How did you create/acquire the cover art?

I knew I didn’t want the typical “thriller” cover. You know, big, bold font, action figures chasing each other with guns, and the White House looming in the background. Windekind is a thriller, but it’s not that kind of thriller. I also knew that I wanted to portray some aspect of the Vermont wilderness since this setting plays an important role in the story. Finally, I wanted the cover to provoke just a touch of curiosity—to pose a question searching for an answer. A few small diamonds scattered over a forest floor seemed right to me, and it was also consistent with the storyline. I tried to design the cover image myself using some of the wonderful tools now available, but I wasn’t pleased with the result, so I hired a pro. Editing and cover design are two things you should leave to the pros.

Was your storyline something that you envisioned from the beginning, or did you build/change it as you were writing your novel? 

My storylines had always evolved as I wrote, and this book was no exception. I’m not proud of that, although in the end somehow the stories did maintain direction and found resolution. Who knows? Maybe my subconscious has it all planned out from the beginning but just won’t let me in on it.

What was your editing process like?

In some respects, my toughest editor has always been my dad; I send him partial drafts as I write them. His input helped me to see flaws in the Windekind storyline as it developed. Once I had a complete first draft, I went through it myself, sentence by sentence. At that point, I found a professional editor in Great Britain who did a line edit that helped tremendously. Then I went through it myself several more times. Every time I look at it, I come across something else I want to change, but at some point you just have to draw a line and publish.

Is there anything you would do differently in your next book? 

I want to be much more organized before I start writing. I’m working on a sequel to Windekind, but I’m taking much more time to understand the motivation and development of each character before I start pounding away on the keyboard. I’m trying to resist the usual temptation to dive right in before I have a good idea of the characters and the storyline.

What can readers expect that might be different from your previous work?

The one book that is quite different from my others is the science-fiction novel ForeverChild. I’ve taken a fresh look at it and just recently released a second edition. It addresses some issues that are quite thought-provoking and, to some, controversial. It’s not by any means a “safe” book, and as such there will always be those who take offense where none was intended. Some reviewers loved it, and others—including Kirkus Reviews—took issue with some of the ideas. What I found most interesting was that although I had originally written ForeverChild for an adult readership, my 13-year-old nephew asked for a copy. And a week later he called to say he loved it and had stayed up late several nights in a row to finish it. Other teens had similar reactions, so now I’m considering the possibility of directing it more toward the YA market.

Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity.