1) Where do you live?
I’ve lived all over the United States. I preferred the sunshine in Marin County to the 24/7, May-to-October fog in San Francisco, but the city did have some perks, and summer in November was nice. Malibu lived up to its reputation, even if adjusting to southern California’s major seasons was tough (green, brown and black). Fort Worth had a wonderful sky. Miami had humidity and bugs, but a fun beach. Chicago had restaurants and less wind than expected, but the northeast was flat-out cold. Boston, more than Philadelphia or Baltimore—or maybe I just got unlucky that winter—but it was all a bit cold for me. Currently, I live in the Pacific Northwest.
2) How long have you been a writer?
I’ve been writing stories for years. My first stories went all the way back to college, but those were not well received. Vampires fascinated me. Vampire stories were long dead in 1985. Not a single market believed they would ever return. I started writing professionally with work-for-hire, rather than with stories of my own, and only recently started publishing in this format.
3) Do you ever collaborate in writing projects?
I do not. There are simply too many story ideas out there. I’ll never finish writing all the stories that I have to tell, so I don’t have the time for anything else. And please, don’t send me e-mails with great ideas that you’ve had. As soon as I see that an e-mail is heading that way, I delete it.
For those of you who think “nothing ventured, nothing gained” and might try to send something to me, anyway: Really, don’t. Writers are creative. Ideas are never scarce. In addition, people do not understand copyright law. To be blunt (and understanding that I’m not an attorney, so this isn’t a legal opinion): keep the ideas to yourself. Period. If you’re considering a writing career, think about reading a book like “The Copyright Handbook” by Nolo Press to understand why. You won’t be selling books as a writer. You’ll be licensing copyright. It’s an important subject. Many of the myths you may have heard are wrong.
4) Where can I learn about writing?
That’s a hard question because it means different things to different people. In addition, every writer out there is at a different point in his or her career. Fortunately, other writers offer great advice. Check out Dean Wesley Smith’s website for many articles and on-line writing courses, or Kevin J. Anderson’s Superstars seminars. Kris Rusch is also good to follow for thoughts on current issues, as well as tips, tricks and traps. Dean, Kris and Kevin are all great writers and good people. You might find something on their websites to help you take that next step forward.