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I’ve recently discovered a cache of personal journal entries I made between 2004 and 2010; my original plan was to join one of the online blog platforms that were popular at that time, and then present to the universe my pithy commentary on whatever caught my attention. That plan mutated into working on a weekly column for the website I ran at Career Services, so running a personal blog at that…

I’ve got a bit of a marketing blitz going for my most recent book, Silenced. As part of that, I was interviewed for an article on a website that features new releases; I really enjoyed the process and thought I would share that interview with you here. What’s the story behind the story?  What inspired you to write this book? The genesis for this story was a chance conversation with a colleague;…

I often say that writing is my escape from the demands of my day job; writing my first novel, Blindsided, came about primarily because my family doctor hinted strongly that I needed something besides swimming and running to try and knock the edge off the accumulating stress that comes with working in IT. There’s no question that it has helped, for though it seems counterintuitive that the amount…

I absolutely adore release dates. While I’ve slowed down the cadence somewhat from my early cycles, I still manage to do two of three of them each year. Next up is Silenced, the latest in my Vasily Korsokovach Series. Inspired by a chance hallway conversation with a colleague some years ago now, I get to dig into a bit of backstory between Vas and the reporter who covered his assault; I have a…

As is customary for me in April, I’ve begun crafting the next novel in the Vasily Korsokovach series. Tentatively titled Bliss, it picks up literally a day after the final events in Aftermath, and as you might infer from the title, it just happens to be the story where — at long last — Vas and Alex finally get their wedding moment. I can’t honestly believe how many books I’ve teased this…

As experiences go, there are few that I’ve done that measure up the uniqueness that is the Tucson Festival of Books. I’ve been an avid fan since it started, and have spent many happy hours over the years listening to authors talk about their craft. I can’t tell you how many amazing discoveries I’ve made that way, stories — and, in some cases, genres — that had never been on my shelves at home…

I had other plans for my blog post this week — plans that were scrapped when the news crossed my desk that the Olympic runner Jeff Galloway had unexpectedly passed away. You probably have never heard of him, but for those of us who have participated in a runDisney event, he is legendary as their official coach and full time cheerleader. I didn’t have the privilege of meeting him personally, but I…

It’s probably a bit too early to be excited, but I just can’t help it! I’m less than a month out now from my appearance at the Tucson Festival of Books, so naturally I am deep in to my preparations. This year, I’ll have hardcover and paperback editions of Reflection in the Shadows, something I’ve not done in the past. Hardcover and paperback editions will be available this year – while supplies…

With the Tucson Festival of Books just around the corner, it seems appropriate to release the podcast I recently recorded for the novel that will be featured there this year: Reflection in the Shadows. Although my trade-in-stock is character-driven mysteries, I was inspired to see what I create if I dusted a little magic across a traditional police procedural.  And while it took far longer than I…

One of the most interesting creative challenges I face when writing is remaining true to the spirit of my characters. It’s not just ensuring they sound consistent to the reader from book to book; I mean, that’s important, obviously, especially since I bounce back and forth between Sean Colbeth and Vasily Korsokovach. Those two have many similarities, to be sure, but they are unique personalities…

I’m just back from an amazing long weekend in Southern California, visiting with friends while taking part in what will be the last Disneyland Half Marathon weekend for a bit; with all of the upcoming park construction, runDisney is pausing events in Anaheim, though they will still take place out in Orlando. As much as I love Walt Disney World, it’s hard not to be partial to the coziness of…

Since his introduction in the novel Ditched as Vasily’s love interest, Alejandro Ortega-Cortez has blossomed into a full-fledged main character who shares a lot of screen time with my detective.  He’s a fun character to write, and has a far more complicated backstory than I’ve been able to reveal in the main Korsokovach series, so it felt fitting to craft a Christmas tale around this compelling…

Not to give out too many of my secrets here, but I usually try to write for my website fairly early in the week on what I like to call “Marketing Monday.” As a (very) small independent author, I wear many hats when it comes to getting the word out about my novels; from crafting eye-catching covers to compelling internet content, I pretty much have my hand in just about every aspect of the…