What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
The main character in the story is struck by lightning while mountain biking. I have been struck by lightning twice on Phoenix's South Mountain while riding my bike. I was knocked off my bike exactly like the character in my book. The second time, the lightning hit a rock outcropping near me. I saw electricity on my handlebars. A second instance of drawing from real events is the scene in the book where Mike Arvey tries to run over the protagonist, Adam Barnett.
This is based on an actual event that happened to a friend of mine. A guy got so angry at my friend that he tried to run him over in his truck, missed, and went off a cliff to land in a lake. The next day, the protagonist in my novel, Adam, is still trying to process how such a tragic accident occurred. He's repairing a barbed wire fence near a lake when he sees a coyote dash out of the reeds and kill goslings who weren't fast enough to make it to the water. This incident happened right in front of me. As a writer, you constantly collect stories.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I like reading science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and thrillers. I like almost anything by Philip K. Dick. I really enjoy writing about protagonists who are normal people beset by circumstances beyond their control. When they emerge better than they went in, a novel has a satisfying ending.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I am about a quarter of the way through RIDDLE OF STARS, which is very old but amazing. I am reading the third book of the Dresden Files, a series by Jim Butcher. I just finished reading his novel, TWELVE MONTHS. I will probably read NEUROMANCER again now that AI seems to be taking over the world. I find it interesting that a group of people can be hired by an AI to set it free.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
My favorite scene was when the character James is fishing, Monica Belles is thrown off a bridge, lands on his line, yanks him into the water, his waders fill up, and he nearly drowns. In my mind, I can see him at the bottom of a fishing hole with Monica's ankles wired to cement blocks, and both of them running out of air. I also really like the chapter where a wounded Major Jacobson escapes the Silent Black Mine with one of the superhuman bad guys pursuing him. But my favorite? When Mop, the protagonist's dog, saves his teenage niece's life. I had to set that up very carefully so it would hit the reader like an emotional freight train.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
If I am trying to concentrate, I sometimes play a song and repeat it until a family member begs me to turn it off or suffer death threats.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Work hard. Play harder. Have fun!
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
That normal people can be placed in horrible situations and yet still win the day. In LIGHTNING, the main character is struck by lightning and nearly killed by something he doesn't completely understand, but he wins the girl and walks away stronger.
