What is something unique/quirky about you?

I’ll tell you two!

First, I am lifelong believer that the Tooth Fairy is proof that you can trade body parts for cold, hard cash. Lose a tooth, no problem, you just leave it under your pillow and there is good, spendable coin waiting in its place in the morning. I guess that’s why I write horror and dark fantasy.

Second, in sixth grade I was expelled from honors English for eschewing the classics and doing my semester book report on Alan Dean Foster’s novelization of the movie, Krull. Also an indication I was probably meant to write horror and dark fantasy.

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

My path to becoming a writer was forged in two distinct worlds. It began with a love for classic fantasy like Tolkien and Dragonlance and a desire to build worlds that others could get lost in. This led me to a twenty-year military career in pursuit of real-world adventure.

After seeing the globe and the unfiltered realities of human conflict, I returned to writing with a new purpose: to tell stories that don’t shy away from the dark. My work now lives in that space, blending a love for imaginative storytelling with a commitment to exploring unflinching, and often horrific, truths.

Who is your hero and why?

Professionally, my greatest inspiration is Gerald Brom (author of Slewfoot, Krampus, The Child Thief, & many more). He is a singular voice in dark fantasy and horror, with a style so distinctive it’s recognizable from the first page. Brom operates as a contrarian in the best sense, consistently defying genre tropes to blaze new narrative trails. His work is a constant reminder to me of the power of bringing something truly fresh and unexpected to readers.

What inspired you to write Red Queen Yellow King: The Book of Alice #1?

The seed of this story grew from the knowledge that the fairy tales of my youth were just the bright, clean surface of a deep, dark well of folklore. I wanted to plunge back into that darkness, to take the beloved characters of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan and add the grit and danger that time had scrubbed away from childhood stories. The idea was compelling to me, but it wasn’t whole. The final, crucial piece of the puzzle arrived, ironically, when I read The King in Yellow. Its lore became an obsession, providing the unique narrative thread that stitched everything together.

Convince us why you feel your story is a must read.

If you like your Alice fierce, your Pan dark, and your King Yellow—this is the story for you.

Forget the tales you knew as a child and take a trip to Wonderland where nothing survives unchanged . . . if it survives at all.

What is your advice to new authors?

For any writer building a career, two pillars are essential for a strong foundation.

The first is professional polish. The belief that one can bypass a professional editor is perhaps the greatest barrier to success. Engaging an editor is a fundamental sign of respect for your craft and your reader.

The second is narrative authenticity. When you begin, focus on the core task: telling the story only you can tell. The literary world isn’t looking for an echo of a familiar author (despite all the request for comps); it’s waiting for your unique voice to emerge. Embrace that from the very first word.