1)    Do you write books as a career, or are you currently still juggling your author time with a full or part time job?

Although I’m retired, I’m still juggling my author time with golf, animal care, and grandson watching. I wake up at 4:30, feed Penny the Pig, feed myself, clean up after the horses, and head for the golf course. I still walk and carry my bag, so I consider it my exercise for the day. After lunch, there’s a three year old grandson who demands my attention so he can line up his dinosaurs on the living room table. I usually have time to write when he takes his nap and after I take mine, so I suppose author time must compete with my other part time jobs.

2)    Have you always wanted to be an author, or did some time or event in your life set you on the path?

After my failed attempts to persuade Pat Duncan to be the love of my life with my anonymous poems stuck into her locker in high school, I thought maybe I could persuade readers with my prose. I’ve been an avid writer since, although practicality in the form of having a stable income had me enter the field of teaching. After a brief hiatus of 33 years as a professor of writing, I became a full time writer, and since my retirement, I’ve written a total of nine novels, a batch of short stories, and a bushel or two of poems.

3)    Do you always write in the same genre, or do you sometimes like a change of theme? If you haven’t already, is there another genre you would like to write?

I’ve always been attracted to science fiction and fantasy since the days of my youth when I was introduced to DC Comics’ Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. I advanced to Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology before dipping into Asimov, Clarke, Le Guin, Herbert, and Tolkien. So it was a natural transition for me to go from reading science fiction and fantasy to writing it. I have attempted other genres in my short stories and even produced an award winning romantic story when challenged to write a Valentine love story—something I thought I would never do. I’m always open to new challenges.

4)    As a writer, what is the best thing that has happened to you, and what is that most exciting thing that could happen to you?

Actually, there are several bests in my writing career. The first short story I sold to a magazine, “Mosquito Bite,” the three first place poetry awards in the Aquarium of the Pacific poetry contest, the first collection of short stories self-published, and the first novel published with Crimson Cloak Publishing are what I would consider my “bests.” I have yet to be recognized as an author of merit by anyone but a very small fan base, so achieving wider acclaim would be the most exciting thing that could happen.

5)    How do you view the promotion, book signings etc. Is it something you enjoy, or do you prefer the writing stage?

I’ve done a few book events, usually at local libraries or bookstores, but as far as promoting myself on social media, I really suck big time. I tend to be a private person, so building myself up on social media makes me uncomfortable, not to mention dinosaurish.

6)    Could you tell us something about your published books, and let us know what they are about and where they are available?

Autocide is a collection of off-beat and bizarre short stories I self-published. The stories are from different periods of my life, so they are a reflection of the times as well as a reflection of who I was at those times.

Patch Man is the first book in the science fiction/ fantasy series and deals with an old man who sells magical patches, a young one-armed girl with dormant magical abilities, and a cadre of followers who attempt to bring peace to a world wracked by war.

The Battle for Summia is the second novel in the series and follows several of the Patch Man characters as they battle to free their homeland from Imperiana.

The Battle for Imperiana ends the trilogy as the fight is taken to Imperiana and the Patch Man and his followers face their most difficult challenges.

Icarian is a novella that delves into the background of one of the Patch Man characters–Ka–half man and half raptor and his struggles to become one of the elite fighting Icarians.Ulan is the latest book in the Patch Man series available through Crimson Cloak Publishing. This is the back story of Ulan, an assassin in the Patch Man books.

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