#Orangeberry Author Interview - Lynn Ricci

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future? The past, for sure.  My grandmother always said I was an old soul because I deeply admired and appreciated things from the past.  There are places and times I would like to just pop in, visit, and get out of dodge though because they are lacking some modern conveniences like bathrooms! But there are other eras such as the roaring 20′s that I could see myself really enjoying and staying for awhile . . . even if it meant I wouldn’t  have my mobile phone with me!

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose? Five people, huh?  Well, since you didn’t specify living or dead I think an interesting table for me would be a mix of thinkers and artists.  John Lennon, Leonardo DaVinci, and Steve Jobs.  And, I’d have George Clooney on my left and Cary Grant, my childhood crush, on my right for a nice distraction.

If you could have any superpower what would you choose? Having a teen and a tween at home, the power to “see” anywhere someone is or whatever situation they are in just by closing my eyes would be not only handy but very cool.  It could also be very embarrassing if my timing was bad.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? You hit on one of my favorite things – ice cream.  A favorite flavor would be difficult but perennial favorites come with the change in seasons here in New England.  As we move into fall I love coffee based flavors like coffee heath, coffee chip, etc.  My winter favorite is Brigham’s Peppermint Stick.

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? My favorite would be warm gooey cinnamon rolls, but I try to be good. . . most of the time.  My typical breakfast of cereal is, quite frankly, a little boring in comparison.

Night owl, or early bird? Early bird.  I can’t tell you how many nights I am writing on my laptop and wake up with my fingers still on the keyboard!

One food you would never eat? Liver.  Never. Ever.

Pet Peeves? People that expect handouts that they don’t deserve when there are so many that do deserve assistance and can’t get it.

Skittles or M&Ms? Chocolate, always!  M&M’s

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. I think my book is very relatable to anyone trying to find love and follow their dreams while still balancing all the challenges of today’s hectic life with kids, coaching, careers, responsibilities, etc.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? I am working on a paranormal romance, set in Boston, called Cursed.  I am hoping to get that finished and released by the end of this year or early 2013.  There are two other lighthearted romances I have in my head but I’m not sure which will get from idea to fingertips first.  My goal would be to get one out for next summer as they are both more of a beach read.

What inspired you to want to become a writer? I always enjoyed writing.   Growing up I would write science fiction or ghost short stories. I also painted and sketched a lot and, since I wasn’t a strong student but showed some artistic talent, I pursued fine arts.  Life has a funny way of coming full circle, as I found myself having a career in a financial communications role which required a lot of writing – press releases, scripts, communications plans, etc.  All that writing made me want to break free of press releases and return to being creative.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published. I was out to dinner with an old friend in our hometown shortly after releasing my first short story, Daydreams.  A girl from our high school that I hadn’t seen in many, many years came by the table and said she had to come over to say hello because she had stumbled across my short story through a mutual friend on Facebook, downloaded, and read my book that day. And most importantly, she loved the story. That was pretty cool, I felt like I was a real author.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? I would pass along what I read from Neil Gaiman which has served me well:  ”The best advice I can give on [writing] is, once it’s done, to put it away until you can read it with new eyes.”

What is your favorite Quote? One of my favorite poems is by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken.  It carries a lot of wisdom, and for me it’s about making choices in life – not always being a follower but a leader and choosing a different path than the one everyone else is following.  I love the famous quote from the poems last lines, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” It’s like branching off my corporate career to become an author.

How did you know you should become an author? With a career and young children diverting some of my creative outlets for awhile, my desire to become a published author happened late for me.  A few years ago I had an idea for The Dating Intervention and kept building on it until I thought I had enough substance for a book.  I told myself that I won’t know if I can do it unless I try so I set a goal to bring it across the finish line.  It’s a nice feeling of accomplishment.

Can you see yourself in any of your characters? Yes, I do identify closely with my main character, Vanessa Parker, because in the book she is divorced, with two kids, trying to make the best decisions for her family and consequently puts her life on hold.  I also see myself in some of the friends in the book too – it’s kind of like you put a little of yourself in each one because that’s how you breath life into them – but then they grow and take on their own quirks and characteristics.

