The thriller genre for Trojan came naturally from the idea that spawned the story. While I was attending the Naval & Marine Corps Computer Science School at Quantico, one of the instructors removed the covers off a few of the systems in our lab. I noticed the tiny CPU chips, the brains of these systems, were all manufactured overseas somewhere. This shocked me and made me a little nervous that our defense systems could be dependent on foreign parts. It begged the question, what if rogue computer logic was embedded on these systems at the time they were manufactured, causing them to crash at a predetermined time, incapacitating our defense systems. It was that idea that led to the creation of Trojan. The thriller genre appeals to me because I love action packed stories. I also like mystery elements added to the story. It’s the style in which I wrote Trojan. The number one thing I look for in a story is entertainment. The added bonus for Trojan, it that it’s relevant to today’s escalated cyber terrorism activity.
What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?
Without a doubt, the most challenging aspect of writing is finding the time to write. I make my living as an information technology professional and I work 50-hours a week. I’m a single father of a 14-year-old son and we spend time together doing things. Now that I’ve self-publish, the marketing and self-promotion of my work takes up even more of my time. I force myself, no matter what, to put in at least a couple of hours a day on writing.
When and where do you do your writing?
I find myself waking up in the wee hours of the morning write. I wake up early or go to bed late to write. I’ve also learned to just write through the noise and distractions around me.
What have you learned about promoting your books?
It’s a lot of work. Tons of communication. A full time job in itself. I have the upmost respect for anyone who’s successfully self-published and promoted their own work.
What are you most proud of as a writer?
To have just about completed two full novels and a children’s story. Trojan is my flagship novel, the first I completed.
If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Steven King. We’d discuss his ability to continuously crank out novel after novel, year after year, for decades, while maintaining the highest quality. He’s a master craftsman. I see him as a modern day Shakespeare.