What: Author of REMO WENT ROGUE and GETTING UGLY. His shorter work has appeared in ThugLit, All Due Respect, Dark Corners, Shotgun Honey and Out of the Gutter. He’s been a waiter, a securities trader, dishwasher, bartender, investment analyst and an unpaid Hollywood intern. He has quit corporate America, come back, been fired, been promoted, been fired again. Currently, he writes stories about questionable people who make questionable decisions. His latest novel, GENUINELY DANGEROUS, comes out Sept. 26.
Where: Texas
Interview conducted by email. Some questions and answers have been edited.
Your latest novel, GENUINELY DANGEROUS, is a truly original, off-beat story. What was the inspiration?
I’ve kicked it around for a while. It kinda started with seeing Gene Wilder’s tiny role in Bonnie in Clyde. Someone completely out of his element, a civilian, thrown into the mix with a crew of criminals. Completely in over his head, but doesn’t get that he’s completely in over his head. Always thought Gene’s story could be another movie. I carried that idea around for years, but couldn’t find a good place for it. So I tucked it away. Then years later, I saw that whole mess with Brian Williams and the stories he told about being embedded with the military. That sparked the idea that maybe I could work something out of that. Also around that time I’d had a couple of huge nut-kicks in screenwriting. So all that starting fitting together into a crazy little story idea. Thinking, now maybe I’ve got something.
As far as being off-beat, thank you by the way, the great Peter Farris (Last Call for the Living) blurbed a book of mine and compared my stuff with Chuck Palahniuk and Elmore Leonard going on a blind date. I loved that. Wanted it to be true and I’ve tried very hard to live up to that almost impossible standard. So there you go. GENUINELY DANGEROUS. You take Gene Wilder, Brian Williams, Palahniuk, Elmore Leonard, Hollywood nut-kicks, mix well and serve over toast.