Who most influenced your writing process, style, or technique?

There are many authors that influenced me from a young age. When I find a writer whose voice feels alive to me, feels honest and true, I study them no matter the genre. Harper Lee who taught me honesty, Stephen King who taught me to love my characters, Anne Tyler and Alice Hoffman who taught me that words can be lyrical, Glendon Swarthout who told the truth in his fiction, E. Ervin Tibbs who taught me to trust my characters to lead the way, and a hundred others have inspired me to be honest in my own voice. But the people most responsible for my voice are my parents, and not just in a biological way.

How did it feel the first time you heard someone else read one of your stories? Did you discover anything about your story that surprised you in the reader's interpretation? And was that a good or a distressing thing?

Hearing someone else's interpretation was at once, nerve-wracking and exhilarating! Much like having a film produced from your work (which I have), you resign yourself to the fact that you left your vision on the page, and now it has a life of its own. I love to hear my voice in a different cadence and to see my works visualized on the screen.

What role does memory play in your writing?

Memory figures largely in everything I write. As a writer, I pull from all of my life's experiences to tell a convincing story. I try to tell things as they should have happened.

What book/story are you recommending now?

"Sunset Tomorrow," by E. Ervin Tibbs. You won't find a more beautiful and heartfell book. Tell Mr. Tibbs I said hello!

Who do you think is one of the most under-appreciated writers of today, one we should all be reading?

Laurie Halse-Anderson. Her novel, "Speak," blew me away, it is far and away one of the best novels you'll ever read and she only gets better.

If you could read only one book this year, what book would you choose?

"To Kill a Mockingbird"...yes, again. I have re-read it every year for the last thirty years.

What is the funniest/strangest thing you've ever been asked at a book signing?

I was once asked if writing was a good way to meet chicks! I met my wife in a writing class, so the answer is YES!

Has a review of your work ever changed your own perception of your work?

Though most reviews thus far have been positive, no review has ever changed my perception of my own work, though they have opened my eyes to the way others perceive my word choices and themes. With each review, I learn something that helps me become a better storyteller, and that is the whole point after all!

How does the reality of being a published author differ from the dream?

The reality is that I have not been able to retire and write full time while buckets of money and tons of adoring fans show up at my front door. But I am ever hopeful!

What was your first published work, and what did you do to celebrate it?

My first published story was a Christmas love story to my parents. It was called "The Gift," and was published in a local give-away paper. Perhaps it can find a new home here at Sniplits!