Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins blew me away. His playful and imaginative writing style is awe-inspiring. Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen and Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard showed me how different characters and story lines could be separate but slowly intertwine. And, of course, On Writing by Stephen King.

Control. Haha I’ve spent years as an advertising copywriter, where every word you put to paper is scrutinized, beaten up, bastardized and watered down. I’ve also written several screenplays, but movies are a very collaborative art form. On one hand, I really love seeing what someone else can do with what I’ve written. But after the director interprets it, the actors add their take on the characters, budgets influence locations and action sequences, you sometimes end up with something very different than what you originally intended. With a novel, it’s pure me (and my editor).

Somewhere, probably in my parents’ attic, there is a scrap book that contains a collection of stories I wrote by crayon when I was in first or second grade. Wendy and the Giant was one of them (Wendy being the character from Peter Pan).

Fast-paced page-turners that never take themselves too seriously.

Sometimes I’ll come up with a fun character and try to figure out a story where he or she could exist. Other times, I come up with a plot and find characters that fit the story. Either way, both plots and characters come from events or people in real life that I twist and pull to create something new.

Item descriptionI liked the idea of a likeable detective that was good at his job but not so good at life. Someone who could be his own comic foil to add lightness and comic relief to the dark subject matter of murder. It’s been done a lot, but those are my favorite types of characters. Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files. Lieutenant Columbo in Columbo. Richard Castle in Castle. Sam is a combination of all of those characters. I was also heavily inspired by the character of Ash Williams (played by Bruce Campbell) in Ash vs Evil Dead. It’s also been pointed out to me that there’s a bit of me in Sam as well.

The simple answer is that it is where I grew up, so I know it well. It’s also a world in and of itself, not like the Texas most people think they know. Lots of small towns and communities and tons of colorful characters. But it has a very rich culture which helps set the tone of the books. In many ways, East Texas is as much a regular character as Sam Lawson and Carla Davenport.

I’m a big outliner. Typically, when I start a book, I have a broad idea of what I want it to be. I may know how the story kicks off (typically the murder) and a few incidents. Then I start filling in the gaps. As I go, characters come to mind, and I spend time developing them. And that inspires more points in the story, etc. Of course, as I write, I sometimes come up with something completely different and have to adjust the outline accordingly. It’s very much a living thing.

Sitting down to actually write. I get restless and to sit still and write is hard for me. I typically will write a chapter then take a break. Then write a second chapter and take a break. Etc. I seldom write more than 5 chapters in a day, but I try to write every day.

I tend to mainly write in my home office, because I have a larger monitor and better keyboard. But I also like getting out of the house and writing in local coffee shops.

On average, about six months. Sometimes I can bang one out in less time, and sometimes it takes longer.

If it’s a Sam Lawson mystery, I finish with a glass of bourbon and the song Flirting with Disaster by Molly Hatchett. It’s become the unofficial theme song of the series.