# Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
I’m a mild mannered accountant turned thriller fiction writer! I’ve been a self employed CPA for over 35 years, with a successful accounting firm in suburban Chicago.
I was a talented writer in high school, and was encouraged to pursue my passion for writing. However, my family didn’t see it that way, so I studied accounting at Central Michigan University. Got married and raised four wonderful children. After a lengthy divorce and extensive therapy, I was strongly advised to pursue something that would keep me off of the six o’clock news. So I grabbed my laptop and attended some writing courses at the local community college. I then realized that this was something I should have pursued a long time ago…
# What is/are the real-life story(ies) behind your book(s)?
Many of my storylines are based on real life characters and/or situations. As a CPA actively involved in Chicago, I get to see and hear about a lot of stories.
But like every good writer, one never tells.
# What inspires/inspired your creativity?
I am an insomniac and have realized for years that sleep is extremely overrated. My nightmares, my background, and most of all, my demons, inspire my storylines.
# How do you deal with creative block?
Espresso works for me.
# What are the biggest mistakes you can make in a book?
Editing is very important. Every author needs to read, then read, then read, then read…again his writing, before finally publishing. I believe that one’s story is never, ever done.
# Do you have tips on choosing titles and covers?
Chose something that will keep you from sleeping.
# How do bad reviews and negative feedback affect you and how do you deal with them?
They don’t. I’m well aware of my talents and my writing skills…if someone doesn’t like my books or writing, it is certainly their loss.
As Ricky Nelson once sang… ‘you can’t please everyone, so you…got to please yourself’.
# How has your creation process improved over time?
Age, experience and of course, more espresso.
# What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?
Writing and being a novelist is like being a struggling actor. You need to persevere, enjoy and perfect your craft. A great writer deals with his demons through his/her writing, and if he enjoys it, one will find success in defiantly defeating them.
# What role do emotions play in creativity?
Creative writing is all emotion. One has to reach into one’s gut to create an interesting storyline.
# Do you have any creativity tricks?
Create a catchy title, then write the storyline around it. Come up with some twists and turns, then shock them with an unexpected ending.
Close your eyes and step on the accelerator…let the sportscar your driving do the rest!
# What are your plans for future books?
Have two of them in the pipeline, should be done this year.
Too many books to write, too many storylines to pursue…not enough time to write them.
# Tell us some quirky facts about yourself
I don’t sleep