What’s the craziest writing idea you’ve had? I’ve wondered about alternative endings, in the digital world, where you could write several different final chapters and the person who downloaded the ebook could choose the ending they want to see played out.  At that point, they download their selected ending that gets added to their original ebook. It would be a little more interactive for the reader and would guarantee they get the ending they want.

Buy Now @ Amazon 

Genre – Contemporary Romance

Rating – PG

More details about the book

Connect with Lynn Ricci on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.lynnricci.com/

#Orangeberry Author Interview - Guy Magar

Guy Magar was nine years old when he left Egypt in 1958. His family immigrated to the U.S., where he grew up in Middletown, NY. Graduating from Rutgers University with a B.A. in philosophy, Guy began his film career at the London Film School.

Guy has over 100 film credits, including La Femme Nikita, The A-Team, Blue Thunder, The Young Riders, Hunter, and the daytime drama Capitol. He was nominated in 1995 for a Golden Reel award for his TV work on the series Nowhere Man.

Guy’s film work includes ‘Lookin’ Italian’ starring Matt LeBlanc and Lou Rawls (in their first feature film); Stepfather 3, and the cult thriller Retribution (look for it on DVD this year!). His most recent feature directing credit is Children of the Corn: Revelation, based on Stephen King’s original story for Dimension Films.

Guy is the founder of the Action/Cut Filmmaking Seminars which provides ‘page to screen’ industry workshops. He’s taught thousands of filmmakers at over 100 weekend seminars in the USA and internationally. He’s also the founder of the Action/Cut Short Film Competition, which MovieMaker magazine called one of the ‘Top 10 Shorts Festivals in the World for Filmmakers!’

Guy continues to provide consultancy services for directors, screenwriters, and private coaching for actors. Contact him at http://kissmequickbeforeishoot.com or http://actioncut.com.

Guy lives in the Hollywood Hills with Jacqui, his beautiful wife of twenty-six years.

 *****

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future? I would travel back to 1776 where I could meet with the Founding Fathers and explain to them how automatic weapons work in our modern times and ask if they would kindly change the wording of our Constitution for all the NRA morons out there who think that when they said we could keep weapons at home in order to form militias if need be – they meant single shot simple guns which is all they knew at the time and NEVER could imagine automatic weapons that could mow down 70 people in a movie theater by a demented lunatic!

Of all the insanity in America, open buying automatic weapons and ammunitions at will with zero gun control is certainly a top ten shameful horror of our nation…and #1 in the white trash/blue collar moronic NRA divide with the rest of America. All those folks who believe in no sane adjustments or interpretations of the Constitution regardless of 235 years of industrial progress are a disgrace to the well-being and safety of all Americans, including keeping our collective IQ to a stupefying low level of idiocy in front of the rest of the world. That’s worth fixing going back in time to add the right progressive reform what-ifs to the Constitution.

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose? President Obama and First Lady Michelle, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, Ghandi, and Jesus Christ.

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose? President John F. Kennedy.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. If you love the magic of the movies and love to read behind-the-scenes stories, if you’re a romantic at heart and wish to share the joys of a true love marriage that started with a Renaissance wedding, and if you would enjoy an informal, wild and crazy fun memoir about making dreams come true, then this is the book for you.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? The response to the book has been so overwhelming with so many people expressing how surprisingly engaged and entertained they were with the storytelling, it gave me the idea to adapt it as a stage play. As soon as I complete the playscript of the book, I will look for a theater company in Los Angeles to put it up. I look forward with great anticipation to cast it and direct it. If Carrie Fisher can do it so successfully with her memoir, so can I.

What inspired you to want to become a writer? Since I became a director first, it then dawned on me that finding great projects and nurturing them through development and financing and production was paramount to making features and creating TV shows and being in charge of my own destiny. Being a director for hire worked great with my television work, but if I could find great projects that inspired me as a filmmaker, then I could produce them and work on my own features, which are much longer time-commitments.

