Q: Is there a name for your particular style of writing?

A: Yes, I call it Literary Anime, the style and story depth of Japanese Animation in book form. Although Anime is all the rage in America and all around the world now, I thought it a natural and yet untested extension on what has been seen before to incorporate all the things I love about anime and try to express it through words instead of cell animation. I hope it worked...


Q: Some of the stories in Generations of Rust seem like they are setting up a larger story further down the line?

A: Yes there are going to be three novels each based on characters and situations explored in my first book.

Q: Rikter Flux is a classic science fiction character and probably the most popular (and controversial) one in Generations of Rust. Will we be seeing more of him?

A: I think that I have said about all there is to say about Rikter, the misguided Elvis of a techno-mad future. However he remains a symbol for me of the modern state of disposable popular culture and he will continue to fascinate me since it represents a very important part of myself; my musical side. I do have a treatment for a Rikter film bumping around my hard drive somewhere but who really knows what the future brings. What I can say about the Rikter story is that my second book will follow the exploits of his daughter as she tries to come to terms with being the offspring of a 21st century mega-media icon.


Q: Who are your writing influences?

A: Wow! That may take some serious thinking and a lot of room on this page. Well probably my number one influence of all time would have to be Roger Waters. Dark Side of the Moon was the first record I ever owned and it blew my mind as a child so completely that it put me on track as the thinker, philosopher and scribe that I am today. As far as authors my tastes are for the classic sci-fi writers like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, those were the big two growing up and as I got older I enjoyed George Orwell, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and William Gibson. And as far as cinema is concerned I became a devotee of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg in the ‘70s and all those things combined shaped this writer.


Q: What advice would you give aspiring authors?

A: Well number one you have to live your life. There is nothing for a writer to write about unless you find the time to create adventures for yourself. Tragically sometimes life does this for you in the way of unforeseen traumas and hard knocks but you have to live through it, learn and grow from the experience and get it down on paper. I often hear people telling me that they have this great idea for a book, or movie or song and a day later they have forgotten what it was they wanted to say. Jot it down when it’s fresh! I’m a computer nerd and do all my work on the PC but I’ve discovered a little secret: buy a journal (it doesn’t have to be fancy, a note pad will do) and write down every crazy idea that comes to your mind. Put it on paper and sort it all out when the time is right. If you want to be a writer and be successful at it, you have to WRITE! Doing your best work is its own reward but it also carries the added benefit that it will inspire those who read it. A great story practically sells itself. Be true to yourself and never give up. That right there is the hardest easy thing that you will ever do in your life.

-G13 08/2005