About the author
Tell us your story? What made you start writing?
I’ve been writing since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I remember writing short stories as early as second grade, and used to write fan fiction after seeing movies that I really enjoyed, like Ghostbusters, or The Goonies. Wrote my first novel at the age of twelve, so I’ve always been a writer. I’ve spent the last two decades as a hypnotist and psychotherapist specializing in treating PTSD and have had stellar success in the industry. A few years ago, I started taking a smaller role in my private practice to switch careers and live as a writer, which is the only time I seem to find peace. If I’m not writing, I notice those stories seem to spill over into my personal life, so if you ask me, I’m never more satisfied than when I’m writing. I’ve got a creative itch that drives me batty if I’m not writing. I love the creative process and there’s nothing better than putting a book together.
What do you wish other people knew about you?
I overcome depression and PTSD symptoms by using a simple behavior modification system that changes the internal default mode emotional frequency vibration. That doesn’t mean that I never feel depressed, but what it does mean is that when the depression takes hold I have the skills to transition the depression from what would be a ten on a 1-10 scale to a four, which is more easily manageable than a ten which then transfers to a shorter time frame for the depression to lift (which is always does) and the frequency in which depressive spells occur are less frequent. Know thyself is my best advice. I also have interests in and indulge regularly in science of mind concepts, ancient wisdom, quantum physics, and spiritual practices.
Would you rather be respected or loved? Why?
Respected. Love dies, respect stays, plus most people don’t understand the concept of love and loyalty.
If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce?
Do no harm to yourself, others, or society.
Who was someone who believed in you even when you had a hard time believing in yourself? How did they impact you?
My wife. Just about everyone I know took what I could offer and then walked away. She’s been the only constant, through thick and thin, sickness and in health and for richer or poorer. The impact is that I contiuously strive to be a better man.
About The Rose books
A dystopian science fiction thriller of telepathic evil greys, mysterious rebellion, martial arts, and Alien Vampires.
Sandy Cox believed WWIII was over. But for those Alien Vampires, War Has Just Begun.
Forty-eight hours after a World War III treaty is signed, Sandy Cox awakens in an underground compound unable to move. Tied to machines she screams for help but no one answers. At least no one human.
And they’ve taken her unborn child.
Phil is a rebel freedom fighter who has had more than his share of Alien Vampires. Armed with THE BLADES, a sacred alien martial art, he enters the compound on a mission to find Sandy. But as he battles through the compound, Phil discovers Sandy has her own agenda. Finding her stolen child is all that matters.
But the vampires have their own plan and Sandy’s baby is at the heart of their diabolical plot. Joined by a crew of rogue soldiers, they must navigate the underground compound, battling genetically mutated humans, aliens and monsters.
When battling Alien Vampires, one thing is certain… Get Ready To Bleed!
Phil’s mission is to follow Sanos into the depths of hollow earth to infiltrate Drac City and rescue Sandy from the clutches of the alien vampires.
Sandy awakens in Drac City and discovers she has powers she never knew existed. But where these changes came from is an enigma, a puzzle she’ll need to put aside until she finds her missing son, Adam. Now a guest among a city of alien vampires, Sandy must engage in a diabolical manipulation with alien vampire leader, Moth, the only vampire who knows the whereabouts of Adam.
Sanos requires Phil, the rebel freedom fighter who tore through the underground medical complex and brought chaos and mayhem with him. Sanos needs to overcome the shame Phil brought to alien vampires in the underground complex and reestablish trust with COR, the alien vampire commission in charge of operations on planet Earth. But to do so Phil is required, dead or alive is no matter to Sanos, he desires to gain favor with COR no matter what the cost. COR has the formula Sanos craves more than power and control. The formula is his ticket to new blood and his reign over his species and the universe.
Tell us a little about the series. How did you come up with the idea behind space vampires?
The Rose series is a part of a larger universe I refer to as the Dark Veil. Vol 1 began as a short story I wanted to write in an effort to provide a bit of background for another series I was writing at the time titled, The Indigo Trials. However, I kept writing and the story kept unfolding and considering I was having so much fun with it I kept going. Now, what originally began as a short story has turned into what will take three volumes to complete. I’m a huge ancient aliens fan and I wanted to bring those theories and mythology into the series. The alien vampires were an added bonus and a concept I had been experimenting with-in my head at least-for quite some time. The original alien vampire idea came from a television show in the late 70s and early 80s, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which featured a space vampire that scared the bejesus out of me at the time-I was four years old.
