FAQ

Original manuscripts were submitted to, vetted and contracted by a reputable electronic publisher, which professionally edited the story, formatted the text, developed cover art, produced finished ebooks and pays royalties. Those criteria met, my books are indeed very real, whether they appear in pixel or print. As the printing press once revolutionized the art of storytelling, the internet gives us a brave new world in an industry precariously balanced upon dwindling forests.

Our literary future's not coming soon to cyberspace, it's already here.

Doubt the veracity of that statement? Visit one of the big ebook stores, like Fictionwise, where you will find many authors you recognize, from Stephen King, Sue Miller and Nora Roberts to Harold Robbins, Andre Norton and Edgar Allan Poe.

Your vocabulary is awesome. I'm not complaining. It's refreshing to read something that assumes I'm intelligent and isn't dummied down. What I want to know is, do you talk like you write?

Thank you. Yes, I do, absolutely. Words are delicious. I'm pleased to know readers enjoy my love affair with the English language, since in person, some equate a strong vocabulary with being a snob—even if you're on your sixth shot of tequila and ruminating life's laments while wondering if it's high time you danced on the bar.

You express many concrete ideas about commitment. How long have you been married and if you could go back in time still knowing what you know now, would you do it again?

You bet'cha. In a heartbeat. Even after picking up his dirty socks for 27 years, I still want to eat him with a spoon--most days anyway. Like most marriages, there are definitely days I'd rather spank him with one.

I wrote a column entitled, Pardon Me? You Write What? for Aphrodite Unlaced's Writers Corner. A short feature piece, it addresses this and related questions and you can read it here–but please, take your sense of humor along for the ride.

My favorite movies, off the top of my brain and in no particular order, include: Rebecca, Four Rooms, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dirty Dancing, Henry Fool, Curdled, Starman, Proof (1991), Nobody's Fool (1986), Once Upon a Time in the West, From Noon Til Three, Tremors, Escape From New York, Rebel Without A Cause.

Hmm. Not certain I want to know what this list says about me. I suspect it would give any therapist a run for my money.

Exodus by Leon Uris. I read it 17 times in my teens. I have a battered, bedraggled paperback copy, complete with a hashmark accounting inside the back cover. Not because I was particularly enamored with Mr. Uris. More because I was enamored with Sal Mineo. That's not to say Leon isn't one of the greats, he is. As for Sal, well, see the bottom of this page where his picture appropriately follows a discussion of old melt-downs.

Otherwise, I've read Rebecca, Still Life With Woodpecker, Regiment of Women, The Stand and most of Andre Norton's pre-1970 works, more than once.

Is it true you worked for the lawyers who sued Three Mile Island over the nuclear accident? If so, do you think people were actually poisoned? I mean, they got it shut down in time, didn't they?

Pardon me while I drag out my soapbox. Indeed, I did work for the litigation team in a support capacity. Also, as a point of clarification, attorneys didn't sue Three Mile Island. Class action suits were brought on behalf of folks who claimed harm. Despite the outcome of any of those suits, I personally believe the Susquehanna Valley was exposed to significant radiation and that people, animals and flora were damaged as a result. Do I expect government or big utilities to assign and/or accept blame any time soon? Not in my lifetime. But I wouldn't be surprised if, by the 2060's, the whole sordid mess isn't part of elementary History e-textbooks, right alongside Chernobyl.

At the very least, TMI should be part of this disturbing list.