W. Somerset Maugham, Flannery O'Connor, Javier Marias, Viet Thanh Nguyen, William Burroughs, Anais Nin, Henry Miller, Tom Robbins, Hunter Thompson, Balzac, Rimbaud, Chinua Achebe, Homer, Valeria Luiselli, Hermann Hesse, John Steinbeck, John Fante, Joan Didion, James Baldwin, Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, Tennessee Williams, Aldous Huxley, and so on.

As soon as I learned to spell.

Yes. I was in the second grade, it was called the Lonely Cloud, and it was about a sentient cloud that flew about looking for a friend but always getting rejected. Shel Silverstein read it at a local youth writing workshop and said it was terribly depressing.

I follow the same routine every single day.
1. Coffee and reading. Usually I'm juggling 2-4 books both fiction and non-fiction at a time.
2. Yoga/meditation
3. 3 hours of working on my primary project.
4. Gym time to refresh.
5. Secondary projects. Articles, short stories, correspondence, etc.
6. Unwinding with a good movie.

As I travel constantly, my desk changes based upon my circumstances. I prefer it to be wide and offering a good view. It is always populated with books, notes, drawing pencils and paper, tarot cards, incense, and (if I happen to be in a country where it's possible) a pipe.

1. Coffee - I'm a real Agent Cooper in that respect.
2. Reading - Coffee with a good book always starts the day off right.
3. Yoga/meditation - Clears my mind for the work ahead.
4. Writing - It might seem cliche, but I love my work and I wake up excited to get to it.

I travel constantly, so I usually spend my free time exploring wherever I happen to be. When I get the chance, I enjoy performing acoustic blues sets. I also like to draw or paint when I find the time.

I currently have three main projects.

1. I'm writing my second novel, which is a psychedelic thriller set against the backdrop of a global pandemic that emerges out of eastern Asia. Coincidentally enough, I became interested in pandemics in 2019 and came up with the premise for my book before the actual pandemic reared its head. I went to Bangkok to perform location research in December 2019. Three months later I was catching the last plane out of Hanoi before borders everywhere closed due to Covid.

2. I'm editing my first novel, which largely revolves around a family coping with the suicide of their father. It spans the economic collapse of 2008 to the 2016 election.

3. My next collection of short stories, which are three real life tales of medical catastrophe. One involves my loss of vision and subsequent eye surgery and recovery. Another is about smashing my ankle in Mexico City then spending 10 days in an impoverished hospital. And the third is the story of when my close friend slid into schizophrenia, and the adventure, tragedy, and triumph that ensued.

In a small hill town outside of Seattle. While I had plenty of access to beautiful natural spaces, it was a brutal, strange place where terrible, mysterious things happened. As a result, there is an undeniable earthy, vital aspect to my writing, but there is also darkness and catastrophe.

Favorite is too big a word. But five that impacted me in a big way are:

The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. So much wisdom is such a small book.
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller. Few books balance ferocity and beauty so well.
Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me by Javier Marias. Absolutely mind-blowing prose.
East of Eden or Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck. One for the epic scale, the other for its humor.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. It speaks to the punk rock ethos that I developed when I was young.

Interestingly enough it has very little to do with my actual work. I find it incredibly challenging to find like-minded readers and artists with whom to discuss art and literature.