1. How long does it take you to write a novel, start-to-finish?

I’m convinced that the best writing education possible is the introspective process, the surprising successes and the miserable failures, of completing a manuscript. Writing my first novel, TIDAL FORCE, all started with a specific incident, taking place in a specific setting, that popped into my head and seemed interesting enough to jot down. There were no characters, per se, and certainly no actual storyline to go by. There was only a scene that I found rather interesting. So I wrote it. When it was finished, it begged the question of what happened next. So I wrote a little more. Gradually, more questions arose that needed answering, and before I knew it, I was immersed in this rapidly expanding universe. I’d come home from work, inhale dinner (or not) and sit down at the computer until 2 or 3 in the morning. The following day, during the 45-minute drive to work, I’d be working out sticking points in the story, which I’d feverishly jot down once I got to my office. It was a dizzying, exciting, exhausting process. All-in-all, the first draft was completed after probably three or four months. Then came the rewrites… 

2. Who are some of your favorite authors?

While I’ve historically been more into reading non-fiction, I definitely enjoyed reading fast-paced thrillers from the likes of James Rollins and Dan Brown. As for non-fiction, I’ve always appreciated authors like James Burke and Stephen Hawking for their knack for taking normally unapproachable topics and packaging them in a captivating, easily-digested form. Finally, as highly regarded a screenwriter as William Goldman was, I still think his ability to put real, identifiable characters in unreal situations while blending humor with action, is unparalleled.

3. What does it take to become a published author?

I’m sure it varies from author-to-author, but for me, it look a whole lot of RE-writing (the satisfaction of finally typing “THE END” at the end of your manuscript really only means that the REAL work is about to begin). Perseverance, believing in your work, taking criticisms to heart and learning to hear “No, thanks” repeatedly without missing a beat were all vitally important aspects as well. 

4. What’s the greatest challenge you have encountered during the writing process?

If there’s one challenge that seems to stand out above all others for me, it would have to be resisting loyalties with plot elements or general writing decisions. Innumerable times during my writing process, I find myself bumped up against a decision that I hadn’t anticipated. For example, a character’s actions in a certain situation no longer feel appropriate given the way his or her personality evolved over the preceding chapters. At that point, my options are to either: 1) stick stubbornly to my original intent for how that situation should play out, or 2) move the story into a direction that I hadn’t quite anticipated, but that’s more consistent (or thrilling, or romantic, or… ) than the one I had originally envisioned. Several times I’ve had to painfully delete sentences that I loved the content or flow of, but which no longer suited the story as it unfolded. I’m not a big Star Trek guy, but doesn’t Mr. Spock utter something comparable in one of the movies, about “sacrificing the few for the good of the many”? Yeah, that.

5. What do you enjoy most about the writing process? 

I love that it grants the writer the ability to create a world, and then populate it with a collection of interesting people. Once that’s done, it’s just a matter of flipping a switch and watching the characters start bouncing off each other, documenting the goings-on as articulately as possible.

6. As a new author, would I be better off finding an agent or a publisher first?

I think it’s all to tempting to begin the pursuit of publication the moment you type “THE END”. But more important than WHO you query is WHAT you query them with. Polish that manuscript until it shines. Be ruthless. Have friends read it for you (but make sure they’re not afraid to give you the honest truth if warranted). Even better, find a quality editor and have them go through it. Trust that they can find issues that you’re too close to pick up on. Then, once that’s done, learn how to write a query letter, synopsis, etc. Again, polish, polish, polish. Then, and only then, is it time to start knocking on doors.