The problem is it is difficult and extremely time-consuming to read hundreds of scripts to find the one gem that resonates with my sensibilities. The really good stuff is optioned by studios while in galley form who have pre-arranged deals with the big publishers.

For the rest of us, we gotta mine for gold. It is a lot easier and a much more exciting journey to write your own projects and tell the stories you want to see on film. So for me, the best and most exciting job in the movie world is as a director/writer and the most fun and adrenaline rush I’ve ever had was when I directed my own screenplays. That writing experience gave me the confidence that I know how to tell a good story. When my wife Jacqui was diagnosed with leukemia, out of the blue in late 2008, we embarked on a new journey that was very emotional and amazingly inspiring. Her bravery and courage throughout what turned out to be a challenging six months ended in a medical triumph of her healing. That inspired me to tell the world about this “celebration of life” and it took the form of writing my memoir.

I had never thought about a memoir before, but somehow it all just flowed out of me in a once-a-lifetime, super-inspired, writing journey that took four months to complete. It then took 15 months of rewrites to get it to a place that I thought was ready to publish. My discipline as a screenwriter who knows the great value of “rewriting” – which is what true writing is all about – guided me throughout this writing process. I’m satisfied with the reading journey and the entertaining story that my book offers its readers.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published. For me, as for all writers, the feedback from readers is what is the most rewarding. As a filmmaker, the audience in the movie theaters are the folks I want to hear from regarding their cinematic experience watching my films or at home watching my TV shows. When I hear from readers how “engaged” they became with my memoir or how they enjoyed the “passionate voice” telling the story like an old friend while sharing a cappuccino with them, that’s special to me, as that was my intention.

The 4 and 5 star reviews are great too because reviewers read so many books, so many memoirs, and to be able to stand out in such a crowded world and receive such reviews recommending readers to get this book is very gratifying. The San Francisco Book Review said, “If you’re going to read one Hollywood memoir this year, this is the one!

What is your dream cast for your book? There is a great true story in the book about almost decapitating Drew Barrymore at my house when she was 8 and had just finished ET. Her mother was friends with my wife Jacqui who had babysat for Drew when she was younger. They were up on our balcony at 2AM returning an evening gown Jacqui had loaned her Mom for some award show.

Anyways, I thought they were burglars and I came charging out with my machete ready to chop heads. It was a crazy night! Now, Drew’s a beautiful accomplished actress and she would be our first choice to play Jacqui when this book goes to film. We’d need a European to play me and one of our favorite actors is Javier Bardem, and he’d be great.

Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters? The song “Give in to Me” from the film Country Strong soundtrack album comes to mind. That film was very underrated and never got its full due which was a real shame. It is by far Gwyneth Paltrow’s best performance and in my book she deserved the Oscar for it. The song is one of the most memorable and romantic in years. It reminded me of how Jacqui and I reacted when we first met…and we’re still at it thirty magical years later. I “give in to her” all over again, every day!

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? Like anything else we choose to seriously do in life, we need to do it well and to the best of our abilities. I wish to inspire authors as I also do screenwriters to be great at their work and that means years of working and learning, and constantly dedicated to becoming better storytellers.

Pride of authorship is paramount and most people rush their works to get it out there before it’s the best it can be. The proliferation of ebooks has exploded the self-publish world and just because it is now easy and inexpensive to put out an ebook does not mean the responsibility of an author to deliver the best possible work to its readers has diminished or is no longer of value.

If you want to write, then do all you can to follow your passion to inspire your self-discipline to make sure you become the very best writer you can be. This can take years of studying and writing and especially rewriting. Writing is no less an art-form than any other art. How many great artists are out there?

