#WordWeavers 24
Tell us about something positive you experienced because of writing.

Catharsis. I can choose to internalize like a good Scorpio when somebody pisses me off, or write them into a poem or tale and skewer them with words. The latter leaves me feeling a lot better.

Camaraderie. For what's supposed to be a "lonely" pursuit, writing has meant meeting so many wonderful people: writers and writer-adjacents, both in-person and virtually.

#WritersCoffeeClub 23
What's the most you've worked on a WIP before deciding to scrap it? What happened?

Scrap? No. There have been too many tales that I pulled out of the "Unfinished" directory, looked at with fresh eyes, and turned into something, years or even decades after setting them aside.

The longest piece in that category today is one begun a few summers back when I thought I'd try my hand at romance. I got about 15K words in, then something much darker apparently caught my attention.

#ScribesAndMakers 23
Do you consider yourself a frood who knows where their towel is?

I usually know where my towel is, but I'm also quite certain I'll be caught without it when I need it most. OTOH, I will certainly not be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.

I'm just this guy, ya know?

#PennedPossibilities 964
MC POV: What area of your life do you tend to enjoy in excess instead of moderation?

It's the food. Even more than the music. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to give up either of them. You tell me I either have to lose my hearing or my taste buds, I'm gonna be pissed, but I guess I'll at least be able to feel that satisfied purring noise I make whenever I take the first bite of Bò Tái.

#ScribesAndMakers 22
Create a micro-story in six words.

The cost of words? Your soul.

#WritersCoffeeClub 20
Who is your ideal reader?

A member of my critique group told me that he would be unable to offer any feedback on my current WIP because of the subject matter. Apparently having a protagonist who makes a deal with a demon is a fictional line he won't cross. So while I don't know who my ideal reader is, I do know who he is not.

#PennedPossibilities 962
If there was ever going to be a film or a series based upon your WIP, what do you imagine the soundtrack would be like? What genre?

I'm quite spoiled, in that I don't have to imagine what my soundtracks would sound like. My brilliant Sinister Minutes podcast partner somehow connects to the darkest recesses of my brain and reliably concocts the perfect score for my words. AFAIK, the man has never met an instrument he couldn't play, nor a genre he couldn't work within.

#WritersCoffeeClub 19
Do you need to finish a work before starting another? Why (or why not)?

Nope. I'm not wired like that, and I only get myself in trouble when I try to do this. If I'm in the middle of a chapter, and struggling to figure out what happens next, often the best thing I can do is to go write a piece of flash. Maybe a poem. Or shift gears for a week or more and develop a full short story. By the time I get back to the chapter, I'm looking with fresh eyes and no longer struggling.

#ScribesAndMakers 13
Our featured creator writes both novels and short stories. How do you feel about short fiction? Do you read short stories as often as novels?

I love short fiction, writing and reading.

I read at least as many anthologies as I do novels; most of my favorite podcasts (including my own) are fiction anthologies. Novels provide space for deep world and character building, while short stories can quickly spark the imagination, like tales told round the fire.

#PennedPossibilities 954
What is your SC’s skill level when it comes to cooking and baking?

None of the SCs reveal any proficiency in the kitchen, but that's because they're afraid the MC would watch over their shoulders and tell them they were doing it wrong.

He wouldn't do that. Like many people with culinary skills, he's delighted to have somebody else cook for him, whether it's a perfect Beef Wellington or a basic PBJ.

Losing interest in food signals something quite wrong with him...