1. Have you always wanted to write?

My writing didn't actually "begin" until I was in my early twenties AFTER I finished Spirit of Independence.

2. The Spirit Chronicles and Sardurvial Dissenting could be classified as religious fiction as much as fantasy horror. Is there any particular reason for choosing this genre?

Though religion is a subject that has been the center of my personal attention for many years, my writing always tends to drift there without a conscious effort. I do have a story on deck that is completely different than any other I've written before. It's called YOU KILLED MY BROTHER and it is a thriller.

3. Which is your favourite film from the Aliens series?

Resurrection. I'm eagerly awaiting a crossover film between Aliens and the Predators.

4. In our opinion the characters, plot and structure of Sardurvial Dissenting are noticeably better than Spirit of Independence. Do you agree and if so, has it been a natural progression or a conscious effort?

I strongly agree with this. The idea for Spirit came well over ten years ago and that is when most of the groundwork was completed. Through the years I did revise Spirit of Independence, but could never get it to feel the way I wanted it to. I have a love/hate relationship with Spirit. I love it because I always felt it could be an extremely complex story that would captivate readers and make them say WOW, I want more. I hate it because I felt I didn't quite nail it the way I wanted to. With Sardurvial Dissenting, I believe I truly wrote a great story that will deliver that WOW for readers and have them wanting more.

5. We understand Sardurvial Dissenting has been turned into a screenplay and we can appreciate how it would make an excellent film (the ambience of Seven, perhaps). How do you see it being filmed?

This is a real tough question for me to answer. I've worked on Sardurvial the novel every day for a little over a year and jumped right into writing the screenplay. The story of Sardurvial both novel and screenplay are both very close to me, and I would like to see them represented a I envisioned them (of course I'm open to modification if it calls for it). Television special? I would love that. The big screen? That's my dream.

6. Which would you say are the best SF films of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s?

The Aliens/Predator/Terminator series are my all time favourites. There are others I really liked, but these three top all.

7. Do you believe in God?

I do, strongly, but I didn't until I was in my early twenties when I was nearing the ending of my research for Spirit of Independence.

8. You have commented in the past that to write your books you have had to imagine yourself in the Devil's 'shoes'. Has this had any impact on how you view the world and its evil?

I think it has. I don't necessarily believe that there is one Devil running around attempting to corrupt the people of the world. I've come to believe there are positive and negative influences in our lives and it is up to us, as individuals, to choose what is right not only for ourselves, but the people around us. In Sardurvial Dissenting I tried placing myself in the shoes of a fallen angel that fell from the grace of god that has fallen from the grace of hell.

9. What is your favourite colour?

Red.

10. Do you think you will give up your career in retail management if your novels do really well?

I think my novels would have to do really well for a period of time rather than just a one-time thing. I guess if two novels did really well, then yes, I would devote all of my time to writing. I know I have plenty of stories to tell to enable such a change.

11. Do you understand the rules of cricket?

When I read this question I couldn't help but laugh. No, I don't know the rules. (Don't worry, no sane person does. Ed.:)

12. Which are the best, DC or Marvel comics?

Currently I would have to say Marvel comics have the best story.

13. Does the Spiderman film (assuming you've seen it) do the comic justice?

I saw it opening night and believe it was one of the best comic adapted movies to date.

14. When will there be a sequel to Sardurvial Dissenting, given that the ending is so very open?

I've wrestled with the whole idea of whether or not I wanted to give Sardurvial Dissenting a sequel. I currently have a plot saved on audiocassette that would fit perfectly into the Sardurvial universe. Whether or not I go ahead with this depends on the response I get from readers and the publishing house that publishes Sardurvial.

15. What is your favourite alcoholic drink?

I prefer a beer (Coors light) to anything else.

16. Have you considered writing a pure horror or fantasy novel?

Horror - yes, Pure Fantasy - no.

17. Which novel (other than your own:) would you say has had the greatest impact on your thinking?

When I was laying down the story line for Spirit of Independence, I was reading a lot of the Ann Rice Vampire books. I tried to create Spirit of Independence to have a similar universe as Ann Rice's (multiple characters, plots over subplots over subplots) so I would have to say it was the Vampire Chronicles that got me.

18. If you could have anything, what would it be?

The answers to the universe.

19. We understand that your upbringing was not particularly religious and yet your books are theologically based. Is this your manifestation of the innate search for the meaning of life in us all?

As the plot for Spirit of Independence began to flesh out, I was becoming quite curious about religion. The questions: Why are we here and is there a God played inside my head like a catchy song. And because of that, that is the direction Spirit of Independence went in. To this day I'm still curious, and because of this, that's the direction my writing goes in.

20. Favourite band and song?

My favourite band is the progressive rock band RUSH. You'll even find a quote from Geddy Lee (the lead singer, bass player for RUSH) in the Sardurvial Dissenting novel. There is very little they've released that I don't like, so to pick a favourite song would be hard.

21. Are the New York Giants a good team?

No comment.

To finish this exhaustive list of questions and complete your detailed psychological profile please confirm your favourite Spice Girl.

Britney Spears. :)

by Chrissi and Nigel - 24th July 2002