Hello, Andy! When I'm not writing my own words I'm usually editing someone as part of my day job. I spend my days reading stuff from all over the world and then trying to figure out how to convey the news in a short amount of space. It's a good gig. At home, I cater to the whims and needs of my four cats (Agatha, Henry, Wallace and Larry) and one dog (Harper). My wife Stephanie and I are serial rehabbers -- first converting a three-plex Victorian back to single-family status and now gutting a bungalow from head to toe and turning its half-acre lot into something resembling a garden. It keeps us out of trouble, though some question our sanity.
The Same Six Questions
1. Have you published a book yet?
Signs and Wonders published on Aug. 1. It's a novella about a fallen faith healer who one day discovers she really can heal people. The main character has spent her life being a fraud and now she has to dig deep to figure out what she really believes. The book is up at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and iBooks (for the Mac and iPad).
2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
My first goal in life was to be a garbage man, because they got to ride around on the back of the truck and that looked like a blast. But once I started school, I knew I wanted to be a journalist. For the past 20 years, I've worked at newspapers.
3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say,> 1000 words)?
My first piece of creative writing was a play written under my birthname (Jeffrey Bruner) and called Katrina: State of Emergency." It was a series of stories from people who survived Hurricane Katrina and was used as a fundraiser in Des Moines and Chicago, where it ran for three weeks.
4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?
I knew early in school that this was the one thing I could be good at. I struggled with math and science, but writing? That came easy for some reason. I chalk it up to genes -- my mom and dad met while working for their small-town newspaper in the 1960s.
5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?
Definitely Annie Grace, the main character in Signs and Wonders. She's smart and sassy, but she's also deeply flawed. If you want someone to drink beer with and share outrageous stories, it's Annie.
6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?
Canned peas and creamed corn! My mom made me eat them when I was a little kid and I could barely swallow them without gagging. I'm grimacing now just thinking about them. Bleh.
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Mmmm...creamed corn. ;) Thanks for stopping by, Alex! For more of Alex, check out his blog, Facebook page, and Twitter profile.
Be sure to swing by on Thursday, when my author guest will be Cassandra Blizzard.
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