Media Kit

Nothing like the hardest question first!  In all seriousness, the answer to a question like this can be hard to quantify—asking someone why they enjoy doing something is a little philosophical.  But I will try to answer that as best I can.  Simple answer: I feel that this is my God-given talent.  I enjoy writing because it gives me a chance to explore my imagination.  I can come up with really, shall I say creative, ideas and see where they go.  That freedom is definitely a big part of it.  I hope that answer satisfies you, because it works for me.

A lot of places.  I get many ideas from the world around me.  When I see something that I find fascinating, I write it down and look for a way to implement it in my work.  I actually have a note on my phone that I add to whenever I get an idea.  A lot of times it's just a title or a basic premise, and by writing it down I make sure I have it for later reference.  That holds true also for characters.  I take character inspirations from people I know, pop culture figures, and my imagination.  The beginning of The Thin Divide came when a Jeopardy! question clicked with a rough idea for a scene that had been floating around my mind for an hour or so.  The end came during a concert.  Sometimes book ideas come from other books (usually this is the case with nonfiction).  Many times, I combine elements to make a new character.  I like to read a lot, so I get a lot of ideas.

I think the hardest part of the business these days is getting established.  Especially as a younger writer, I know that some people may discount me because of my age.  Honestly, I prefer to leave how old I am out of my projects in most cases.  I like to let my work stand on its merit instead of the age of its author.  I can be just as professional as someone twice my age—sometimes, in fact, my age can even be an asset.  That's pretty much what the hardest part is—getting your foot in the door.

That really depends on the subject matter.  Each book is different and requires a unique set of knowledge, some more than others.  I usually start with a basic premise.  Then I plan it out a bit more to see if it works.  If I'm happy with it, I might send it to my friends to get their take.  From there, I do some preliminary research, mostly locations and organizations and the like.  Some sources do end up being thrown out.  After I have them, I organize them so I can find them easily.  That too can be tedious... but it is incredibly satisfying.  Once the research and planning is done, the writing begins...

If you're looking for a specific example, I think a really good one is The Thin Divide, which is one of my unpublished books that I've worked on the most.  I didn't have much in-depth research when I started, but my research file for that one ended up being about a quarter-inch thick.  I needed to get up to speed about the legal procedure and the actual laws involved with the court case, even though the trial takes place before the story.  I ended up looking at real-life stories of recent scammers.  I examined court records from their cases, watched taped interviews, and read a few publicly-available policy manuals and directives, and, though it may seem odd, I looked at maps.  I also read three books—My Friend Anna, Bad Blood, and Rikers: An Oral History.

Yes.

Follow-up question:  Does it really mean "suspicious?"

No.  Don't believe everything random people from my generation tell you.