What languages you can speak and write?
Superlative English, street-level Spanish, cave-dweller German.
How many books have you written?
Five through Publish America from 2003-2010 and ten in 2013-14. It was a very good year.
Can you list some of your books here?
The Standard, Destroyer (Abaddon), The Fury, Stxeamtown, Nightcrawler, Tiara (10th Anniversary Edition), and The Bat (An Existential Fable), all available on Amazon.
Where do you publish your books?
The Standard and Destroyer were published by Tenth Street Press. The Fury was Netherworld Press. Stxeamtown was with Torquere/Prizm. Nightcrawler was Black Rose Writing. Tiara and The Bat came out on my own label, Spoiler Publishing Co.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced when writing your book? How did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge comes after the fact, getting the publishers to realize the mutual benefit of promoting the book and selling the rights. It was why I decided to start self-publishing if I was going to do all the work.
I blog and post promos like all the thousands of other writers out there. All I can hope for is that the quality of my JRD brand is the cream of the crop and rises to the top.
What is your favorite genre and why?
I specialize in action/adventure as it matches my personality and lifestyle. I do historical fiction because I like my work to be as authentic as possible. I also favor postmodernist women's fiction in order to make statements and influence readers' thinking.
When did you start writing? What is the purpose of your writing?
I started writing dialogue for my stick-figure cartoons after I got out of diapers. I feel my mission in life is to create the kind of art that causes people to reflect on different concepts and world views. I also try to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ who makes it all possible.
My latest work, The Brand (coming soon on Amazon), is about a Northern Irishman in 1777 branded (with a branding iron) as a Sower of Sedition for distributing political literature. He seeks revenge against the British by participating in a sting operation in ripping off a shipment of gold bullion being used to build a superfortress in the American Colonies. Freedom of speech is a major theme, and there are some strong female protagonists that voice the female perspective.
Are you working on more books?
While I'm waiting on my family saga, Generations, to be published by Solstice Publishing, I'm planning Generations II. The first one is about my maternal grandfather's Irish ancestry. This one's looking at my Dad's side of the family.
First and foremost is the storyline. Without a great story there's no point in writing. You then need great characters to make the story come to life. Research is a main ingredient, because if your facts are wrong your story falls apart. Finally, you need a strong finish or you're cheating yourself and your readers.
What is the hardest part of the book writing process?
It's a tossup between research and the finish. With The Standard, there were days I spent more time researching than writing. The Brand was all about the finish, making the sting operation believable in a day and age when smoke and mirrors were in short supply.
