Why don't you tell us what you are working on. My upcoming release will be a cohesive book called Lost Generation. Lost Generation is about the destruction of the capabilities and talents of entire generations, starting with us Baby Boomers, by imposing a lot of irrational peer pressure on each and everyone of us, to take large dosages of mind-altering chemicals, and distort, even disable, our thinking and reasoning. My basic message, pertinent not only to my own generation, but the one's to follow, is that any addiction is not an imperative. There is a way up and a way out.
That sounds very interesting! Can't wait to read it! So now why don't you tell us a little about yourself.
I studied music education in the early
1970's at Appalachian State University, in North Carolina, but after two years
of study, I had a disastrous turn of health, with which he has struggled for a
lifetime. I, am a naturally
creative person, composes music for classic guitar, as well as for piano,
writes poetry, fiction, and autobiographical stories. In the late 1980's, I achieved an
Associate in Arts Degree in the liberal arts from Catonsville Community
College, in Maryland. I studied
creative writing there, and has subsequently published short stories and poetry
in literary and “little” magazines over a period of several years thru the 1980's
and 90's. Now, I publishe
independently on Amazon and Wordpress.
Well you are a very creative person both musically and in the written word! I do hope your helath is better! Now just a few questions for you if you don't mind.
What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
I enjoy expressing myself, and writing gives me the
opportunity to go on at some length about what's on my mind. When I write, I'm the one who's in
charge. I don't have to worry about time
or space. I do the saying, and no one
else is directly involved at the time, while I'm developing my expression. It helps me to organize my thoughts, which is
challenging to me, considering my disability.
What genre(s) do you write?
I write classic fiction, as well as various confessional
autobiographical pieces. I've been to a
lot of psychotherapy, and I've finally found a therapist I can write to: It is
my laptop!
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
I've written several books; that is, I've written a
plethora of short stories I've collected into book format. The most difficult thing about writing, for
me, has been developing the determination to keep on writing, after I finished
one or two book-length works. Once I got
over that hurtle, I've been writing like a house afire ever since. It's the one book syndrome I found difficult
to get past.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Sorry, I don't get it.
Let me see... I don't figure out plots ahead of time. I figure out some kind of hook, or setting
for a story to take place, and do the fleshing out from an overall scheme of an
idea.
Why do you think people should choose your books over
another author?
I think that's a question every writer should ask
himself. I work very hard at making
myself understood on the page, and also work hard at being entertaining and
amusing when I write. With a certain
kind of reader in mind, I address my public with a thought of conscience and
purpose. I feel a moral imperative to
write, and believe absolutely that there is an audience out there who needs to
read what I write.
What do you hope readers take with them after reading one
of your stories?
In many of my stories, I'd like the reader to come away
with the idea that they absolutely don't have to continue practicing any of
their addictions, regardless of whatever they might be addicted to, that there
is Divine help out there for every practicing addict of every conceivable
addiction.
In others of my stories, I'd simply like my reader to
come away entertained.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to
grasp?
That there is a God, and we're not it. He is very powerful and caring. He wants us to ask Him to help us, with the
things we cannot do without His help.
That it's alright to trust Him, and that He's Someone worthy of our
trust.
How long have you been a writer?
All my life. I'm
over 60 at the moment.
How much time did it take from writing your first book to
having it published?
I did some publishing of short fiction and poetry in the
little magazine and literary magazine markets in the 1980's and 90's, but when
I started writing my autobiographical stuff, my message, if you will, I went
straight to Amazon Kindle, because there's no editor on the other end to say
“No,” we won't publish that. It's left
up to the reader to choose for himself.
What other careers have you had?
I've been a disabled citizen all my adult life,
struggling to do the most simple delivery driving jobs, or factory jobs on
occasion. I'm registered disabled with
Social Security, and live off a pension.
Are any of your characters based on real people or
events?
Yes. Speaking of
my nonfiction, well, of course they're real people and real events. Speaking of my fiction, there is always a
dose of reality mixed into the fictional setting of whatever I'm writing at
that moment. I believe fiction ought to
ring true to the reader.
What else would you like readers to know about you or
your work?
I'm trying my best to be informative, and inspirational,
without being pendantic, if I can avoid it.
My father was an unsuccessful Methodist Minister. I'm not trying to take over his pulpit and
finish what he left undone. I'm trying
to circulate my own message, generated by my own calling.
What books or authors have most influenced your life?
There have been so many, it would be impossible to come
up with a list. I've read a lot of
classic English and American Literature, as an independent study project for
much of my sober life, which spans about thirty years. When I was first recovering from alcoholism
and drug addiction, one of the things I did to organize my thinking was read
classic literature voraciously.
How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or
writing venture in general?
My family and friends are proud of the idea that I'm
doing as much writing as I'm doing. My
brother and his wife have been very supportive, taking me to get a current day
laptop, with an amazing amount of storage space, to help me with my creativity
when I asked them to.
Where are you from?
I was born in Pittsburgh, PA, raised from the age of 13
in Aberdeen, MD, spent most of my life in the Baltimore area of MD, and now
reside in the Tidewater Area of Southern VA.
How do you come up with the titles?
I do my best to settle on one word, or a very short
phrase, to save my file shortly after I begin a project, which becomes the
title of whatever project I'm working on.
On rare occasions, one of my friends with give me a title that I can
wrap a story around.
Has your life changed significantly since becoming a
published writer?
No, because I don't remember a time when I wasn't a
writer, in one context or another.
Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you
multi-task?
I mostly write one story at a time.
When not writing, how do you relax?
I like to go for walks around the hallways of the big
assisted living building where I live.
It helps me clear my mind, and it's all contained indoors. Sometimes, I'll mindlessly flip channels on
the TV, or listen to Funk music on my stereo.
Well George, Thank you for taking the time to visit with us today. I have enjoyed your visit. I wish you the best in life and writing.
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