How long have you been writing for and how much of that time have you spent writing fiction?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I spent thirty-five years as a professor writing papers, proposals, textbooks, and other documents. I retired last year. I started writing science fiction in 2012 at fifty-six years old, with first book Crystal Deception released in 2013, so I am approaching my ten-year anniversary as a genre author.<\/p>\n\n

What’s the average word count for the books you write and how long does it take you to write your average book?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The four books of the Crystal Series range from 96-98K words. The three books of the Bump Time trilogy range from 86-88K words. They each took about fifteen months to write. The Lagrange series I’m working on now will be in the 86-88K word length.<\/p>\n\n

What is your writing routine (Do you have a daily word count goal? Do you write whenever the spirit moves you?)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I get up early and write every morning, 360 days per year. I don’t have a hard goal but tend to write 250-400 finished words a day. I edit as I write, so everything behind me is done and polished, and there are blank pages ahead of me. The upside to this is that from the time I write the last chapter of a book to when it is ready for my beta readers is only about one month. I can appreciate that new authors can get bogged down in editing. But it works for me.<\/p>\n\n

How much do you research for a book before you start writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

None – I write what I know.<\/p>\n\n

What do you find most difficult about writing a book?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Spelling and grammar. If it weren’t for modern writing tools, my books would be unreadable.<\/p>\n\n

Which of your books are you most proud of and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I give my all to every book, and love what I write, otherwise I would change it. So I am equally proud of all my books.<\/p>\n\n

Which self-publishing platform do you like the most and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I publish on Amazon only. There is so much to do as an indie author, including publishing, advertising, and social media. I stick with Amazon because about half my readership comes from the Kindle Direct Program (KDP). My current to-do list is overwhelming and adding to it with more platforms is a non-starter at this point.<\/p>\n\n

Would you publish with a traditional publisher if they contacted you? Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Maybe. My goal is to be read. If they could deliver on that, I would be interested.<\/p>\n\n

How many unfinished or unpublished works do you have?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

One short story I submitted to three magazines and then shelved.<\/p>\n\n

Do you prefer creating stand-alone books or series?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The Crystal Series and Bump Time trilogy are “read in order” series. My new work, Lagrange Rising, is the first of a series that can be read in any order. So to answer the question, I prefer writing series.<\/p>\n\n

What’s one character you wish you would have created? What do you find compelling or interesting about this character?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

N\/A – I would write it if I wished for it.<\/p>\n\n

What book do you wish you would have written? Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

N\/A – I would write it if I wished for it.<\/p>\n\n

Do you find it challenging to write characters of a different gender, race, or culture than you? Do you do any special research for these characters?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

As an engineering professor, I work closely with students of different genders and races from around the world on a daily basis. I feel comfortable writing characters who are similarly worldly. I wouldn’t feel on solid ground writing characters who are immersed in their own culture in foreign lands, who never have ventured out of their hometown. Interesting story about gender. I wrote a chapter in Crystal Deception for a male character, a real shoot em up action scene. My editor suggested that the female character wasn’t getting enough press, so I changed the hims to hers and gave her that chapter. That’s a long way of saying men and women get equal treatment from me in my stories.<\/p>\n\n

What does success as a writer look like for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Someone with a ten-fold increase in readership compared to me. <\/p>\n\n

Writing can be a lonely job. Do you take any special steps to ensure you remain part of the world?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I love a quiet life. And through my outside endeavors (professor emeritus of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Connecticut, and founder and director of Control Station, Inc.) I get enough outside interaction to feel fulfilled.<\/p>\n\n

Constantly sitting and writing can be physically debilitating. How do you take care of yourself, physically?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I walk in my neighborhood every day after I write, where I brainstorm what happens next in the story I’m working on.<\/p>\n\n

Do you read your reviews? How do you deal with bad ones?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I read them when they first appear. Bad ones hurt, except if they are the kind where the reader was emotionally involved in the story and wished for a different outcome. I like those because I know I touched them in some way.<\/p>\n\n

What books have you read that were particularly inspiring?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

That answer changes as I age. During my teens I gobbled science fiction, reading authors like Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, and Bradbury. I started mixing in fantasy authors, ranging from Tolkien to Piers Anthony to Zelazny. Now I read genre fiction novels, which are more entertaining than they are inspiring.<\/p>\n\n

Do you have a favourite author? A favourite book?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

This year my favorite author is Lee Child of Jack Reacher fame. I appreciate that his testosterone-filled stories can be off-putting. But I love his writing – his descriptions, his scene setting, his pacing, his ability to suck me in. He can take three paragraphs to describe a sunrise and I love it. I’ve been studying his books and working to channel his style into my new Lagrange series. <\/p>\n\n

Do you plot your stories in great detail before starting to write, or fly by the seat of your pants?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I am a pantser. My plotting goes as far as “the good guy wins.” With that said, my books are very intricate, with intertwined plots and complex characters. I live my story as I write it. My excitement comes from discovering what happens next, because I don’t know until I put the words down. I don’t even let myself think about how a story ends until I’ve reached the half-way point in a book. <\/p>\n\n

Of all the characters in your stories, which is your favourite?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Love all the good guys. Don’t love the bad guys.<\/p>\n\n

Have you based any characters on real people? If they found out, how did they respond?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

No. It’s all imagination.<\/p>\n\n

What\u2019s the best thing about being an independent author? The worst?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Writing is the most fun I have had in any professional endeavor. I live my wildest dreams through my stories, from space travel to time travel to interacting with advanced AI. All endeavors have hassles, and I would say those of an indie author are not onerous, with advertising and social media being the biggest challenges. <\/p>\n\n

Do you make a living selling your books?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Self-publishing is a money losing prospect for me. So no, I don’t make a living at it. My goal is modest – someday I hope to make more than I spend, an elusive target in my first nine years. Book covers and editing services and advertising costs more than I make.<\/p>\n\n

What advice would you give to a new author?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Write and write and write some more. They say it takes 10,000 hours of effort to master a skill. At twenty hours per week, fifty weeks per year, it takes ten years to reach that goal.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t