Where are you from? Parts Unknown, does that count?
I am from Connecticut originally in the armpit called Norwich. I spent my childhood between New York and Connecticut in a constant gleam of travel and the non-structured environments of being tossed between two families. My biological family and adoptive family.
Tell us about your hometown and growing up.
Norwich was, well, old and run down in my days as a kid. But, my family lived in the outskirts on top of what is called Snake Hill. A winding, turning and churning hill that somebody, even a soldier would have a tough time literally, climbing. I was the constant in my neighborhood for 21 years before the dust cleared and my mother Rosa passed. I was victimized, brutally, by bullies in and outside of my neighborhood.
Tell us about your family.
I can tell you I had at one point in my life my mother Rose and her husband Wallace as my parents. My brothers Paul-Steven and Wally Jr passed when I was ages 5 and 9. Rose, fortunately, was my God-mother and saved me from an abusive and disturbing mother and drugged aunt. My Uncle Lenny, from the biological side, was my God-father, who was too young to step in and help me not be taken. My grandmother Amelia was divorcing my grandfather at the time and couldn't get to me in time before the adoption had ended and Rose and Wally now had me.
A lot is made of my former teacher Wally Lamb at Norwich Free Academy as my mentor, which is true. But I actually began in my seventh grade secondary school Teachers Memorial in Norwich, with a thought provoking and heartfelt teacher I remember to this day. Mr. Almadia. He loved most of my stories and poems.
Later, I did meet Wally Lamb, as a freshman in High School, who saw the beginning of the few short stories I had that would ultimately become the Regime Guard Series.
Regime Guard goes back to the night when Wally, my brother, passed. I remember just being in tears and my mind began, if you will, that he was still with me, but as a spirit. I looked outside my window that night and swore I saw him, but when I turned my head back to my bedside, THEY were there. Whether it was imagination, or childhood schizophrenia, I swear I saw four characters who would later become part of me, in a literal sense, and part of my work. Being always prepared to possibly go home one day as each book is finished. It was told to me by THEM, the stories and things that happened, so their I was, later, writing it.
No. I enjoy doing things from any type of point of view that I can conjure. It's sort of like with each of my works, every point of view is made. Even if the character lives, dies or is just an "extra" within the works.
It is like poetry. Songs are poems, set to music, or some type of sound. Whether it be rock, rap, or whatever. Putting songs together isn't hard for me. But if someone challenges me to write one in five minutes, they can go to hell. Because, just like my novels, songs take time to write and think about, before any music is made.
Publishers and agents are very hard to come by that will actually like your work, or even you, as a person. It takes a very special person to deal with my abilities as an author because things in my work(s) can come and go without notice. Multi Genre Author, my peers call me, and controversial. I use that as a force and drive to be a multi genre author, because I can make you sick to your stomach, shed tears, or even make you laugh.
I have Volume II to the Regime Guard Series that Marie Pacha and I are working on. Alongside that is a book with a lead character with autism. Then, lastly, a horror based on bullying and terrror, wrapped into one nutshell.
