1. What books have most influenced your life?
I’d like to say that the book that I have most enjoyed reading, and have read dozens of times over, is “To Kill a Mocking Bird.” Did it influence my life? I think Atticus Finch became my favorite character in literature, and certainly as a child, I secretly wished my father was more Atticus Finch than MacBeth…but you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. (Shout out to Ms. Penny, a pre-school teacher who clearly influenced my approach to life).

2. How do you develop your plots and characters?
I have several manuscripts, in pieces, nothing totally complete…and those are definitely fiction based with fantastical plots. “Don’t Blame Me” is more essays and silly narratives that are all based on my life experiences. So plot development and character development weren’t really an issue with this particular novella. As a rule though, I don’t do much prep. I just start writing and the characters sort of develop on their own. I certainly edit the hell out of the ramblings, and will fine tune aspects of characters, settings, and plot, but I am more of a “wing it” kind of writer. Just get it on paper and start tweaking from there. I don’t believe in restraining yourself.

3. What real-life inspirations do you draw from when writing?
I tend to think back upon the stupid stuff I’ve done, and fortunately, that well is not likely to dry out any time soon. I have 40 years of experiences to draw from. When writing fiction, I tend to picture in my mind the places I’ve visited. I’ll start to envision colors, textures, what it smelled like, the temperature outside, whom I was with…I guess memory is where I draw from. It’s sometimes difficult because I have a tendency to block things out. So if there are details I’ve forgotten, I’ll simply fill in what I think sounds good.

4. What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Well, I figured that people who knew me, who had met me at some point in their lifetime, they would be most receptive to this book. I have a unique and obnoxious take on life, and as a rule, I’m very outspoken, and sometimes funny. I assumed people who were known to me would buy the book, perhaps out of sheer curiosity. The difficult part was knowing that the greater population would probably not have any interest on my viewpoint, so the book was really just a fun project. I had zero expectation of commercial success. There’s actually a lot of freedom in that. Always write for yourself. Don’t worry about if you have an audience for your work.

5. Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
I think I realized that I am actually really OK with who I am. And I have no shame or feelings of embarrassment about my experiences or sharing them with the world. That’s pretty much total self-acceptance.