Frequently Asked Questions


Where do you get your ideas for stories?

The ideas mostly come from life, from observing the human condition and from studying the developments taking place in the world. I season that with a measure of my own experiences.

How do you create the characters in your stories?

I’m a people watcher. The habits and behaviors of others fascinate me. In creating and animating the characters in my stories, I pull together a composite of people I have observed.

Is there any of your own personality in any of your characters?

I believe most authors find an irresistible urge to inhabit one or more of their lead characters, at least to some extent. In my case, I have to admit that each one of the Sleeping Dogs reflects traits of my own personality. Scary thought, isn't it?

Are there “keys” to becoming a writer of fiction?

Yes, among the most important is to be a voracious reader yourself. The more you read among a wide variety of writers, the better your own skills will be. You don’t want to try to mimic someone else’s style, but exposure to many, many styles will help you find your own “voice”.

Who are some of your favorite writers?

There are two general categories of writers who have influenced me. The first are the classical chroniclers of heroic deeds and writers of adventurous tales, such as Herodotus’ Histories, Xenophon’s Anabasis, One Thousand and One Nights, the Song of Roland, and others.

The second category includes more modern writers from Raphael Sabatini to Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, John D. MacDonald, Elmore Leonard, and Robert B. Parker. Current writers in the thriller genre who I greatly admire include Lee Child, Brad Thor, David Baldacci, the late Vince Flynn, Daniel Silva, Nelson DeMille, Ben Coes, and Alex Berenson among others.

Is Sleeping Dogs: The Awakening your first novel?

It’s my first published novel. I wrote a novel length manuscript as a student at Vanderbilt University School of Law years ago. My undisciplined nature needed some sort of escapist diversion to cope with three years of mind-numbing regimentation and seemingly endless case-briefing.

Why didn’t you publish that book? 

I almost did. A senior VP at Harper & Row (now HarperCollins) liked it, but believed that the protagonist, as an anti-hero, would not be embraced by the reading public. He wanted me to rewrite it so a minor character, a nebbish, was the protagonist and my anti-hero would become part of the wallpaper. I had neither the time nor interest for rewriting it, so I tossed it on a shelf and forgot about it for many years.

As an ironic postscript, right after that, the print and film media exploded with popular anti-heroes. Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood, among others, became box office icons in those kinds of roles. John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee and Robert B. Parker’s Spenser went on to sell millions of novels. And today there is no more imposing or popular anti-hero than Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.

Do you have plans to publish that book?

I did publish it in October, 2012 as The Quixotics.

Will there be more books about the Sleeping Dogs, and, if so, when will the next one be available?

I plan to write a continuing series about Brendan Whelan and his genetically evolved colleagues. The second one is tentatively titled Endangered Species. Sample chapters are available here. To date there are five books in the series. I’m currently writing the sixth, a prequel tentatively titled In the Beginning…

What else have you written?

“He Who Drinks From Lethe...”, a morality tale in short story form with dark, neo-gothic undertones has recently been published. It takes place today deep in the heart of the Everglades. I published it as a free download on this site. It also is available online at AmazonBarnes and Noble, and Smashwords. Each of those sites charges $0.99.


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