That depends on many factors, but mainly what else I am balancing at a given time. Prior to 2021, I had taken a two-year break from releasing anything new. You can thank the transition upon my return from Italy. I hope to rectify that in the years ahead. Granted, this also depends on levels of motivation. In 2021, I completed five different projects and three of those books were released. As this is a self-published pursuit, there can be delays in editing and in cover art. Rusty Star came out at the end of May 2022. I am currently working on the follow up book.
Why do you have typos or missing words? To begin, I appreciate your patronage and reading my works. I also hope you will accept my apologies, but typos are going to happen. I have several readers on my team who will assist with the editing process and while they are particularly good, we all miss some things. While some readers over the years have asked to assist, it can be time consuming for me to read their input. I appreciate the feedback but there is a point of diminishing returns and as to how quickly I can review old material and release updated versions in addition to working on my new projects. After a fifth time reading over a book, I'm done with the project.
I will be the first to say my older books will have substantially more typos than newer works. For one I have streamlined the process, but again after my team reads over the draft, I will review all the edits. Sometimes I purposely put dialogue in a certain manner. I like to play with dialogue and have no issue using different English styles, word choices, and regional dialects. I also will leave out some words intentionally depending on if the book is written in the first person and the narrator is sharing his or her story.
The point in all of this is that I'm aware of the typos. Some books will have less than others. I will aspire to release the best version of the book possible, but I'm also realistic.
Why are many of your books so colorful concerning dialogue and narration?
Are you asking me why so many of my characters swear? Truth be told aside from the Luza series, most of the books are meant for adult readers and have adult subject matter. I understand some readers prefer clean words with no vulgarity. I also know that I have lost a few readers over the years because many of my characters are not politically correct. While I see the appeal to have different versions, or to at least tone done some of my dialogue, I don't think it's true to the characters. Depending on the situation a character finds him or herself in or how that character identifies to a situation, censoring words doesn't resonate with me nor changing their behavior to fit a prescribed image or concept. I understand that some readers will avoid certain books, but I will continue to use this creative liberty for my characters to be as realistic as possible.
Your books are all over the place concerning genre. Are you going to stick with one?
I have pondered this question for well, several years. I will be the first to admit that as an indie, I should probably focus on one genre and for that matter just write series. While I know that would be the wise thing to do, creatively I follow my heart. I continue to dabble in different genres because it's where the characters lead me. Even with the Marcus Files, those were supposed to be more space opera and military science fiction books, but Tahir's special abilities have complicated some of the established genre mainstays.
I don't think I will ever restrict myself to one genre. I read across genres and whatever story develops is what I write. In the end as long as the story is told, I'm a happy author.
How long have you been writing?
I started telling stories before I was seven. My first publishing attempt was at nine in the fourth grade. They rejected me but I did get a formal letter. I guess Jolly and Bolly's Adventures were not what they were looking for. Fast forward to high school and college where I found myself focused on screenplays. After playing that game, I shifted to novels and have been writing those since 2001. So, it's been twenty years, but with a more concentrated effort over the last ten. I've been indie since 2011 and have released 17 different books and counting.
Where do you get your ideas?
This will sound like a typical answer, but I get my ideas simply by experiencing life. Whether through travel, interactions with people, teaching, or just observing, I find I often will jot down a few ideas and then those will percolate for some time until a story develops.
Where can I buy or find your books?
The Marcus Files, Rusty Star, and Seli can be found on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble as well as other online distributors. All my other books are exclusively on Amazon.