Where were you born/where did you grow up, did you have an easy childhood?
I was born in Randolph, Vermont and spent the first three years of my life in Montpelier before moving to Burlington with my mother. I didn't really have a particularly easy childhood. In a way, though, I feel that my childhood really helped prepare me for certain aspects of adulthood that I wouldn't be as prepared for had I not had the childhood that I did.
Give some background information about yourself, are you generally an optimistic person or pessimistic?
I suppose that whether I'm optimistic or pessimistic depends on the day and the situation. I like to think that I'm optimistic, but I can also see many pessimistic qualities in myself, as well.
Francis: Tell us your latest news, what are your current projects? I just recently published my first e-book, which is a collection of short horror stories. I am currently working on a novella about a clown who is terrorizing some kids in New York City and another collection of short horror stories.
Francis:When and why did you begin writing? How does your present day work compare to what you wrote then?
I started writing because a friend who knew I liked to read a fair amount invited me to try to do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Ever since, I've wanted to really write a book. Now that I've started and I've seen how much writing helps my mental and emotional health, I like to write as much as I can.
Francis : What genre do you consider books to be? Have you ever thought of writing in another genre, for example if you wrote a Children’s book, how would it turn out?
I generally write horror, though I've tried to write love poems, as well. A children's book? I don't think that would turn out too well, but I'd certainly be open to the idea of trying.
Francis: Have you ever been flattered by a comparison to a well-known author or by a review?
I'm not sure that I've ever really been compared to any well-known authors. People have said that my horror stories have scared them, though, which was a pretty good feeling. If I can write a horror story that has scared people, I'd say that's a pretty good day of writing.
Francis: What inspired you to write your first book?
For my first short story collection, I figured that I hadn't written many short stories, but that I'd been told the ones I had written were pretty good. That got me interested in trying to write more of them.
Francis : Do you have a trademark writing style, what makes your work recognizable?
As the author of my own work, I'm not really sure what the defining aspects of my work are that make it specifically my own. I've also never really had anyone say that my writing has any particular attributes that distinguished my writing very much, except that I like to include queer and trans characters in my writing, when possible.
Francis : Do you write short stories? If so how do they differ to your novels?
I really enjoy writing short stories, which is what my first book consists of. My third book will also be short stories. I mostly only write short stories and novellas and haven't really tried my hand at full-on novels yet. I suppose that one of the main differences between my short stories and my novellas is the amount of dialogue; I tend to put less dialogue into my short stories, generally speaking.
Francis: How did you come up with the titles of your books?
I wasn't very creative with my first book. I just decided that since it was a collection of 15 short stories that I'd name it “15 Short Stories” and that was that. I'm not very creative when it comes to titles. For my novella, for which the working title is “The Clown in New York,” I decided on the title because it is about a clown who terrorizes four high schoolers in New York City.
Francis: Are there any messages in your novels, if so what?
I haven't really written any full-blown novels, but I'm not really sure there are any real messages in my short stories. I suppose that there is the beginning of a message in the novella I'm working on now, though, “The Clown in New York” (working title); that message would be that you should keep your promise and make a group of clowns angry.
Francis: How much of your books are based on reality, how much are based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
My short stories are barely based on my own life, if at all. They are at least sometimes based on reality, like my story about a stalker who pursues a young woman during Mardi Gras festivities.
Francis : What books have most influenced your life? Are some of these books, different from your own genre of writing?
To be quite honest, I'd have to say that the Bible has had a pretty big influence on my life. Although it's not an entire book, there's also a quote from the Gospel of Thomas that has influenced my life rather strongly since I first heard it. I also was very much moved by Eli Wiesel's “Night.”
Francis: Are you sometimes shocked by some of your own writing/ideas?
Sometimes, yeah. I also sometimes get scared by my own writing, to be quite honest. I was reading through the beginning of “The Clown in New York” while editing it. When my computer did something that it wasn't supposed to, I had to remind myself that there was no killer clown in my bedroom. It sounds awfully amateur now that I think about it, but there it is.
Francis: Do you see writing as a career?
It certainly can be, yes. I see it as both a career and a hobby. It's also something that can heal the mind and soul.
Francis : Is there a character in one of your books that really stands out for you? Could he or she be compared to any well-known literature character?
I'm not sure that any one particular characters stand out to me. I hope to find one soon, though.
Francis: Were your parents avid readers, have your family played a part in your writing career? How do they feel about your work?
