Q & A With The Author

Q: Where can I get copies of your stories?

A: You might find Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine in your local bookstore. The current issue and available back issues of the magazine can also be ordered directly from the publisher. Visit their web site, https://www.alfredhitchcockmysterymagazine.com/. 

My story “The Shot” was reprinted in The Best American Mystery Stories 2015, which can be purchased online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

My story "All Prayers Are Answered" was reprinted in Black Cat Weekly no. 22, which can be purchased here.

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

A: Sometimes the setting comes to me first. This is especially true with historical fiction. Other times I get an idea for a character and work to find the story he or she belongs in. But I don’t really know what makes a character step into my imagination, or why inspiration suddenly shines out of a particular setting, so fundamentally the ideas for most of my stories seem to come out of nowhere.

Q: Do you think you'll ever write a novel?

A: I'm working on one now.

Q: Do you have a blog, Facebook page, etc.?

A: No. Maintaining those sorts of things takes time I would rather spend writing fiction. There are Eric Rutters who have Facebook pages, blogs, etc., but none of them are me.

Q: Where did you study writing?

A: If you mean creative writing, I didn't. In college I took a couple of writing classes but neither of them was for creative writing. I did major in English, however, and I minored in history. Now I write historical fiction, so no one can say I’m not using my degree.

Q: I want to be a writer. What advice can you give me?

A: Whole books have been written on this subject. Most simply my advice is this: read as much as you can, write as much as you can, and ignore anyone who says you’re a fool for believing you might have success at it someday.