If you could do any job in the world what would you do?
A) I’ve thought about this for many, many years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m doing it. I love being an author. Coming in at a close second is standup comedy. Getting that immediate positive reaction from a crowd is fantastic, but the silence is terrifying, too.
Are you a city slicker or a country lover?
A) I’m more of a water baby, I suppose. I grew up in the south, in the mountains of southwest Virginia, but I’ve been a fan of the ocean for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, our annual vacation to the coast was always the highlight of my year.
How do you think people perceive writers?
A) I think that depends on the image you project through personal interactions and social media. Gone are the days of picturing writers as some crusty old guy, hunched over a typewriter in a smoke-filled room. These days, a lot of us are open, public personalities that enjoys interacting with our readers as much as possible.
What’s your next project?
A) I start and stop a lot of them. I don’t just write the first plot that comes to mind and force my way through to the end. If I’m going to spend a couple of months with something, it really has to catch my attention. That said, I just started a new piece about ten friends on a yacht who wake up the next morning to find that one of them has been murdered.
What would you love to produce in your life?
A) Career-wise, I’d love to write a novel that had the kind of public reaction that The Hunger Games had, but everyone wants that. If you’re a writer, who wouldn’t?! In my personal life, I hope to do my best raising my son into a wonderful human being.
What’s the reason for your life? Have you figured out your reason for being here yet?
A) Hah, I wish! I suppose it changes constantly. Right now, my reason for being here is to be the best parent I can be and write the best novels I can to bring some enjoyment into the world.
How do you feel about self-publishing?
A) In a way, I think the stigma of the word will always be there, but Amazon really changed the game. The role of the “gatekeeper” is quickly switching from the powers that be in New York to the audiences that read what’s produced. Readers, fans, and the public now get to decide what’s good as well.
Do you know your neighbors?
A) Yep! They’re great people. And it doesn’t hurt that they think I’m some sort of famous writer after hitting a couple bestseller lists. (Sssh, my lack of fame is can be our secret.)
How did you come up with the title?
A) When I started writing this novel, the title was originally The Wretch, because Steve Pendragon is really a delusional, weird, annoying guy until you get to know him. But, the more I worked with him and the story, it no longer felt right. I can credit my wife for helping me come up with the title. When she first started reading it, she said, “He’s really just a harmless creep.” Thus, the title Harmless came into being.
Who designed the cover?
A) My fantastically talented friend Rich Lee, whom I’ve known for years now. I gave him a concept, and he executed it perfectly.
Why did you choose to write this particular book?
A) I started writing this book after I read Gone Girl. Both of the main characters were so…awful throughout the whole thing, yet it was an amazing story that I couldn’t stop reading. My intent was to create a similar character who seemed awful on the surface and slowly have the audience come around to him. As cliché as it sounds, I suppose I wanted to prove that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
A) I do, but subtly. You’d never realize it unless you knew me, which is always interesting when my wife reads my work. She points out little things and says, “That’s SO you.” Sometimes, I’ll hide little details within a story that are just for her alone, and it’s a lot of fun when she stumbles across them.
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Genre - Mystery/Suspense
Rating – PG13
More details about the author & the book
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