My mother has liked books for as long as I can remember, though I can't seem to remember seeing her reading much. My Uncle is a writer, though. Despite being rather nervous to even tell him I'm published, I still feel that he's taught me a lot about what it means to be an author through his simply living as an author.
Francis: What makes you proud of your books/life as a writer?
One thing that makes me proud of it is that I've actually done it, I’ve actually done the writing, editing, formatting... I've gotten published when I never thought I'd get to this point and I’m proud of that.
Francis: How do you come up with the initial concept of a book?
For some things, I take plot points from several things that I've read or watched and make the plot points my own by twisting them. With some others, I take things that people are already afraid of and put my own twist on it, when possible. A few things have been by semi-request, like when someone says “I would really like to read about x, y, and/or z” and then I decide to write about it. If x, y, and/or z don't really involve horror, I try to put horror into it.
Francis: Who is your favorite author and what is it about them that you admire?
I really enjoy Ann Rule books and the way she writes. I enjoy the details she puts in and the writing style she uses.
Francis: Who designed the covers for your books, were you happy with result?
I ended up designing the cover for my first short story collection. I felt that it could have been a little better, but I also really enjoyed the process of making it and I feel like my book is more mine for it.
Francis: What was the hardest part of being a writer?
I think that the hardest part for me has been marketing my books, to be honest. Writing them and publishing them has been the easy part.
Francis: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Talk about your books before they get published. Talk about them a lot. Talk about them after you've written them, after you've published them. Just talk about your books, it'll be some of the best marketing you can do. Put yourself into your writing as much as you want and don't be afraid to face your demons in your writing. That person that beat you up every day in high school? Make them a character in your book and have other characters hurt them like they've hurt you. If someone was nice to you, put them in your story and do good things for your character.
Francis: Other than writing do you have any other interests, do they connect up with your writing?
I also really enjoy singing and playing a few instruments. I enjoy knitting, cooking, and reading, as well. I feel that music connects to my writing in the sense that both are things that help my mental and emotional health. Music is my primary passion and writing is my secondary passion, so the fact that they're both creative outlets and they're my primary and secondary passions is, I feel a connection.
Francis: Are there any films that have influenced your writing? What kind of films do you like?
I really enjoy horror films and comedy, along with musicals. There have been several films that have influenced my writing in some way or another and most of them have been horror. I suppose that one of them has been Stephen King's “1408.” I really appreciate that at the end of the movie, he begins writing about what he experienced in the hotel room. When I first watched it, I had already begun writing about things from my own life, except that I had been turning it into fiction. It was really nice to have a reminder that some of the best authors put their own lives into their writing.
Francis: If your books were adapted into being films, which director dead or alive would you want to direct them? Which actors would you like in the films? What would be the overriding mood of the film?
I would really enjoy having Stanley Kubrick or Stephen King direct the film(s). I also would like to see what Wes Craven could do with it.
As for actors and actresses, I'd really appreciate having Sigourney Weaver and Jessica Lange in the films. I'd also really like seeing Stuart Townsend, Jack Nicholson, and Aaliyah the film version of any of my books. The overriding mood, I think, would be dependent upon what the topic was.
Francis: Do you socialize with other writers or creative people? Do you know any obscure or up and coming authors/or perhaps other creative people who deserve recognition?
I really enjoy socializing with musicians, especially face-to-face. I don't know many other writers in person, but I enjoy the online “socializing” I've done with writers. There are so many creative people that I know who deserve far more recognition than they're getting.
Francis: which theme (for example death, misery, and torture) is most prevalent in your stories?
I would have to say that death is more prevalent than misery and torture. In some of my stories, though, there is definitely some things in several of my books, though, that could certainly be called torture, if looked at in the correct light.
Francis:Which method of death would you choose out of the following
A being ripped apart by lions
B facing a firing squad made up by shadowy figures, who you suspect you have had major altercations with, during the course of your life.
C you find yourself in a hospital, in a country far from home, with doctors and nurses you can’t communicate with, attached to devices that indicate you are in a critical condition. You don’t know how you got to the hospital/country. Death is inevitable however.
Well, since (I'm guessing) it would be quick, I suppose I'd go with the firing squad. Although lions are cute in my opinion (I truly enjoy looking at their huge paws), I don't particularly want to be ripped apart by them. I've already felt what it's like for me when I have very limited communication and it was very emotionally and mentally taxing and I don't particularly want to go there again, especially in my last minutes/hours/days before death. So, firing squad it is.
Francis: Do you have a blog/website? Or other important links?