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be? Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Celebrity / Memoir / Romance

Rating – PG

More details about the book

Connect with Guy Magar on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.kissmequickbeforeishoot.com/

#Orangeberry Author Interview - Madeline Sharples

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. My book has much to share with anyone grieving the loss of a loved one or suffering any kind of loss.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? I’m writing an historical fiction book based on my family’s history, yet with a twist. I also want to have a book of poetry published. I also want to have a CD made of my son’s jazz music with proceeds of sales going to a charity that helps erase the stigma of mental illness and prevent suicide.

What inspired you to want to become a writer? Writing always seemed to come naturally to me, and because of that my teachers were very encouraging.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published. After my first publisher went out of business, I was fortunate to find a wonderful new publisher, Dream of Things, that recently released paperback and eBook editions of my book. The first publisher going out of business was a blessing in disguise.

What is your dream cast for your book? Jane Fonda as the main character (me), and my son Ben playing himself

What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen?  The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters? My son was a very talented jazz composer and pianist. I would want his music as the theme song with sprinkles of John Lennon, Miles Davis, and J.S. Bach throughout the film.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? Don’t give up. No matter how many rejections you get, keep on asking. Be persistent.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Italy. It is my goal to live in Rome someday and travel throughout Italy by train. First stops would be Sicily and Naples – places I haven’t visited yet. Plus I love Italian food.

What is your favorite Quote? “How old would you be if you didn’t know your age?” Golda Meir

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you? A friend called me ten days after my son’s funeral and advised me to come back to our morning aerobics class. I did. Working out again helped me begin my healing process. I still workout every day.

What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year? 11/22/63 by Stephen King

What was your favorite children’s book?  Me Too, story and words by Fritz Willis (The Marcel Rodd Company, 1944). My dad gave me the book because I always said, “me too,” whenever I wanted something my brother had. (I recently bought a first-edition copy of it.)

How do you react to a bad review? I haven’t had one yet, but if I did I would want to know why or if the reader even read my book. Needless to say, I wouldn’t feel good about it.

If you could have a signed copy of any novel what would it be and why? Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. One of my all-time favorite books.

Who or what inspired you to become an author? I was inspired to tell the story of my son’s bipolar illness and how I survived his suicide. I felt that if my story could help just one other family, my writing it would be worthwhile. Also, my writing teachers encouraged me to get my story out into the world.

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with? Norah Ephron. She had the career I wanted early on. But she didn’t live long enough to get to write with me.

Buy Now @ Amazon 

Genre – Memoir

Rating – PG13

More details about the book

Connect with Madeline Sharples on Facebook

Website hhttp://dreamofthings.com/

Blog http://madeline40.blogspot.com/

#Orangeberry Author Interview - Thomas E. Antonaccio

Coming soon to Amazon

Genre – Children’s NonFiction / History – Europe

Rating – PG

More details about the book

Connect with Thomas E Antonaccio on Facebook

What is one book everyone should read? The Diary of Anne Frank.  Her diary is one of the handful of stories that inspired The Generosity of Strangers

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.  Because even in the darkest hour, people can open their hearts

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?  I would love to do a sequel to The Generosity of Strangers: When War Comes to Fornelli.  People are already asking me if I plan to do a sequel.  In the interim, I’m writing a short story that is somewhat autobiographical.  It’s still in the formative stages, so I won’t say much more…but it’s a writing project about which I’m very excited.

What inspired you to want to become a writer?  I have always been a voracious reader, so that has to be the number one inspiration.  The fact that I’ve traveled all over the world and lived 15 years overseas is a close second.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.  One always expects a close friend or family member to praise your writing.  However, when I receive positive, heartfelt feedback from a perfect stranger…it’s exhilarating, especially if it’s from someone abroad—outside the USA.  Good storytelling does cross boundaries.

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world. which would it be?  James Patterson’s Sunday at Tiffany’s – one of the best books/movies I’ve ever seen. I wonder if I could be the ‘imaginary friend.’

