When writing, the places you turn for material are the places and things you know. Having grown up, been educated, and lived in Texas a large portion of my life I have many places to turn to. Texas is a diverse place. I came to know much of that diversity before I started to write. I also think Texans, due to the influence of their experience and because of how that experience has been presented in art, view the world in a particular way. That view gets into your characters, your narrators, your vision. It’s nearly impossible to keep it out.

Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?

I write stories about individuals and couples struggling for the American dream — or at least the ideal of it. I believe that struggle defines us and our society and has for some time. It’s spiritual, and it influences most of the decisions we make in life. I don’t believe it to be strictly American, but our version of it is unique.

Where did your love of storytelling come from?

My love of storytelling began when I was nine years old and started entertaining my friends before school with stories I would make up. Some I wrote, some I memorized from notes, and some I simply made up on the spot. I was dyslexic; reading was a chore and nearly impossible until late in grade-school. And, never done for pleasure until college. My need to write stories and to share them with others came from within me.

How long have you been writing?

I followed other interests in school and became an attorney and still have a full time legal practice. I only began writing for publication with the release of my first novel in January 2016, though I’ve been writing stories and poems and thinking about writing since I was about ten.

What kind of writing do you do?

I write primarily about young couples and individuals struggling for the American dream.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Watching a story and vision that has been rattling around in your head for years come to life on a page, and then turn into a physical book that you can hold, and whose pages you can flip through, is nothing short of amazing. Watching whole sections improve, chapters run better, paragraphs become more clear, and sentences work, though boiled down to their essentials, is breathtaking.

Do you have any strange writing habits you’d like to share with your readers?

Before I sit down to write I take a cold shower. Doesn’t matter the time. It’s great for the body in general and will wake up your senses like nothing else.

Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before?

Rome.

If you could speak with any accent from anywhere in the world, what would you choose?

Castilian Spanish, from Spain.

What’s something fun or funny that most people don’t know about you?

I’m a huge pot-head. Just kidding. Actually, I’m a good juggler and can play a decent African drum.

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