1. As a guy, why did you choose to write from a girl’s perspective?
I think there is a stereotype where people assume a
male is strong enough mentally to kill someone, and a male assassin has been done so many times that I thought the main character written as female would add some more dimension. I also really like the
father/daughter relationship compared to what would have been a father/son relationship had I written the character as male.
2. What of yourself do you see in your characters?
There is definitely a little of me in each of the characters in Severed Ties. Eric, Nyne's love interest, was pretty much written straight-up as me when I was that age. I even included the real-life story of when my arms were stained blue and people called me a Smurf as Eric's story in the book.
3. When did you start writing books, or is Severed Ties your first attempt?
Severed Ties was the first book completed. I have pieces of started books that never seemed to get going and I always moved on to other projects. It was released as Volume I to ensure I would continue the writing this time
around.
4. Do your surroundings affect how you write?
Absolutely. I have a four year-old daughter and a two year-old son, so writing at home can become difficult to keep a train of thought. I like to write in public and people-watch, a lot of ideas and descriptions come from watching various people doing random things.
5. What advice would you give those of us who wish to be authors?
Just write it and put it out there. You can't write what you think people would like, write something you like and don't be persuaded otherwise.
6. Is there a specific message you wanted to send through Severed Ties, or is it purely written for entertainment?
I think there are some messages that come through in Severed Ties: Volume II, but it was written purely as an entertaining suspense-thriller. I wanted to write something that my friends would think was cool and that my mom would be shocked by. I think it worked.
7. Could you tell us a little about any current projects?
Severed Ties: Volume II was officially released today (6/30/2009). The easiest way to find it is on Amazon. Some people are looking for a Volume III, but my next project will be something different. I want to keep the topic a surprise because I think it is going to ruffle some feathers, but I can tell you that I will be jumping into the horror genre for it. At least if I didn't shock my mom with Severed Ties I will have a better chance with a horror novel!
Thanks, Kevin!
It's really nice to see girl characters in traditionally male roles. Other way around, too, though, of course.
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