What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen?  I don’t think I have a favorite book, per se, but I was an avid fan of the Hardy Boys and read just about all of their books at the time.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?  Write, write, write!  There’s no other way.  We all tend to procrastinate or look at a writing project and say “I can never do that…write ‘x’ number of pages, etc.  But when you write, and write consistently, new channels open up, and you just might be surprised by the result.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?  Cinque Terre, Italy – the closest place to Heaven on earth

What is your favorite Quote?  “Every man is born an original, but sadly, most men die copies.”  Abraham Lincoln

When you were little, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?  I’ve always had many interests and aspirations…but I think the one thread that weaves through each of them is the notion of leaving a legacy.  That’s always been a compelling drive for me…though, honestly, I can’t say I’m any closer to figure out just what my legacy will be.

How did you know you should become an author?  Ever since I was a boy, my mother has told me stories about her childhood growing up in Italy during World War II.  We had talked about capturing her story for many, many years.  One day, after visiting her hometown for the first time, I felt the urge to start writing.  One result has been The Generosity of Strangers

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?  Expand and explore your universe.  There are many ways to get to a certain goal.  Much depends on how badly you want it and whether you’re willing to persevere.

How do you react to a bad review?  So far I haven’t received what I consider a ‘bad review.’  I’ve certainly experienced rejections, especially when I tried the traditional publishing route.  Unfortunately, none ever gave me any constructive feedback on how to improve the manuscript, so I basically took them with a grain of salt.

Which authors have influenced you most how?  I’ve always enjoyed reading philosophy and such…so I’ve had the opportunity to sit at the feet of some of the greatest thinkers of all time.  All have influenced me in some way, shape, or form.

What do you do in your free time?  Free time?  What’s that?  I like to think that if you’re fortunate to enjoy what you’re doing—work, hobbies, etc.—then you really don’t have or need free time…it feels like free time.

Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.  Wake up at 5:00 a.m., write for about an hour; leave for work at 7:00 a.m.; come home and usually exercise before dinner; after dinner, I study Italian, and (time remaining) I’ll do some light reading.  I’m usually in bed during the week by 10 or 10:30 p.m.

Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is…. a travelogue of my 15 years of living overseas.  I’ve experienced so much but put very little of it on paper.

#Orangeberry Book Review - The Mancode: Exposed by Rachel Thompson

Amazon Kindle

Funny

Marriage

Family

Parenting

Non-Fiction

Unique

Must Read

Description

• Thank you for making THE MANCODE: EXPOSED a Kindle Top 100 Paid bestseller!

***You will either LOVE this controversial book or you will HATE it. If you have no sense of humor, DO NOT BUY IT.***

• 'I'm over forty. I don't have a blankie. I have vodka.' 
• Note: this is not a book of advice, how-to, or self-help. The author deconstructs stereotypes with satire. Totally different concept. 
• 'I write about men, women, sex, & chocolate. My experiences, my truth, my martinis.' 
• *Note: Thompson employs hashtags (i.e., the # sign) in her collection. Google it. These are not typos, people #deargod.

#Orangeberry Book Review - Sleeping Dogs: The Awakening by John Wayne Falbey

Amazon Kindle

Well-written

Political

Thriller

Adventure

Mystery

Technology

Suspense

Description

In this dark thriller of political intrigue, a foreign interest, successor to the deeply embedded assets of the former Soviet Union, has spent decades and limitless capital subverting the social, political, and economic infrastructure of the United States. It has gained control of the White House. Congress and the Supreme Court are almost in hand. But its handpicked President has gone off the reservation and his handlers want him killed. The assassination has to look like right wing zealots committed the act. 

 
The "Team", a small but powerful group from the intelligence and military communities and well-funded by certain private sector interests, is attempting to combat this foreign threat.
Principal antagonists include a Russian operative who reports directly to the president of the Russian Federation, a billionaire arbitrager who launders and distributes the funds used to infiltrate and subvert the critical elements of American society, an amoral, ambitious, and greedy US senator with his roving eye on the presidency, and a mysterious, terrifying killer named Maksym.

