When did you first start writing?
I was probably 15 when I churned out my first tale. It was a horrible story with a nonsensical twist, but my parents—God bless ‘em—said they loved it. After that I was hooked. From there came more stories, each slightly better than the last. I didn’t attempt my first novel until I was in college, and even that was pretty bad.
Do you have a favorite author that inspires your writing?
I often comment I learned to write by “reading Stephen King,” which is ironic, because none of my novels are horror. Mortom definitely has “elements” of it, but for the most part, it’s a straightforward mystery. Outside of King, two of my current favorite authors are Alden Bell (The Reapers are the Angels) and Daniel Woodrell (Winter’s Bone). I wish I could write half as well as those gentleman.
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