Grove City Messenger - March 26th, 2023
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MYSTERY<br />
Continued from page 6<br />
certain headspace and my characters pretty<br />
much tell me what’s going to happen<br />
next. I’ve honestly been surprised by how<br />
many times I write a scene early in a book<br />
just because I find it amusing, only for it to<br />
figure heavily into the ending.<br />
What advice would you have for aspiring<br />
writers?<br />
Read as much as you write and do both<br />
just as often as you can. It’s all about flexing<br />
that creative muscle, and like with any<br />
other muscle, without exercise, it will atrophy.<br />
Look for a local writers’ group who<br />
will provide encouragement and share<br />
experience. We have a wonderful one right<br />
here, the <strong>Grove</strong> <strong>City</strong> Writers’ Group, and<br />
we meet at the <strong>Grove</strong> <strong>City</strong> Library on the<br />
second Thursday of every month.<br />
What’s the most difficult aspect of developing<br />
characters?<br />
I guess I’m lucky in that respect.<br />
Characters just seem to waltz right out<br />
onto my canvas, and they pretty much let<br />
me know what their backstory is from the<br />
get-go. I think it’s important for your characters<br />
to feel real, like people you could run<br />
into in your own life. I guess the biggest<br />
challenge is making sure their dialogue<br />
comes across as authentic, because not all<br />
characters would use the same vocabulary.<br />
What was the most difficult aspect of<br />
your book to write?<br />
The most difficult aspect actually comes<br />
after each book is written. I’m a bit of a perfectionist,<br />
and the editorial process is<br />
absolutely brutal. Between me and my<br />
team of editors, four people exhaustively<br />
scan for issues before the final draft is published,<br />
and even then, little mistakes still<br />
sometimes make it to print. We seem to be<br />
getting better with each book, but it still<br />
drives me crazy.<br />
Do you have a career in addition to writing?<br />
Much like Dwayne, I have been in<br />
Information Technology for nearly three<br />
decades. I currently work for Kern, Inc.,<br />
here in <strong>Grove</strong> <strong>City</strong>, providing software support<br />
for their proprietary mailFactory<br />
high-speed mail inserting systems. I do,<br />
however, long for the day when I can say I<br />
write for a living.<br />
If you could tell your younger writing<br />
self-anything, what would it be?<br />
Don’t ever lose sight of something you<br />
love doing so much. While it seemed like<br />
my only choice at the time, I’m kicking<br />
myself for ever letting these characters go<br />
for 20 years. I feel like I have a whole lot of<br />
catching up to do, and I don’t have nearly<br />
as many years ahead of me as I once did.<br />
What authors inspire you?<br />
Stephen King is my ultimate inspiration,<br />
even though I really don’t write anything<br />
in his genre. He just has the most<br />
wonderful ability to build worlds and create<br />
characters that are fully fleshed out.<br />
His son, Joe Hill, is very gifted, too. As far<br />
as mysteries go, I am inspired by the late,<br />
great Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich,<br />
Linwood Barclay, Harlan Coben, James W.<br />
Hall and Patricia Cornwell.<br />
Did you have a favorite book as a child?<br />
I loved “A Wrinkle in Time” by<br />
Madeleine L’Engle, and I don’t remember<br />
very much about it all. I really need to add<br />
it to my queue and revisit it soon.<br />
How long on average does it take you to<br />
write a book?<br />
Five to six months.<br />
<strong>March</strong> 26, <strong>2023</strong> - GROVE CITY MESSENGER - PAGE 7<br />
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