About the author

Tell us your story? What made you start writing?*

I’d always been an obsessive reader, cereal boxes and warning labels, comic books (bought or stolen), then short stories and novels, but I didn’t write much (except, countless repetitions of “I will not talk in class.”) After high school (and a brief stint in the shipping department of the Peter Pan Swimwear Company in Newark, New Jersey), I joined the Navy. In the service, I enjoyed penning letters to family, buddies, and girlfriends. I liked riffing off my environment, the setting and people around me, using some detail I hoped would surprise or amuse my correspondents, perhaps make them laugh. I liked making stuff up. Honorably discharged from the military, I decided to advance my education, took the SATs and did okay, which I attribute to my obsessive reading. I enrolled in a local college, where it was suggested I major in history. Sure. In one of the required English courses, I wrote a character sketch the instructor liked so much he suggested I submit it to the college literary magazine. I did, and it was promptly rejected, but with faint praise—enough to raise some hope. A year later, I moved to California and attended UCLA, where I would get a BA in history, but by then my interests had turned to less academic writing. So, while I was reading Huizinga’s The Waning of the Middle Ages, I peddled satire to alternative weeklies. I also took a few creative writing classes and worked at legitimate short fiction. After many, many rejections, a little/literary magazine accepted a story. Hooked.

Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?

Coffee.

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?

It’s a toss-up between the flush toilet and the nearly extinct writing program XyWrite. That Webb Telescope is pretty cool.

About End Man

Raphael is such a unique character. And the whole search he’s going through in the book to find truth brings out his personality in the best kind of way. How did you come up with the story for End Man?

The idea for End Man came from an online experience. I’d been trading pages with a fellow writer. We’d been in this relationship for months, and we thought the swapping beneficial. I emailed her some new chapters and asked her to send her material. She didn’t get back to me acknowledging my new chapters or sending hers. I sent several messages, which also got no response. In her story, her main character was battling an incurable disease. Had she fictionalized her own ailment? Could she be hospitalized—or worse? I checked her Facebook and Goodreads pages, but I found nothing to explain her silence. As I reviewed more of her online haunts, I realized if she had succumbed to an illness, everything she had posted online would remain intact. She would still get likes; people would continue to comment on her posts, friend her, spam her. As if her life went on. How many internet users was this already true of? Was the online world occupied by ghosts? This seemed to be the stuff of a speculative novel. As I developed the plot, I recalled Gogol’s novel Dead Souls in which the main character figures out how to profit off of dead serfs (Gogol gets a shout-out in End Man). Now I had to come up with a contemporary (2030s) business plan to match the Russian author’s slick scam. Over many drafts, I recognized I had to provide details sufficient to raise venture capital if I were pitching Norval Corporation in the real world. As to my missing writer, I discovered that—ironically—she was “ghosting” me, a term that came into play while I was writing the novel. To that point, yesterday, Linkedin invited me to congratulate a former colleague on his work anniversary. The man is five years dead.

In early drafts, I had two POV characters: Raphael Lennon and Clark Ramfree. Clark was a middle-aged former journalist who lived the good life abroad; Raphael was a 26-year-old IT worker with a lifelong phobia that made it impossible for him to leave his Los Angeles neighborhood. Clark was free, and Raphael unfree. I wanted to explore how Raphael’s phobic prison affected every aspect of his life to produce a shy, self-conscious person whose boundaries were always on his mind. With Clark, I wanted to see what would happen if his freedom proved illusory.

I also gave him a love of music, which I view as transcendent. Guided by his mother, a museum curator who died young, Raphy also loves art and is a painter himself. He works on a canvas that stretches across his living room ceiling, and may be the key to his freedom. He resembles David Bowie, but his name is Raphael Winston Lennon, and there are parallels with both artists in his character. John Lennon’s mother, Julia, was killed by a car at age 44. Her death devastated Lennon, and he wrote several songs about her, reflecting his grief. In End Man, Raphael’s mother, at about the same age as Julia, dies of a horrible disease that turns her to stone; Her memory and suffering haunt Raphael. End Man is a dystopia in the making. Winston is the protagonist in Orwell’s 1984. It’s also John Lennon’s middle name. David Bowie’s favorite book? 1984. David Bowie created his last album around the theme of death.

If you’d have Raphael’s phobia. What four streets would you rather be trapped inside?

