Blog Hop

A blog hop occurs when a writer answers four questions and then asks two other writers to answer the same questions. Sam Wiebe, author of LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS (August 30, 2014 release date) asked me to participate in this blog hop. He also tagged writer Jameson Dash (www.jamesondash.com). You can read Sam’s blog at www.samwiebe.com. Here’s my blog:

What am I working on? 

My first book, THE KILLER TRAIL, was released May 15, 2014 through NeWest Press. It’s a story about a social worker who accidentally becomes involved in the aftermath of a murder and must come to terms with his emotional, professional and personal relationship with the killer before his own life spirals out of control. I was busy the past few months with promotional events including book signings, readings, interviews and a conference, all of which were exciting new experiences for me.

I’m presently working on the follow up to THE KILLER TRAIL which I’ve envisioned as a story told over three books. I’ve completed the outlines for books two and three and am excited to be returning to writing the second one now.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I’m  not sure if I can say yet how my work differs based on one novel. I can say the protagonist is a social worker at a forensic psychiatric hospital and I draw from the “write what you know” perspective in that I work in this field and I’m not familiar with too many other writers from this perspective.

How does my writing process work? 

At this early stage in my writing life, it’s a matter of quality time vs. quantity. I work full time and have a young family so I have to be disciplined with my time management for writing. Inspiration comes at all hours of the day and night so I capture ideas on a voice recorder for eventual transcription onto outlines.

Why do I write what I do?

I’ve always been curious why we act the way we do. It’s no surprise then that in my academic life I was drawn to courses in psychology and criminology, and in my work life I’ve enjoyed forensic social work. Now, with my writing life I’m interested in developing characters who for various reasons and various ways come into conflict with the law. This includes the protagonist, Chris Ryder, who works with patients with mental health challenges and starts out with a strong sense of justice. I’m intrigued to see how Chris does in situations where he comes face to face with his own limitations, and finds himself questioning what is right and what is wrong, what is real and not real.

Introducing the next two writers in this blog hop!

Glynis Whiting is the author of A NOSE FOR DEATH. I met Glynis at the Bloody Words conference in Toronto in June as we participated on a panel of debut authors. You can learn more about Glynis at www.glyniswhiting.com.

I’m also proud to introduce T. Rae Mitchell, who is the author of the YA fantasy, FATE’S FABLES. I’ve known Terry (T.Rae) for close to ten years. You can learn more about T. Rae at www.traemitchell.com.

I look forward to reading what Glynis Whiting and T. Rae Mitchell have to say about the writing process next week!