ingesting more garbage content.
Q.3 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
A. Most definitely. I am about halfway through book 2, and I have a couple of side stories that have a good chance of ending up as graphic novels.
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. Writing their side of a relationship. I know how guys think about their relationships, but how women think remains a mystery.
Q.5 Do you plan out your book before you start writing, or do you just write and see where it takes you?
A. A bit of both. I create a very minimal, very malleable outline. That way, the story can go its own way fairly easily as long as it ends up where it needs to.
Q.6 How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
A. Owning a construction company and raising two kids keeps me pretty busy. The Three Rings took over two years to write, but I suspect that if I focused only on writing, I could complete a book in five or six months.
Q.7 What’s your writing schedule while working?
A. I wake up at three most days, so I try to get some writing in before the rest of the world is awake. Occasionally, I will find time in the evenings as well, but I reserve that primarily for the consumption of other media.
Q.8 Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?
A. Probably a lot of fishing, hunting, and work in my yard and garden.
Q.9 Do you try to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
A. Both. I want my work to be enjoyed, so I stick with familiar themes/tropes. But I absolutely don’t want the reader to feel like it is something they have already read, so I try to present the stories in different, original ways.
Q.10 It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing. Tell us about your marketing campaign?
A. Right now, I am marketing very lightly, mainly organically. I feel that since I am a new author, it would be wasteful to dump a ton of money into a marketing campaign. I’m currently focused on local book signings, attending conventions, and establishing a footprint on social media.
I know that many fantasy readers, like me, avoid starting incomplete series. So, as more books become available in the series and people see that it will be completed, I think readership will increase.
Q.11 If you could be a member of any fantasy race, which would you choose and why?
A. Probably a Tolkien Elf. Their longevity and physical prowess are pretty incredible.
Q.12 If you could invite one character to dinner from your book, who would it be and why?
A. Miss Aleena. I love her quirkiness and mysticism and think that would make for a good conversation.
Q.13 What three things can a reader expect from your book?
A. 1. A light, fun weekend read. It’s not going to drag you down a philosophical rabbit hole, and you won’t have to reread sentences to understand things properly.
2. Lots of mythology and references to world religions in the character base, artifacts, and lore.
3. An emphasis on strong character - honor, loyalty, perseverance, friendship, respect - or lack thereof. If my writing conveys a message, I hope that is what comes through. I feel that many of these things are tossed aside today, very much to our detriment.
Q.14 Among all the supporting characters in your book, who is dear to you and why?
A. The Misters. They are based closely on my real-life group of close friends, and I find great joy when writing about them.
Q.15 Who designed your book cover? How do you select them?
A. A comic book artist named Camron Johnson did all of the artwork. I talked to a couple of other artists that I knew already, and the timing/feel wasn’t right. One of them suggested Camron, and once we talked, everything just clicked. One of those meant-to-be things.
Q.16 How do you select the names of your characters?
A. I start by considering where their family originated, and then I search for popular names from that region. I try to find names that have additional connotations when possible, but sometimes, the name just jumps out at me.
Q.17 What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of the finished project?
A. Ecstatic. Camron does such great work, and I had no idea what he was planning. It was a total surprise.
Q.18 What was the hardest part of writing this book?
A. Finding the time to write and keeping the story straight. I want to create a universe with deep lore and lots of history while preventing plot holes and contradictions.
Q.19 Are there any new books or authors in science fiction or fantasy (or both!) you are excited about? What are you reading right now?
A. I’m not very adventurous when selecting books and tend to stick with tried-and-true authors. Right now, I am finishing up the Witcher series, and I’ve really enjoyed it. Sad to see it coming to an end.
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far?
A. It has been wonderful. I am writing about things I loved reading about when I was young, all set in my own backyard. Folding my friends and life experiences into it makes it that much more fun. My kids enjoy discussing the characters and themes with me, too, and that in itself makes it worthwhile.
Share your social account links -
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/the.second.eight
Website - https://www.thesecondeight.com/
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