Q: What do you like least? What is the most difficult?

A: For me, it is the actual sitting down and composing. I usually have a pretty good idea of the overall story but getting it out of my head and on to paper can be torturous. But even as difficult as that is sometimes, it can also be the most rewarding. At times, characters do and say things that I could have never foreseen, which often takes the story in new and unexpected directions. That gets back to the magical part of writing that I love so much. But generally speaking, the composing is what I like least. Once I have that blob of clay out of my head, then the shaping of the story, the shaping of the characters, and adding specific details can take place until I eventually end up with something I’m proud of. In other words, the editing takes over, which is the most fun because I can see the whole project taking its form. A little reward for the hundreds of hours already put into a book.

Q: What is your writing routine like? Is writing your only job?

A: I generally write at night and often work until the wee hours of the morning. If I’m really rolling, it’s not uncommon for me to see the sunrise. Mainly I do that because I need for things to be quiet. Once my wife and son go to bed, I can begin to focus. The phone doesn’t ring, the dogs don’t bark, and I can get lost within the story. It is sometimes referred to as writer’s hypnosis. It’s similar, for example, to when a long distance runner gets in the zone and they forget that they are even running. Writer’s hypnosis is a great place to be, but it isn’t always easy to get there. As for another job, I currently teach writing at a local community college and love it.

Q: Do you write everyday?

A: I certainly try. Sometimes it’s not possible, but I do my best. Writing, just like anything else, is something you get better at with practice. But understand that when I say I write every day, I’m talking about editing just as much (or more so) than actually composing. However, once I finish a project—a book, a short story, an essay—I usually take a little time off before I get started on something new.

Q: What advice can you give to aspiring writers?

A: Two things: read and write. I think most writers will agree with me on this one. You have to read. If you don’t like to read then odds run at about 100% that you won’t be a writer. Read everything you can get your hands on. Read classics, read new writers, read everything. You might be pleasantly surprised. And if you’re not, you can learn from bad books and bad writing too. Just read. The other thing is to write. How many times have you heard someone say, “You know, I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I just don’t have the time.” Well, all I can say is “Find the time.” If you want to do it badly enough, you’ll make the time. You’ll learn as you go. You can take classes on writing, read books on writing, but unless you actually sit down and write, you’ll just end up with a book full of blank pages. When I first started, I didn’t have any idea what I was doing. And remember, I didn’t start writing until my early thirties, but I always loved to read, so that helped me tremendously.

One book I would suggest is Stephen King’s On Writing. Plenty of people scoff at King, but love him or not, you can learn a lot from that book when you’re first starting. When I first began writing, the thing that I learned from him more than anything else was that writing takes serious self-discipline. Nobody is going to force you to write. It’s up to you. He explains that quite well. The last piece of advice that I’d give is that you have to be persistent. You can’t ever give up. Accept the fact that your writing is going to get rejected and criticized. Rejection and criticism are a major part of writing. I’m not going to lie to you, it takes a thick skin. Writing is a very personal endeavor. You are putting your words on paper for the world to see, and when people trash those words, it hurts. But if you decide to listen and learn from the criticism instead of getting offended and taking it personally, you might just succeed. But understand that it isn’t easy. I get rejected on a monthly basis. It’s part of writing. And yes, it still hurts.

Q: Other than writing and teaching, what else do you like to do?

A: Sports are a big part of my life. My son and I are huge Virginia Tech fans. I graduated from Tech, and I’m a proud Hokie. We have season tickets to Tech football and go to as many basketball games as possible. I live in a beautiful part of the world and try to take advantage of it. I love fly fishing, camping, mountain biking, road biking, and lately I’ve gotten into tennis. Some of my best ideas for stories come to me while I’m riding my bike through the Blue Ridge Mountains. I get into the zone and once again, like magic, strange and weird ideas pop into my head. The important thing is that I have to make sure to write them down once I get home, or they are lost forever.

Q: Of all of your accomplishments, writing or otherwise, what are you the most proud of?

A: No question about it. Being a good father.

Q: Is your fiction sometimes autobiographical?

A: A lot of times there is a small element of autobiography in the stories or books I write. But generally it is very small and not exact. For example, sometimes characters are composites of different people I’ve known or encountered in my life. Sometimes I’ll imagine a place I’ve been when describing a setting. In The Hanging Woods, the first part of Chapter One, when Walter kills the trapped fox, is almost entirely true except it took place in New Jersey and not Alabama. It was a traumatic experience and obviously one that stuck with me. I think most fiction writers use bits of their own life in their work. What else do we have to draw from but experience?

Q: Do you ever get writer’s block?

A: I don’t buy into the whole idea of writer’s block. Or to answer it another way, sure, I get writer’s block everyday. The hardest part of writing for me is sitting down and writing. Many times, I’d rather do just about anything else. Wash the dishes, scrub toilets, get a tooth pulled without anesthesia. But I do it. And once I get rolling, I always feel better. I think the only way to solve the problem is by tackling it head on. I’ve learned to put faith in the writer gods, though it took me a while to figure that out. I just have to sit down at the computer and trust that the magic will happen.