Look and Listen

Biography

Author questions and answers Q. What prompted you to write these novels? A. I think I was getting a bit fed up with the way the world is developing. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere you can go to live in peace without outside interference. For example, when the U.S. attacked Iraq, I was so furious, I channeled my anger into a novel called "Evil Empire." I finished it in three months (the length of time the war was supposed to last). The novel is currently undergoing rewrites. Q. Why science fiction? A. I’ve always loved reading science fiction, or speculative fiction. It gives a writer more scope for his imagination, and it is a great medium for the presentation of ideas. I often begin with the question, ‘What if…?’ Q. How did you become interested in this particular theme? A. I’ve been a pacifist as long as I can remember. I worked (in Canada) with American war objectors to the Vietnam War, and was a Witness for Justice and Peace during the Contra war in Nicaragua, I also worked with Salvadoran refugees in Vancouver. I believe there is no excuse for using violence to solve conflicts and problems. The only justification I can imagine for killing another human being is if that person threatens my child. (That’s a mother speaking.) Q. What do you hope to accomplish with your work? A. Apart from entertaining people, maybe it will stimulate them think a little about their beliefs and imagine alternative ways of doing things. Q. Who is your intended readership? A. I think anyone above the age of twelve will enjoy my books. I deliberately write in an easy, unpretentious style. A friend who read one said she imagined a mother reading it to her child. But there is enough in my work to interest adults as well; they work on several levels. Q. How did you get into writing? A. I was doing freelance word-processing and someone brought me a manuscript to type. It was so awful, I decided if he could get an agent with it, I could surely do a lot better. There has never been a time when I haven’t had a pile of books waiting to be read, and I'm sometimes reading two or three at once. I calculated once that I’ve read close to seven thousand books. There is such a need for new material, I thought it was time I contributed a little. I write the sort of thing I like to read. Q. Do you always write speculative fiction? A. No. I started out writing mainstream novels. I’ve also written a crime novel that I might have published one day. SF fills a need in me to create novel societies with different rules and ideas. I think of this genre as sociological science fiction, heavy on people and interpersonal relationships, light on monsters and hi-tech, except of course where they enhance the story. Q. What do you do when you’re not writing? A. I design websites, publish books, do a monthly newsletter for my club, spend time with friends, and play computer games. Q. Are you working on another book? A. Of course. I’m very concerned at the moment about global warming and its effects on the future of this planet, so I’m turning my concern into a novel, which will be set in Mexico, the U.S., Europe, Vietnam, and other places. Q. Do you only write fiction? A. No, I have also written two reference books. The one I'm particularly proud of is "Names of the World", which contains lists of names from almost every country in the world as well as information about individual countries, languages, religions, and ethnic groups. I believe it is and essential reference for a writer's desk, and for genealogists.

Inspiration

My inspiration is books. I love them and read as many as I can get my hands on. Second to this is that fabulous wonderland, the public library. I'm inspired by the richness of language, the incredible variety of words and how they can be put together with imagination and precision to create new worlds and experiences.