WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER? When I was swept away to Shangrila--the Valley of the Blue Moon--in James Hilton's Lost Horizon. I was thirteen.
WAS THERE A TEACHER OR OTHER MENTOR WHO INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING?
Many an author who was able to transport me from here to there. People who make magic with words impress me.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK? There was a vacuum when it came to a non-fiction retelling of the State of Michigan verses John Norman Collins. The Washtenaw County court purged the trial transcripts from their records since the murders of seven young women in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, Michigan fifty years ago. My initial goal was to pay a long overdue debt to history.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY?
"What (Michigan) state police detective Sergeant Ronald Schoonmaker told the Fleszar family turned out to be more accurate: "If we don't catch this person within thirty days, he will kill again with increasing frequency within the next year or so." Sadly, his prediction would come to pass.
WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARE MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY? I would say Eastern Michigan University patrolman Larry Mathewson. Larry and I knew John Collins. Before Larry became a campus cop, he was in a fraternity that competed against Collins, and I lived one block up the street from Collins. We were EMU contemporaries and acquaintanced with Collins.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK? Young people should be aware of their surroundings and trust their instincts. If something doesn't seem right about a person, don't ignore that inner voice.
TELL US SOMETHING RANDOM ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER: Having standing-room-only book talks. It doesn't happen every time, but when it does, it is very gratifying.
WHAT BOOK HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE? Zorba, the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. It is a profound treatise on humanity and life--the whole catastrophy.
HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED? After being told my story about an unknown Michigan serial killer was regional with little commercial potential, I decided to self-publish. I built a nation-wide audience through my blog and took my book to number four on Amazon's Biography/Memoir/Regional category and became my publisher's top seller in under four months.
IF A CLOSE FRIEND OR LOVED ONE WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK, WHAT GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THEM?
When the muse comes looking for you, she better find you working. There is no substitute for commitment and perservence.
CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK? Create a blog, post regularly about your topic, and route your posts through social media to build or find your audience.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT? Winning writing awards for each of my books.
TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING: I was walking around with this story for over forty years before I was able to have the time and resources to bring it to life.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS? You can make a small fortune self-publishing if you start with a large fortune. There are easier ways to chase a dollar than writing. You must love what you do and be willing to open yourself to criticism--no matter how painful it is.
WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED? My first book is entitled Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel (2011). More information can be found on my Amazon author page.
LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org
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