Frequently Asked Questions
What inspired you to write Earth's Veil?
A. So many novels in this genre strive to be overtly realistic, grounded and gritty. But what if you could create a novel that was insane to its core, but also retaining the grittiness of the genre? Partly, this book was an experiment, but it was also a way to use some of the story ideas that just wouldn’t leave me alone. The Inferno floating above New York, the gas that prevented people from learning new things, the near-death experience where Will meets the embodiment of Fear, Wisdom, Anger and Death. These were all separate ideas that I decided I could combine under the right circumstances.
What's your next project?
A. I’m working on a spacefaring sci-fi set amongst a galactic human race that has forgotten how to make or improve their technology. A war that no one can seem to remember anything about has left behind complex AI viruses that wreak havoc on sensor systems, communications and anything with a network connection. This prompts a desperate mission to the Edge of the Galaxy to deploy a measurement station which is hopefully immune to these viruses. The adventurers that are chosen for this mission, Riza Exploration Services, is one of many exploration outfits that have been contracted to carry out this mission. However, what they find out there changes their whole perception of reality. Who really won The Forgotten War?
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
A. When I had a story that was burning in my soul. I simply had to write it down. From there, I found that I enjoyed writing and creating my world, creating the consequences, and suffering with my main character when he was frustrated at this journey of his.
What's your writing schedule like?
A. I write full time. I usually wake up at 9:30. Then I write from around 10 to 12:30. Then I’ll go to the gym to give myself a break. When I come back, I’ll eat and then continue writing until 5:30. After that, I unwind, keep my book as far away from my mind as possible and repeat it all tomorrow. Weekends I have off so that I can reset my creative drive completely once a week.
How did you do research for your book?
A. Google Maps, believe it or not. When my characters were making their way through the streets and subways of New York City, I plotted their route incrementally down to the street names.
In your book you make a reference to nuclear war. How did you come up with this idea? What made you write a book about it?
A. It was the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Suddenly we were watching a war in Europe for the first time since 1945. Usually, wars in Europe tend to draw in participants from all sides, so I was fearful of that happening again and scaling out of control. The book started out as a post nuclear survival horror, but then I thought more about how little we know of the harshness of the universe outside of us and that’s what brought me to sci-fi.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
A. Usually, it’s a matter of taking real things to their logical extent and building a fictional world based on that. The greatest inspiration for dystopian fiction, for instance, is the way that values are handled now and taken to the extreme.
There are many post-apocalypse books out there. What makes yours different?
A. It has to be the overt craziness of the story. Just about every other post apocalypse story is entirely devoted to its own grittiness and realism. I wanted something else. I wanted to build an end of the world that didn’t result in a predictable wasteland. I wanted an end to the ability to understand reality itself and separate fact from fiction.
What advice would you give budding writers?
A. Write the story that’s in your heart. Don’t write to a market and don’t subscribe to one genre. Write that story and then decide what genre and market it falls into later.
Your book is set along the Eastern US coast. Have you ever been there?
A. Yes! Despite being a Canadian author, I actually grew up in North Carolina. I’ve been all up and down the East Coast throughout those years.
How long have you been writing?
A. I started out by writing non-fiction. I wrote two books, neither of which I was confident to publish. I was just flexing my writing muscles back then. That was five years ago. At some point I realized that what I really wanted to do was create and write stories.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?
A. The beginning of a story is always the most challenging because there are a million ways that a story idea can go when it’s just a few sentences. Major choices have to be made very early. Personally, I start every book on a farm in Kansas. I know that sounds insane, but since none of my stories have anything to do with a farm, I can correct all the details of the story until I have my first few pages done. For instance, it wasn’t actually a farm in Kansas, it was a shipyard for spaceships on mars. It wasn’t actually corn he was gathering it was spare parts that looked valuable so he could re-sell them, etc.
Why write science fiction?
A. There’s lots of promise in sci-fi and I believe it’s one of the more important genres to get right. In it we hold our hopes and fears for the future, for technology or each other. At the same time, I feel like most sci-fi stories hold back too much. As if they’re scared to look crazy. I embrace the craziness of the unknown and unpredictable.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
A. Don Quixote. It was written over 400 years ago, but it’s humor, wit and madness are timeless and represent the pinnacle of writing.
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
A. One of my Amazon reviews said it was a “wild ride of a story”. That’s really what I want more than anything. In a note at the end of my first book I promised my readers to only write the craziest stories I could possibly think of. That’s my goal and my dedicated skill as an author. It’s wonderful to see that people appreciate that.
How are you similar to or different from your lead character?
A. We are very different. I wouldn’t last a second in this world I’ve created. The main character, Will, is made of some different stuff.
What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book?
A. The biggest reward was seeing the world and the character grow from just random thoughts in my imagination into a structured novel. The challenges were largely schedule based. Once you stop writing for a few days, it’s very tough to get back into it. I had to make sure I was writing at least something every weekday.
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?
A. Difficult, full of delays, and a learning experience like no other.
What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?
A. Have a story first. Don’t even think about being an author as a career or a title until you have a story burning in your heart. Something that demands to be written. You’ll save yourself a lot of anxiety this way.
Where do you write?
A. In a room that has plenty of daylight coming in and plenty of quiet. It makes my mind feel lighter for some reason.
Do you write every day?
A. Monday through Friday. I try to leave the weekends alone to recharge and relax. It really helps one’s creativity when the story isn’t on their mind 24/7.
If there is one thing you want readers to remember about you, what would it be?
A. That he wrote the craziest stories he could think of, and he did that A LOT.
What TV series are you currently binge watching?
A. Attack on Titan. I was one of those people who swore off anime entirely because I had been exposed to some bad ones. After FMA Brotherhood and Death note, I am convinced that anime holds some of the best shows I’ve ever watched.