When did you realize you wanted to write novels?
About thirty years ago. I was hired by B. Dalton Bookseller forty years ago, and the world of books was opened up to me. I was watching Spenser: For Hire on ABC when one of my co-workers said, “If you like the show, you should read Robert B. Parker’s novels.” I did. Then I began reading Mickey Spillane, John D. MacDonald, Tony Hillerman, and Ernest Hemingway. I like to think I learned from each of them.
How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?
From the moment I returned from a two-week trip out west in my early thirties, I began formulating a story. I had dictated everything into a tape recorder, came home, and transcribed it all; then began creating characters, back stories and plotline. I did some research on serial killers and how they act and began writing. That was in early 1992. Twenty-five years later, my dream came true because, as John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making plans.”
Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?
I am both traditionally published and Indie. My first two novels were part of a two-book publishing deal my agent secured, but when the publisher chose not to publish the 3rd novel (When Silence Screams) I published it while they published the audiobook, continuing with the narrator, award-winning actor Bronson Pinchot. My latest novel, Bloodlines, the first Skye Roanhorse novel, is currently with my new agent, and I have faith she will secure a deal soon.
Where do you write?
I write in my home office where I am surrounded by things that give me that creative vibe, like my first edition novel collections of Robert B. Parker, Mickey Spillane, Ian Fleming, Tony & Anne Hillerman, Craig Johnson, CJ Box, and others. I write on a laptop perched on my father’s roll top desk.
Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?
There are times when I write in silence, but mostly I have music to keep the creativity flowing. My taste ranges from smooth jazz to motion picture soundtracks like Body Heat, 80s rock and, my favorite…Pink Floyd.
How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?
A lot of it. I think every writer pulls from the wealth of people they have known, worked with, or seen everywhere they’ve ever gone. And of course, some characters are based on real killers, like the killer who holds April Manygoats hostage in When Silence Screams. I based him on the Internet's first serial killer, John Edward Robinson, aka The Slavemaster. Monsters are real.
Describe your process for naming your character?
First, I conjure up a title, then I begin to give that title a story idea, and then I think of names that would fit those characters. Some are mixtures of names of people I’ve known, some are mixtures of people I read about, and some–like the Native American names–are created during my research phase of what name lives where the story takes place, what clan they would belong to and what type of backstory they would have. My goal is to always strive for authenticity in my writing. I also have several Navajo friends I consult when it comes to aspects of some characters and their behaviors.
Real settings or fictional towns?
I, like many writers, use a mixture of both. There are, of course, real locations for everyday situations and fictional locations for more serious parts, like murder. Let’s face it, you really can’t have someone killed at the actual Ritz Carlton Hotel, so creating a place in the same area, or changing a town's name, is what needs to be done to give yourself the freedom of creation.
What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Arthur Nakai reads books, and Skye Roanhorse only drinks iced tea.
What’s your quirkiest quirk?
I have two: Collecting motion picture memorabilia and collecting first edition hardcover novels, which I mentioned above. My film memorabilia collection spans from 1923 to the late 1980s.
If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?
Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel & Charles W. Bailey II. Because I am in awe at how a novel published in 1962 could be so relevant to today’s world sixty-four years later.
Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?
I wish I had gone to college or a university when I had the chance, but then I wouldn’t have had the life experiences that have given me my creativity. Help or hindrance, I’m still not sure.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
For better or worse, people who are not organized.
You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Water, food, and books.
What was the worst job you’ve ever held?
Selling windows and doors. The constant travel was a daily thing, and I couldn’t stand being told to sell at no matter the cost to the consumer.
Who’s your all-time favorite literary character (any genre)? Why?
Robert B. Parker’s Spenser. Every book was a delight, and when you read them in order, you see Parker’s growth as a writer. Much like you can see yours as you progress in your writing. We can all learn something from reading the best in our fields.
Ocean or mountains?
Definitely mountains (and desert). When you are among nature in the American West, you can’t do any better. Concrete and skyscrapers aren’t for me and never will be. Give me a log home on a lake any day with a whiskey and a cigar and I’m happy.
City girl/guy or country girl/guy?
Country guy. Period. Nothing better than freedom in the wild.
What’s on the horizon for you?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, my latest novel is the first of my second series, the Skye Roanhorse Novels. I am also working on book four of my Arthur Nakai Mystery series (working title: The Source) and Deadfall, Book Two of the Roanhorse series. Since we as writers can never rest, I always try to keep working no matter what. Don’t get me wrong, I do have my moments or days of second guessing myself and wondering if I should keep going. But I always seem to push myself to get back to writing.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?
I’d just like to say that anyone who thinks writing is easy, has never attempted it. They do not understand how much effort and hours go into creating a world that doesn't exist. Like a Navajo weaver creating a rug, a writer weaves a tapestry in their own right; a tapestry, like the Spider Woman weaving her rug, that tells a story.
I have always wanted to write and have achieved only a small portion of what I started out to do. I hope I can write novels that readers clammer for someday, but if I can at least make someone think, understand, or enjoy a story, then I have attained what I wanted to achieve.
An Arthur Nakai Mystery, Book 1
Navajo PI Arthur Nakai is asked to locate a missing teenage girl by her mother. When he discovers she has been lured away from her family by a fake online profile and forced into a world of prostitution, his is already one step behind, Arthur learns, however, she has already been sold to a man known to everyone in the sex trafficking trade as the Cuban. But after she daringly escapes from him, the tables get turned as Arthur if forced into retrieving the girl for the Cuban in order to save the life of his own wife.
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