Raphael is trapped in a choice neighborhood. It was once called The Miracle Mile of Los Angeles by real estate developers. Within Raphael’s four streets are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (with its parklike grounds and Tar Pits), the Farmers Market and the Grove, an outdoor shopping and entertainment complex. There is also now The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in the former May Company Building, which I turned into the headquarters of the Norval Corporation in End Man. What it’s missing is water. If I could squeeze the Pacific Ocean in the center of those four streets, I’d take them. If my map skill weren’t so limited, I could probably pick an alternative four streets in Paris.

Do any of the characters resemble anyone from real life? Are any of them a bit like you?

Addy is modeled on a restaurant server and talented singer I know. She is also a passionate reader. Raphael combines aspects of two close relatives. I’ve used myself plenty in fiction, but not in End Man.

Do you have a favourite scene from the book? Something you enjoyed writing the most or think came together well?

At the top of the list would be the scene in which Geo Maglio, the CEO of the Norval Corporation, reveals the company’s new product to his employees. An outraged Raphael tries to elicit the truth, but Maglio responds with shameless, euphemistic answers. Any material from that chapter would be a spoiler.

About writing

What is one of the most interesting things you have researched while writing a book?

Japanese culture for Nakamura Reality. The nature of consciousness and the scientific/philosophic debate about the possibility of consciousness existing in a machine for End Man.

What were your expectations for writing and publishing the book?

I’ve self-published and traditionally published. I thought the themes and concepts of End Man, including a main character with an unusual and unsettling phobia like Raphael’s, would make it attractive to literary agents and publishers. Early on in the game, I had interest from some heavyweight agents, but they thought elements were missing (action, mostly). I revised several times, but the agents weren’t satisfied. I eventually got agent representation. She loved the story, and even brought CAA onboard to sell the TV/Film rights. Still no sell. I kept revising, getting feedback from beta readers and editors. I never gave up on End Man because I thought I had a compelling main character and a story that explored timely and provocative themes. After making changes I never thought I’d make, I sold it to Cursed Dragon Ship, a small independent. I still believe with a little luck, End Man will make a dent.

Do you have any tips to share for starting writers?

“The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” is a short story by Alan Sillitoe, later made into a film. I view that title as an apt description of the novelist. Writing a novel can take years, and many writers give up during the process. Can you endure? You’ll piss off many people who can’t understand that your story is almost always in your head, grabbing your attention when they want it. You’ll piss off people who think your story is about them, and you were unkind. Every rejection delivers a wound that doesn’t heal. You end up a bloody mess. And the rewards are none too certain. But if you’re bound to do it, then read. Read everything. Know words. You may never use all of them, but you’ll have them at your disposal for that metaphor. Write your first story or novel in the first person and keep it close to your own experience. Swap stories with everyone you can. Learn to take criticism.

Surprise question

You are transported to a world without technology. What’s the first thing you’ll do?

See if I could pull off that trick of starting a fire with two sticks.

Connect with the Author

About the author

Tell us your story? What made you start writing?

I’m not sure. I just got it into my head when I was 18 that I wanted to write stories and I’ve been doing it ever since. The very first stories I wrote were terrible and it took me a long time to write anything that could be considered good, let alone great. Now, almost 20 years later, I’m finally writing the stories I wanted to write when I was 18. It’s been a long road to get to this point and I’ll be the first to admit I have no natural talent as a writer. Any skills I now have are the product of hard work and a great deal of tenacity.

Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?

Daydreaming. I’m not sure if that’s what you’re after, but I’m a chronic daydreamer. I have daydreams that are part of a saga that has lasted years, with the people in the daydreams ageing as the daydream progresses. It’s not that my life is bad, it’s actually pretty great, but I do need my daydreams to survive.

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?

I’d love to see how the universe was created, so about 13.7 billion years ago. Though I’m not sure exactly how I would exist in a universe during its early state. I suspect I’d need to be a ghost of some kind that could observe but not interfere. Though if I observe I’ll be taking the energy from photons and I suspect there will be quantum complications involved too. I image this will be difficult.

What’s your favorite family tradition?

Bucks fizz and the croissants you roll and bake yourself on Christmas morning. I fire the cork from the bucks fizz into the garden and try to land it on the shed, my kids love that.

What three items would you take with you on a deserted island?

Telescope (nice clear skies), a knife, a water desalination kit

If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce?

A living wage. That’s a really tough question as there’s so much I’d want to do, but a living wage seems like a great way to increase fairness. I’d also want a wealth cap too. No one needs to be a billionaire.

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

May become sassy without provocation.

About The Archivist

Tell us a little about the book. How did you come up with the idea for the Archivist?

