Interview
What is the
hardest part of writing your books?
Throwing out jokes. I write several
drafts before a book is finished, and part of each draft is making it just a
little bit funnier than the last one. More often than I like to admit, I’ll
read a joke that I wrote in the previous draft, and think “what did I think was
funny about that? It’s just stupid! I need to either salvage that right now, or
give up writing immediately!”
After I’ve cried about it for a
while, I’ll either figure out what was funny about the joke and fix it, or I’ll
throw it out and move on. In the latter case, I like to think that I’ll find
that spot on the next draft and think “oh, I know a really funny joke that can
go right here,” and get it right that time.
What songs
are most played on your Ipod?
I listen to a lot of movie scores
while I write. Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer are in heavy rotation. Also
instrumental music from artists like Phillip Glass and Zoe Keating. I wish I
could write to music that has lyrics, but I just can’t. I get sucked into the
words and lose my concentration.
Do you have
critique partners or beta readers?
My wife Shelly always reads a very
early draft and gives me excellent feedback. I also get a lot of great advice
from my editor and my publisher. Beyond that, while I see the potential
benefits of critique and review, I’ve never really sought it out. I’m
open-minded about the possibility in the future, though.
What book
are you reading now?
“Bury the Lead” by Cassondra Windwalker,
and “Inspector Hobbes and the Blood” by Wilkie Martin. There’s a never-ending
pile beneath them, mostly humorous fantasy, some grimdark, some horror, and at
least a couple of biographies.
How did you
start your writing career?
To quote just about every writer
who’s ever written about writing, “a writer writes.” It’s the greatest and most
terrible thing about the profession. All you have to do to be a writer is start
putting words on a page.
I probably started—and never
finished—a couple of dozen novels before I really found my stride. I’m glad for
each and every one of them. No one will ever read them, which is lucky for
everyone. They were terrible. But every time I tried, I failed by a little bit
less, and I eventually wrote something worth reading.
“The Winter Riddle” will be
available everywhere books are sold on November 1, 2018. It’s the tale of a
deeply introverted witch who lives at the North Pole. She’d rather not be
bothered to save the world from the ridiculous hijinks of her sister, the White
Queen, and her idiot friend Loki, but it doesn’t look like she’s going to get a
moment’s peace until she does. A retired warrior named Santa may be able to
help her get the Vikings to do their part, but he won’t be happy about the
gender-bending fashion faux pas that happen along the way.
I’m also nearly finished with the
second book of my “Terribly Serious Darkness” series. It should be on shelves
in mid-2019. The first book of the series, “Peril in the Old Country,” is
currently available everywhere.
Thanks for having me!
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