What got you interested in regional history?
When I was little, I always heard stories from family about the land my family lived on. It was often a regular Saturday night activity. There were stories of everything from gypsies to headless men that haunted a decrepit shed that was once a lumber mill. There were stories of those who’d died from TB and never rested in peace and women so cruel that only wild dogs would get near them. It was a wild mix to grow up to.
As I grew, I began looking into the history of other areas and found so much. I’ve always had an affinity for the supernatural, even as a child.
Do you have any other passions besides local history?
I love researching in general. I love photography. I love finding new subjects to learn about. I love experimenting with new stories and with web development.
Do you believe there is some reality to the supernatural stories that you hear and write about?
To a point. However, fiction is fiction. It’s safe and you know as soon as you’re done, the story is over. I firmly believe there are many things in life that we simply don’t know. I do believe in many things that are similar to some topics mentioned in my stories, but I try to keep my focus clear so it isn’t all I write about.
What got you interested in the paranormal?
My childhood. I do believe much of the region where I grew up was and currently is paranormally active.
Have you ever had an experience that you would classify as paranormal? If so, please explain.
Yes. I do believe I have. I think it would save much space just to say it started when I was little and is an on-going experience.
Would you say that to get an accurate depiction of regional history a writer should try to include local folklore and ghost stories? If so, explain why.
I think we come from a supernatural heritage, in all honesty. It’s engrained in everyone, whether they believe it or not. Our region focuses so much on just the genre of bluegrass in music without acknowledging how many songs
involved ghosts, death, and other subjects that would be considered “morbid” outside the music.
Not to mention, how many families have their own “psychic” or who tells stories? Nearly everyone I know has an aunt, cousin, or other relative who keeps the family ghost stories alive. Humanity as a whole can be involved in this argument. For example, take Lifetime television. It plays the standard sitcom reruns and dramas, but the majority of their movies involve mystery. The same with the Hallmark Channel, who plays many reruns of Matlock, Perry Mason, and original mystery series. People are fascinated with the darker aspects of life than most will admit.
I know I ventured off topic. I think most areas in the Southeastern United States, or any part of rural America, has its stories. It adds a degree of authenticity to incorporate them.
What would you hope people got from your book(s)?
I don’t have a “set “quality. That’s open interpretation for the reader. I do like to write about characters in horrible situations that emerge victorious in the end. I like it even better if the odds against them are unbelievably tragic or difficult.
However, some of my work does have tragic endings. I don’t believe any writer knows what’s going to happen in their books when they’re writing them. It surprises me as much as it might another reader. I think the written word is a very amazing experience. I believe it’s a gift from God. The book is a mystery to me until it is over. I just write what comes to mind, I can’t take full credit for it.
Oddly enough, I don't really have a "target" audience. I know that's a taboo thing for a writer to say. I've never really felt like "one of the crowd." It's just an innate sensation of being a third-wheel. Needless to say, I am just happy to be read. I appreciate it from anyone, of any age, at any time. I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to plots and you can find readers like that at any age. I love to read books that stay true to their genre so I attempt to emulate that.