The original idea came to me in 2010. My granddad was in hospital dying and the family was gathered around his bed – much like the end of Chapter One. He was trying to speak to us, but the words weren’t coming out. The nurse who was looking after him leant over, her ear nearly touching his lips, but even she couldn’t understand what he wanted to say. I found the whole thing terribly unfair. I felt like my granddad had something he wanted to say, but just couldn’t get the words out. What he needed was someone to get the words that were in his brain and speak them for him. That is where the idea for archivists came from, people who can take possession of someone’s essence and project the face of the dead over their own and give everyone a fitting goodbye. The idea grew from that, and so did what an archivist is, but ultimately the concept comes from the unfairness of death and the propensity for people to hold back what the really want to say until it is too late and the moment passes forever.

The story holds many darker themes, death obviously being the biggest of them all. What made you pick those topics?

We don’t talk about death nearly enough. I feel like we’re brought up believing it’s a taboo subject. I think we need to go the opposite way and talk about death more. People should learn to be comfortable about death, both other people’s and their own. It’s inescapable and final, so we need to prepare for it. I want my book to get people thinking about death.

What challenges did you face when writing the book?

Writing this book was a slog. Other stories I’ve written have been quick and uncomplicated, but there was so much I needed to consider for this story that it took a long time to get it right. I’m also deeply proud of the concept I created and wanted to do right by it. I could have been in danger of creating a fascinating idea but then executing it really poorly, which is why I spent so long refining The Archivist. It was originally a short story in 2012, an 80,000 work manuscript in 2015 then I completely re-wrote it in 2019 into the 102,000 word story that I published. Many, many hours of my life have gone into this book.

Is there any particular charter you connected with the most? Why?

I feel like I should say the Archivist, but I think I connect with Sun-young more. She does what she feels is the right thing to do regardless of who she pisses off. I love her conviction and she certainly doesn’t do things by halves. Am I as cool as Sun-young? No. But I want to be.

About writing

What are your writing habits? Do you keep a schedule or is it chaotic, when inspiration hits kind of thing?

I’m very methodical when it comes to planning. I’ll have an idea, then I’ll spend two or three months just adding to that. That’s my favourite part of writing, where I just let the ideas bleed onto the page. After that I create a timeline which is further broken down into bullet point events that occur in each chapter. I then write a chapter plan with a page or two for each chapter. That’s usually a 30,000 word plan and from that I write the story.

I try to write four or five times a week between 20:00 and 21:00 during which I write 500 to 1000 words. I have a busy life with work, family and other commitments, so the time I spend writing needs to be focused otherwise I won’t produce anything.

What is one of the most interesting things you have researched while writing a book?

One of the characters stops their heart with the intention of having it restarted by someone else using epinephrine. Researching that was interesting as it meant reading medical papers on people’s hearts being restarted. I’m a scientist by career, so I’m used to scientific research. Plus, I’m lucky that my other half is a heart failure specialist! I also have a father-in-law who’s a retired GP, so he was able to answer other medical questions I had.

What’s your favorite and least favorite part of publishing?

My favourite part is hearing that people I don’t know have read my book and have loved it. That really means something to me. This is especially true for The Archivist, which, so far, has been really well received. I feel very lucky, but I also know this wasn’t all down to luck. I worked hard on this story.

My least favourite part is knowing that not many people will read this story; maybe 1000 people, at most. Because I self-publish, which was a conscious choice for this story as I didn’t approach any agents or traditional publishers, the degree to which I can market The Archivist is limited. Without a big publishing house behind me or tens of thousands in marketing budget, very few people will know this book exists. That’s frustrating because there are probably thousands, if not millions, of people who would enjoy this book if they read it. But I shouldn’t complain as there are so many authors in the same position as me. I write to share my stories, it’s just a shame I can’t share them very far.

What are you currently working on?

A middle grade science fiction novel about a girl who lives at the base of a space elevator and sells marbles that can stop time. I’ve completed the second draft and will work on the third later this year. It’s a story for my daughter, Violet.

Surprise question:

You are lost in a foreign city. It is getting late. Your only options are to ask directions from a man hidden under a long black coat and sunglasses or a drunk woman is suggestive clothing. What do you do?

I’d want to make sure the drunk woman is safe before worrying about where I need to be. Once I’d done that, I’d ask the man in sunglasses. Though I’d probably question why he’s wearing sunglasses late at night when it’s presumably dark. Is he blind? If so, I’m not sure how useful his directions would be. I’d probably just walk around the city in a methodical fashion until I found where I needed to be, that’s always worked in the past.

Connect with the author