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To view the book on the bookshelves, click here.
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1. What do you do when you aren't authoring fabulous books?
I enjoy the out of doors in many ways, hiking, camping, and exploring. I spend time in Colorado most of the year but look forward to vacations in Mexico and the Caribbean to experience other cultures, foods, and environments. My wife is from the Caribbean and so we enjoy swimming in that sea, birdwatching,and animal observing in all locations.
2. What was your very first experience with writing?
My brother and I produced a mimeographed newspaper of sorts to mail to relatives when I was about ten years old. We also began to write the Book of Everything. It was our version of an encyclopedia of the things we found interesting. We burned out writing about astronomy, after a week of trying to make illustrations of planets with Crayolas.
3. Tell us about one of the more difficult experiences in writing that actually taught you a lot.
I’ve done a lot of writing for school and work over the years. I became good at scientific and technical writing through that experience.
Writing a novel is a whole different ball game. It’s the difference between a painting done by a Dutch master and an impressionist. The master represents his subject with great clarity and detail. The impressionist creates an emotional response that happens to represent a scene or a concept.
Too much detail often loses the reader’s attention. The author must balance the need to be accurate with the need to tell the story in an interesting way. The path the author chooses is based on the audience he hopes to entertain.
4. Let's discuss Zona: The Forbidden Land. The premise is an expedition to the mysterious Zona. It starts in Russia. Why Russia?
Siberia is one of the greatest expanses of undocumented territories on the planet. For decades it has been largely inaccessible due to national boundaries, politics, and weather. Russia is still a mystery to many in the West and it lends an extra shroud of mystery to all things that occur there. I tried to bring out some of this mystery and otherworldliness in the novel.
Many unusual things have occurred in Siberia that are only partially explained today, like the Tunguska comet of 1908 that laid waste to hundreds of square miles of forest in minutes. Siberia seemed like a likely place to find an as yet undiscovered world.
5. The reviewer mentions there are Russian dishes and Russian words. Are you fluent in Russian? Have you eaten those foods? Traveled to Russia?
No, I don’t speak Russian at all. I have just picked up a few words from traveling there and from reading Russian novels in translation. We traveled there a few years ago on a Viking tour of the Czar’s Waterways. It was very interesting, and we learned a lot about the history of the country and its people. Those were somewhat friendlier days, and we were able to meet a few real Russians. We have also met a number of Russians through our jobs and learned from them as well.
One thing I’ve learned is that food and music are key to understanding a culture and its people. When in Russia we visited cafes and ate some of the local delicacies mentioned in the book.
I try to include the local language whenever I write about a foreign land as a way to give the reader a flavor for that tongue. I guess I often write about people who are traveling outside the USA so some of the characters must speak another language besides English. It only seems natural to include some of the local lingo.
6. The team traveling to Zona consists of many scientists including a biologist and zoologist. Do you have experience in those areas?
I am a geologist by training but have enjoyed the outdoors all my life, especially landscapes, animals, and wild flowers. I grew up in the country and spent many hours wandering the hills and forests in search of adventure. I’ve also traveled widely in northern climates so have experienced the taiga and tundra first hand.
7. The book has a bit of everything: danger, romance, suspense. Is this a book that would appeal to readers of different genres?
Definitely. I view this book as a modern version of the old exploration novels like Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World and Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. Those were both about the possibility that there are portions of the earth we do not yet know but are scientifically possible. Whenever you have an expedition you have the makings for many interpersonal conflicts and liaisons, perhaps even romance. An expedition is also a journey into the unknown with untold danger, suspense, and self-discovery.
8. What's next for you? What's in the works?
I have another Sci Fi novel ready to release this year: Einstein’s Raven about time travel, computer hacking, and espionage, with a little romance thrown in.
I am also writing the third Detective Sanchez/Father Montero novel, Desert Underworld, that should be out in the summer. I enjoy those characters and find it easy to slip back into their lives for another tale.
I also have an action/adventure series of short stories online. They are a series of short glimpses into the life of Alex the Pirate and his buddy Diego and their chaotic lives as benevolent smugglers and small-time pirates in the South China Sea and later in the Caribbean Sea. They have a fun-loving crew.
Readers can check these out on my website at www.othervoicespress.com.
I like to end on some fun questions if you're up for it.
9. Mountains or beach?
Both. I moved to Colorado for the mountains and forest. But I enjoy getting away to the sea during the winter months. It’s hard to beat a margarita under the palms on the beach with friendly waves lapping at the sand.
10. Would you rather have it 100 degrees outside or 20?
Neither for long. I grew up in Wisconsin so I’ve had plenty of days in the cold. It is pleasant when skiing or snowshoeing. I visited Phoenix in the summer a couple of times and that cured me of any desire to live in 100 plus heat for any length of time. I enjoy the Caribbean islands where the sea moderates the heat and a sea breeze keeps you cool. And the people are friendly.
11. If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
A dog. I have always liked dogs and the idea of being in a pack seems like a friendly existence.
12. What's your biggest grammar or writing pitfall?
Too many ideas for stories and my mind wanders off the track. I have to stay focused to keep the story moving. Once I do that the stories write themselves.
