WMV: You wrote the first book in your trilogy in 2008, but when did you start writing?
Dr.: I wrote lots and lots and lots of academic papers in the course of getting my Doctorate in Psychoanalytic Studies (psychoanalysis, neuroscience, and psychology), and becoming a Certified Psychoanalyst. After all of this (nineteen years) I decided to do something I had always wanted to do: write fiction. From The Other Side Of The Moon was my first attempt at fiction. I started writing this first novel in the series in March of 2008, after thinking a lot about the fact that my community in Southern California, the Santa Clarita Valley, had undergone three simultaneous wildfires the previous October. That was the first time in my life I felt I had the experience of what it must feel like to be in hell. Being in our community at that time was a very frightening experience. I came to the conclusion then that wildfires were a huge problem not just in Southern California, but worldwide, and that this subject needed to be talked about a lot more. I chose fiction over non-fiction because I had the idea that I could attract more readers if I informed them through a story (much of which, by the way, is based in the truth of my experiences with patients in psychoanalysis, and a lot of research I did with Los Angeles fire fighters and arson investigators). My goal throughout the series has been to craft an informative story, with characters that readers will want to know more about, all the while making the novel a very suspenseful read. This has been a challenging task.
WMV: What else do you write?
Dr.: I am currently writing the fourth novel in the series (this is a trilogy, but the final book is in two volumes). Since I can’t imagine myself not continuing to be a writer, I have a plan for shifting this series into another series, continuing with the same characters (and new ones): Way Beyond Seaville: The Tale Of A Modern Day Robin Hood.
WMV: What inspires you to write?
Dr.: I started out determined to make a genuine contribution to the entire problem of wildfires, worldwide. I wanted to create something that readers would enjoy, and at the same time be informed by. In the process I found that I really enjoy the experience of getting into the “flow” of writing. The term “flow” is defined as order and organization in consciousness (I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the subject of flow in psychoanalytic treatment). When a person is in flow (and this can also happen through art, music, relationships, sports, romance, and reading for example) they are totally absorbed in that experience. Time disappears and the person often feels “at one” with the universe. I work to get into this “mind space” while I am writing, a place where I am at one with the story, right there with the characters, right there in the scenes I am writing about.
WMV: Do you ever get "writer's block"? If so, what gets you through it?
Dr.: Fortunately, I very seldom have difficulties with “writer’s block.” For me, all I need is one sentence in my head to get started and the rest usually comes easily. If for some reason I can’t find that one sentence in my head, I don’t put pressure on myself to find it. I just let my mind work on its own (really my unconscious is doing the work), and I often move on to reading or doing some research work related to the novels. In my experience, creativity requires lots of quiet space where I am neither interrupted by things in my environment nor what is going on inside of my head. I am guessing that being in my own analysis (this is required in order to become a Certified Psychoanalyst, and my training encouraged each of us to remain in analysis throughout our professional careers), helps me to keep my mind clear for writing.
WMV: What are your current projects?
Dr.: As of today, January 23, 2014, I am two hundred pages into the fourth and final novel of the Seaville Wildfire Trilogy (last book in two volumes). I changed publishers last fall (2013) and the series is going to be re-released with Black Rose Writing beginning on March 20, 2014. Then the other three novels will be released at five- to six-month intervals, including the fourth and final novel in the series, which should be finished right in this sequence. Part of what I do while I am writing is a lot of research. “Tons” of new information is available about how the human mind/brain works. I do my best to stay current with all the new research and theories and incorporate this information into the novels. I strive to make my novels informative as well as suspenseful. Again, this is not an easy task. Speaking of difficult tasks, there are many details left to tie up in the final novel of the series. Each of the first three novels ends as a cliff-hanger, and I have promised readers that there really will be a conclusion (and maybe a door opening into a new series).
WMV: What upcoming projects do you have in mind?
Dr.: Many readers have suggested that the trilogy would make a great HBO or Showtime mini-series. I agree. From The Other Side Of The Moon was submitted but turned down by Hollywood. My plan is to re-submit the trilogy, but this time with the first three books, giving Hollywood a better “ark” of the story. And I do plan to continue writing after the fourth novel is finished. A series about a modern day Robin Hood is currently on my mind as my next project.
Dr.: As a change of pace from psychoanalysis and writing, I do a triathlon (swim, bike, run) or a duathlon (run, bike, run) once a month. These events help me stay healthy, and help me keep my sanity.
WMV: Do you have any websites or contact information you would like to share?
Dr.: You can visit my website (which is in the process of undergoing some significant changes):
www.wildfiretrilogy.com
I am always interested in feedback about the series.
Interview by William Mortensen Vaughan
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