Obviously, the alien vampires are a featured species in the storyline and they’ve conspired with the human elite and alien greys to subjugate the human population in an effort to achieve interstellar domination. Vol 1 begins at the very end of WW3 and follows rebel freedom fighter, Phil, as he attempts to rescue a safety camp refugee, Sandy, and bring her to Atlanta to meet with Phil’s mentor, Robyn Winter. Unfortunately, he and Sandy are caught, and that is where the story truly begins, with Phil entering an underground medical complex teeming with alien vampires, greys, and the human elite. Vol 1 is a fast-paced action thriller if there ever was one. It’s like Star Wars meets Ancient Aliens with brutal, maniacal, blood thirsty alien vampires. Filled with martial arts, action, mythology, blood, and gore, and features the rose as a superpower to manipulate chemical structures, move objects with a single thought, and suspend gravity. The rose is a meditative practice used in alchemy to help ward off energy vampires. I thought it was a cool practice and wanted to include it in the series as a superpower. Hence the title. But Vol 2 is where the depth comes in, adding more to each character and the world in which the rebels and alien vampires live. Since most of Vol 1 takes place in an underground medical compound, I wanted Vol 2 to be more broad in scope, offering the reader a glimpse into war-torn earth where nothing is ever what it seems.
Which character did you enjoy writing the most and why? Did it change while writing the second book?
Definitely 100%, Sanos. I love writing villains most of all and fell in love with Sanos right off the rip with his first scene. I wanted him to be vicious, manipulative, diabolical and anarchic, and he did not disappoint. Writing his character did not change in the second book, but was more or less enhanced. IMO Sanos steals the show in Vol 2. His performance surprised even me.
Do you have a favorite scene from the book? What is it and why?
Favorite scenes are the endings to both Vol 1 and Vol 2. Those endings pump hard with action all the way to the last sentence, building from one scene and character to the next. I enjoy writing in multiple points of view because it allows me to be in the heads of every main character and push the narrative into an explosion of fun, action, and insanity. Endings are my favorite part of any book or movie. If the ending doesn’t rock, the story falls flat. I’ve read too many books recently that just don’t have much of a payoff at the end. It is my goal to never allow that to happen.
You’re traveling across a post-war landscape. It is likely you’ll meet some space creatures along the way. You get to choose two companions from the books and a starting point. Who’d you choose and where you’d be?
I would choose Robyn Winter and Phil and we would begin in Atlanta and then set out across the war torn desolate landscape of America.
About writing
What are your writing habits? Do you keep a schedule or is it chaotic, when inspiration hits kind of thing?
I’m usually pretty regimented when I write a novel. I wake up around 4:30 AM and begin the day with a cup of coffee and reviewing what I wrote the day before, then continue to write. Depending on the day, the scene, or the time I have on my hands, I’ll write for a few hours.
What were your expectations for writing and publishing your first book? Have they changed since then?
The first book I published was Indifference, a metaphysical coming of age story about a misdiagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who discovers he has healing powers. A few months before the book was published, I opened a substance abuse treatment center which took up most of my time and when Indifference was released, I had very little expectations at the time since my focus was on other concerns. I sold the business in 2016 and since then have opened a private practice which offers me a lot more time to focus on writing, which is a career I’ve wanted to capture since well before high school. And yes, my expectations are quite high for every book I publish.
What is one of the most interesting things you have researched while writing a book?
While researching my horror book, Golem, there were more than a few interesting tidbits I came across, especially concerning the 1950s and New York City during that era. I found it interesting that at that time, doctors would warn women against quitting smoking cigarettes while they were pregnant. The theory was that quitting would cause too much anxiety that could cause harm to the fetus.
Tell us something about your other books. What are you currently working on?
Well, I also write horror books and have more than a few that I’m currently writing. Golem is my psychological horror novel about a high society sculptor who incarnates a demon into a statue she created.
I consider Golem my Frankenstein or Dracula novel. Golem was published in October 2022.
My upcoming horror novel will be released on October 31, 2023. Title is Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect. The story is what I refer to as a satirical cosmic grindhouse horror fantasy thriller novel. It’s a wild ride of a novel that was inspired by my love of B-Rated horror films from the 1980s. I’m currently writing what I refer to as my Jekyll and Hyde novel, The Sleepy Hollow Incident and also two horror thriller series: Girl on a Mission and The Hypnotist. I’m also planning Vol 3 for The Rose series and once it’s written I’ll be diving in to the next series in the Dark Veil universe, The Indigo Trials.
Extra question
You are the leader of vicious alien species and come across futuristic and technologically evolved Earth. You wish to gain Earth’s resources and enslave the people. How do you proceed?
Manipulation. We come in peace, then destroy all we see. First, we’d embrace the humans and offer gifts that will help them evolve as we learn just how evolved these earthlings are and determine a weakness to exploit, which usually comes from their leaders. The greatest asset we have on our side is that no matter how powerful the human mind can be, it is also as equally fragile and exploiting this weakness is paramount to subjugation.