What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
The greatest joy used to be simply completing a novel. Now its completing a novel I am happy with and I know God is happy with. There's a strong sense of accomplishment in finishing something like Shades of Eva and Spirit of Peace. With regard to Shades, there was joy in knowing I paid a tribute to my late mother, who was my inspiration behind that story. I think she would have enjoyed it.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I think I had an attention span problem when I was young. I don't remember finishing too many novels. When I was in high school, a teacher kicked me out of English class for daydreaming and sent me to the library to get a book. I guess he thought that was punishment. I don't know. Anyhow, I came out of the stacks with Stephen King's "Thinner". I finished it in two days. It kind of got me hooked on the suspense and horror ways of storytelling (in movies, that is). It would take a while to develop my appreciation for books. There's something dreadfully delicious about watching a man fade away into nothingness from a gypsy curse, something you can't experience with torture and overt violence (although some of that was in the book, too). It left me with an appreciation of dread, which I think is an underserved ingredient in most literary dishes.
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