Please tell us a little about yourself.
I'm a 41 year old white, male living with an equally aged wife and two daughters in the little river city of Bellevue, Kentucky. By day I'm an investment advisor. By night, I write.
What is your book about?
Wrath - the life and assassination of a United States Governor is a fictional account of the life of William Goebel. Goebel remains the only sitting U.S. governor to be assassinated. Many felt Goebel deserved his bullet.
Chiefly, it's about how Goebel overcame several unique drawbacks to become governor. The chief drawback was that five years before his election he shot a fellow Democrat in broad daylight on a city street standing next to the attorney general of the state.
How long did it take you to write?
I wrote it over three years. I'm not very disciplined in my writing. Basically, when work gets slow and others abandoned the office for the golf course or bar or for home I would write.
What inspired you to write this novel?
I was meandering through the local public library when I came across a thin, blue volume called Goebel: the politics of wrath. It was a thirty plus year old biography of Goebel. I'd never heard of him but found a seat and read the book through. It's an amazing political/historical story. I'm a political and history junkie and was surprised I'd never heard of Goebel.
But what really inspired me is that in this biography the author almost skips past Goebel's murder of John Sanford in broad daylight standing next to the chief law enforcement office of the state and five years later is elected governor. That's high drama to me but to a historian, I guess, it's just another fact to be presented.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I don't think there ever was a decision. When I was in grade school I discovered that while I couldn't run well, do math well or flirt with girls well I could string together a bunch of words better than most. It was something I was good at and something I nurtured in myself.
It's become therapy now.
What part of writing do you struggle with? Character, plot, description or dialogue?
I struggle with how much to write. I'm a sparse writer. I believe a reader is better able to imagine a scene than most writers can write it. However, you do need to give them something to build on. I struggle with what to leave in and what to leave out.
What made you decide on self-publishing?
The first was that I wanted to give a singular vision. If I was lucky enough to make it through the gauntlet of traditional publishing I'd have numerous people tell me what's wrong with the book. On a marketing side they may be right but it's not what I wanted.
Also, going the traditional route didn't make financial sense. I spent years writing a book then years trying to get it printed then a few weeks trying to sell it to the public for an average advance of a few thousand bucks seemed silly.
I have a buddy who is trying to sell a novel the traditional way. After hours of talking with him I realized he won't even consider self-publishing because he wants the pat on the head that comes with an agent and then publisher saying "we like you and your book". Luckily, I don't need that. So his book sits unread gathering electronic dust on his hard drive while mine has been read by many more.
Did you have a professional editor?
No. This is a work of love. Again it goes back to my wanting to have a singular vision for Wrath. However, I can see the merits. How could I not? Max Perkins, anyone?
Do you edit as you write or wait until your book is finished?
I edit as I write. I find that I have to do that to keep the same voice and tone throughout the novel. For example, I'll write a chapter on Saturday and be ready to go for another chapter on Sunday but to make them fit I have to read over and get back into the Saturday chapter before moving on.
After the book is completed I do more editing (re-writing). And more. And more. Then some more. I don't pick up Wrath and flip through it because I know whatever my eye lands on I'll think, that bit could be better.
Are you currently working on any projects?
Wrath was a pretty serious novel where I tried to delve deep into the psyche of some pretty dark people. I then wrote a novella about a self-absorbed father who destroys his family. I'm letting that one sit for a while before I release it.
For a change I'm writing a series of humorous cozy detective-ish stories. They are much lighter with (so far) plenty of humor. I'm getting too old to do the dark stuff anymore.
Any advice for new authors?
Write. Read. Read good stuff and read crap. You learn from both. Avoid the fads and styles that make up 95% of the 'literary' world. Read Hemingway's The End of Something once a year. Read it annually to learn and to give yourself a dose of humility. Don't read it more often because it will give you a dose of discouragement. Anyway, it's the best writing lesson I ever had. Read. Write.
Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what type of music?
I can't listen to good music when I write because the music draws my thoughts away from the page. So, if I listen to anything, it's pop/rock. It's all crap that won't intrude on your thoughts.
Best time of day to write?
I write when I can. I don't have the luxury of being choosy.
Top 3 authors?
Hemingway for the grace
Edgar Rice Burroughs to keep the action moving…no matter what!
P.G. Wodehouse for dialogue, plotting, humor, action, and insight into the human soul.
Top 3 novels of all time?
The Magnificent Ambersons - for its focus
One Hundred Years of Solitude - for its scope
A Farewell to Arms - for its simple, clear writing and sentiment.
Top 3 movies of all time?
Ikiru
The Philadelphia Story
The African Queen
Also, the films of Paddy Cheyefsky get an honorable mention.
What do you read the most? Fiction or non-fiction?
I read fiction growing up but then went through a period of intense study in my professional field. That lasted five years where I didn't read much (if any) fiction. When I came out of it I realized that fiction just couldn't or wouldn't hold my interest. Thankfully, I got back into fiction a few years ago.
Is your book in Print, ebook or both?
Both! But an ebook saves trees and the fossil fuels it'd take to deliver the paper version!
Where can your readers contact you? Links, etc.
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