Interview with History Times
To promote the UK release of THE SECRET CROWN, I was interviewed by historytimes.com. Their feature is called “20 Questions.” I was kind enough to give them 20 answers.
1) How big is your library?
Not big enough. One of these days, I’ll have to buy a house with more shelves in order to store all of my books. And no, I’m not joking.
2) What are you currently reading?
An advanced copy of Lee Child’s Worth Dying For. That’s one of the perks of being an author. Publishers are willing to send me free books before they’re even released. Unfortunately, it also leads to some problems. See my answer to question one.
3) Which book would you give as a gift to your best friend?
Believe it or not, my best friends don’t like to read. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure if they know how to read. When we go out to eat, they normally just point at pictures on the menu and grunt. Then we talk about sports.
4) Which other writers / historians do you admire?
I’ve been a Clive Cussler fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up reading his stories and love the way he uses historical events to propel his modern-day action. Even when I was a teenager, Dirk Pitt made history seem cool.
5) What are your top five history / non-fiction books of all time?
How many books has David McCullough written? Just pick five and call it a day. (Both of us are from Pittsburgh, so I’m a little bit biased.)
6) Are you prepared to say what the worst history book you have ever read is?
Yes.
7) Is there a particular book or author that inspired you to be a writer?
As I mentioned earlier, Clive Cussler had had a huge impact on my life. Without his books, I probably would’ve become a sportswriter. Or a superhero. Personally, I think I would look great in spandex and a cape.
8) At what time of day, and where do you do most of your writing?
I tend to go out for lunch, then I come home and start writing. Normally I don’t stop until it’s dark outside. That’s when I patrol the streets and fight crime.
9) Do you use a computer or write longhand?
Longhand? What’s longhand? I don’t even own a pencil.
10) Which historical figure would you most like to have met?
Hitler, when he was young and defenseless. What happened next would change the course of history and thrill my Polish ancestors.
11) Who, in your opinion, is the greatest historical writer of all time?
Whoever wrote the Bible. After all these years, that book is still a bestseller.
12) What period of history would you liked to have lived in?
Ancient Rome would’ve been awesome. Lots of food, wine, and women—plus sword-wielding gladiators at the Coliseum. I would have had season tickets.
13) Have you ever been unable to finish a book? If so, what was it and what happened to the book?
I’m ten percent done with a comic mystery that I hope to release someday. If my publisher would let me, I’d rather write comedies than thrillers. In case you couldn’t tell, I love to joke around.
14) Other than writing, what other jobs have you done?
I was a high school English teacher for several years. Hopefully, I’ll never have to go back to that. Teenagers scare me.
15) If you could have been anything (other than a writer) what would you have been?
Professional athlete. More money, more groupies.
16) What was the first piece you ever had in print?
As a fourth-grader, I wrote my first book, The Monster Cookbook. It detailed the nutritional needs of a dozen creatures that I’d created. The school’s librarian was so impressed that she had it hardbound and placed in the school’s library.
17) What interests you outside of writing?
I’m a huge sports fan. American football and basketball are my two favourites. When I’m not playing or watching sports, I love going to the movies. Hopefully, someday one of my books will appear on the silver screen. That’s a dream of mine.
18) Where is your favourite place in the world to read?
I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida near a freshwater lake. In the winter months, I love to read in a lounge chair on my back patio. The deck is completely screened in, which keeps out the bugs and the alligators. Trust me, nothing ruins a good book like getting mauled by a gator.
19) Which book has made you laugh out loud?
This is going to sound self-serving, but my books make me laugh out loud. My main characters, Payne and Jones, tease each other constantly, and some of their banter is pretty darn funny. As depressing as this is to admit, I’ve reached an age where my memory is starting to fail me, so I’ll actually forget I’ve written something until I re-read it during the editing stage. Sometimes I’ll burst out laughing.
20) What are you currently working on?
My social life. Trust me, it needs a lot of work.
(This interview was conducted on October 1, 2010.)