 
Opposing them, the Team is led by a retired no-bullshit intelligence operative, an Old School Marine Corps general, and the most dangerous group of human beings on the planet - a former black ops unit known as the Sleeping Dogs. These men are Mother Nature's beta models for the next leap forward in human evolution - stronger, faster, smarter. Their original blacker-than-black ops purpose was deemed too politically incorrect by a former president. The operation was shut down by Executive Order, which also called for the termination of the members of the unit with extreme prejudice. They learned of it in time to fake their deaths and went underground for almost two decades. Now the Team has called them back into service. Someone has let the Dogs out! Over 8oo years ago Chaucer warned of the dangers of waking sleeping dogs. Now someone will pay a horrific price for such foolishness.

 
A morality tale of good and evil, Sleeping Dogs: The Awakening is a political thriller that showcases some of the latest developments in technology, weaponry and genetic research. Its geopolitical intrigue and the protagonists' brutal defense of liberty will remind readers of the work of authors Lee Child and David Baldacci. Relentlessly entertaining and thought provoking, the book blends heart-stopping action with a dangerous and plausible political scenario of the country's subversion from within. It is the first of a planned trilogy.

Book Blast - The Reluctant Bachelorette

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge.

But when their pranks go south, will they screw up any chance they have at a future together, or will they be able to forgive and forget and prove that love really does conquer all?

About the Author:

Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four, can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

Links:

FB fan page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachael-Anderson/174521852685105

Website:

http://rachaelreneeanderson.blogspot.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rachaelreneeand

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3229576.Rachael_Renee_Anderson

Amazon author page:

http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Renee-Anderson/e/B003357K70/

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour.html

The Reluctant Bachelorette Blog Tour - October 2012

Giveaway Details:

$50 Amazon Gift Code compliments of Author Rachael Renee Anderson

Ends 10/31/12

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

#Orangeberry Author Interview - John Wayne Falbey

Buy Now @ Amazon  & Smashwords

Genre – Techno-Political Thriller

Rating – PG

More details about the book

Connect with John Wayne Falbey on Twitter

Website http://www.sleepingdogs.biz/connect.html

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. It is relentlessly entertaining and thought provoking, and blends heart-stopping action with a dangerous and plausible political scenario of the USA’s destruction from within.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? Currently editing/rewriting The Quixotics, a tale of three young Vietnam vets running guns to Anti-Castro guerillas in 1970.

What is your dream cast for your book? Only two are cast in stone at the moment: Clint Eastwood as Cliff Levell (and director) and Kate Beckinsale as Caitlin Whalen.

What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen? Probably any of the books in the Hardy Boys series.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? Don’t quit your day job. You may think you’re a master of prose, but your friends and family have to humor you.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Naples, Florida in the winter and Beaver Creek, Colorado in the summer – with side trips to Bora Bora.

What is your favorite Quote? What else could it be – “Let sleeping dogs lie.”

How did you know you should become an author? I always enjoyed creative writing opportunities in school and excelled (grade-wise) at it.

Who are your favorite authors of all time? Elmore Leonard, Robert B. Parker, Lee Child, Brad Thor. But the list is fluid.

Can you see yourself in any of your characters? Some part of me is in all of the six characters that comprise the Sleeping Dogs unit (scary isn’t it?). A large part of me is in the character of Rick Stevens in The Quixotics.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you? Never settle for second best.

How do you react to a bad review? Like Mr. T: “I pity the fool.”

You have won one million dollars what is the first thing that you would buy? Pay off the mortgage.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be? Don’t underestimate this guy!

Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again. Unlike many authors, I don’t start the day by writing. That’s because I haven’t quit my day job, which is real estate development. I take care of pressing issues in the first half of the day, then do my writing in the afternoon and early evening.

Who or what inspired you to become an author? I think I gravitated to it naturally. I have always been a voracious reader. Plus I have a large vocabulary and like to wordsmith. Being a lawyer in my early career helped me learn to structure sentences and paragraphs better than the average joe.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? Great steaks and wine with my wife at the Capital Grille.

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with? Brad Thor.