Q: What types of stories do you write?

A: Mostly Sci-Fi, Horror and Afrofuturism with elements of dystopia and/or surrealism.

Q: Who do you read?

A: I’m drawn to authors who write layered narratives and broken characters: Octavia Butler, Tananarive Due, Neil Gaiman . I’m currently reading “The Truth about Awiti” by CP Patrick.

Q: What have you published so far?

A: I’ve released two books: “Second Dawn” and “OBEY: Second Dawn Book II”. I also wrote a short story in the horror anthology, “Dismembered: They had it coming.”

Q: What was the inspiration for the lead character of “Second Dawn”, Dillon Shaw?

A: I wanted to write a character I hadn’t seen—a female action lead who wasn’t a supermodel in a leather catsuit, kicking ass in high heels. One day, I saw a chubby, middle-aged woman in a coffee shop, arguing over paying extra for cream cheese, because as she put it, “It’s a fu*ckin’ condiment.  When you order a cheeseburger, they don’t charge you for the mustard!”  I imagined that woman fighting an alien invasion, and I knew I’d found Dillon Shaw.

Q: Advice to writers?

A: Give advice to other writers. It makes you feel like there’s a chance you might know what you’re doing and boosts your confidence. Beyond that, don’t be boring. Even if it’s the worst thing ever written, give it a pulse. Grab the reader, shake ‘em up, kidnap their brain and leave it on the curb in a bad neighborhood at 2AM. Don’t worry about being a great writer. Be interesting.

Q: How do you approach diversity?

A: Head on. I have no interest in writing or reading about the same old tired archetypes doing the same old things they’ve always done. A square-jawed, wise-cracking Adonis with a drinking problem and commitment issues, is not interesting. Make him a Latina woman with thinning hair, PTSD and photographic memory—I’m in.

Q: A lot of the main characters in the Second Dawn Trilogy are women. Was that intentional?

A: Absolutely. I wouldn’t have arrived at those characters “organically”. Due to the types of media we’re bombarded with daily, we’re programmed with defaults. So even when you’re tapping into your “muse” or your “free organic mind-space”, you have to be very aware of the fact that it’s a tainted perspective. Breaking free requires concentrated effort. When I consume media, I pay attention to the people on the side and in the background. Their stories are probably just as, if not far more interesting than the person you’re being told to focus on.

Q: Will you be branching off any of the Second Dawn characters into their own books?

A: It’s possible. There’s a lot of stuff referenced in the book that would be fun to explore through the lens of a character other than Dillon. No concrete plans, but it’s tempting AF.

Q: When will the last book in the Second Dawn Trilogy, “Blood Theory” be released?

A: Good question. Most of it is already on the page. A lot of the delay with the second book, “Obey”, was to make sure I was setting up things I knew I wanted to do with the finale. I’m targeting late 2018 if all goes to plan.

Q: What else are you working on?

A: A couple of standalone books are in the conceptual stages. One is a paranormal story centered around a fictional city. The other deals with trans-dimensional displacement.

Q: How tall are you?

A: 6’5”. My unofficial part-time job is helping shorter people get something off the top shelves in grocery store isles.