I grew up in Dungarvan, a small harbor town in the south coast of Ireland. Because it's an old country in which ancient castles coexist alongside modern buildings, I was raised with an innate sense of history and age, and an awareness of contrasts. The proximity of the ocean meant I was often exposed to briny old storytellers who loved to spin maritime myths and legends for the children (I genuinely believed in the banshee until I was about seventeen!) but also got to see the might and majesty of the sea in all its forms.

I've been writing since I was eight years old, probably before that. But the first time I can remember sitting down and actively attempting to write a story that was not imposed upon me by school, I was eight years old.

It's a crime noir pseudo-sequel to my horror novel KIN. It follows one of the few survivors of the previous novel as he struggles with addiction, alcoholism, ghosts, and a case that threatens to set him right back on the road to a hell he was lucky to escape once. It involves meth-dealers, corrupt attorneys, a missing girl, gun thugs...all the usual ingredients for a family-friendly novel. The working title is A PLACE BEYOND WINTER.

Just released is my novella JACK & JILL, about an abuse victim who suffers recurring (and worsening) nightmares related to that childhood trauma. As she struggles to cope, the nightmares begin to invade her waking life.

I had been traditionally published and saw the markets begin to dry up. A few writers I know and respect had been touting the advantages of digital publishing for a while before I decided--more out of curiosity than anything else--to give it a try. I never expected a single dime of return from it; I was just excited by the idea of being able to get my work back in front of readers again. Turned out to be one of the better decisions I've made in my lifetime.

Convenience. I very much like how, among other benefits, it serves as a distribution hub, removing a lot of the work, and thereby freeing up more time to write for the author. Having to tailor a release to so many different retailers can be a headache, so I very much appreciate not having to worry about that with each and every release. I also appreciate how SW is constantly looking to expand and innovate, trying new technologies, making deals, and generally championing the indie authors.

Entering the zone: that moment in which you cease being a guy in a chair tapping keys, and instead find yourself living the lives of your characters, seeing the worlds in which they move, playing God, creating, destroying...it's an incredible feeling that honestly has no parallel.

They're everything. I've said it a thousand times. Without our readers, we're talking to ourselves.

As mentioned, I'm currently at work on a new crime novel. I've dabbled in the genre before, but never this completely. A PLACE BEYOND WINTER is also an exploration of addiction, nihilism, the struggle to find meaning where none appears to exist, the value and cost of lies in a given moment, and faith (in a higher power, in oneself). It's a bleak novel, but I think my readers know to expect that from me by now. Ain't no sunshine when she's gone...

Stephen King, Peter Straub, John Connolly, Dennis Lehane, Robert McCammon, Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, Michael Marshall (Smith), to name a handful out of hundreds.

The fact that I get to do what I love, that every day I get to create, to share those creations with my amazing readers. Every day begins with the promise of magic, whatever form it takes. Who would want to miss that???

I design book covers through Elderlemon Design; I dabble in photography; I have done a bit of acting (do not Google it); I am a huge film and video game buff. I love taking road trips, teaching myself new things. I also spend quite a bit of time procrastinating, despite constant promises to the contrary.