• Q&A

    1. What is your newest book, Anchorage Box Racer, about? The book is about a young man named Tayen Stormrider (Klinkhart). At sixteen, he is a talented race car driver, but he is also overconfident, arrogant, and tends to avoid his fans. He suffers from a setback with the death of both of his parents and partially loses his vision. He is left an orphan living with foster parents until he turns eighteen and ends up in a homeless camp. He yearns to prove to the world that he is a great race car driver. Saddled with alcoholism and mental health problems, he tries to navigate his way back into his chosen path of racing. The story is about taking the first step and following the steps towards success in life.
    2. What inspired its writing? I was a passenger in a car with another agent, driving in the streets of Anchorage. We drove past a homeless camp. A black Ford Mustang is missing its tires, parked on blocks near a small travel trailer. The agent joked that other law enforcement had laughingly said the homeless were fixing the car to start racing it. It was immediate. I thought of a homeless kid living in a tent near his uncle’s camper while he worked on the Mustang. His goal was to race the car against others in town. In my mind, the title would be Anchorage Street Racers. It evolved into a kid dreaming of being a race car driver, now with a new title: Anchorage Box Racer.
    3. So, it is an uplifting story of a troubled young man who discovers his self-worth and who not only empowers his life, but climbs many barriers. What does it really take for people to turn themselves around like that? I wanted to emulate one of my favorite movies, Vision Quest. The main character had many mentors. A teacher, a coach, a cook at his job at the hotel, a friend, his father, his uncle, his grandfather, and his girlfriend. All helped guide him toward his path of success in wrestling, but the story was about his growth into adulthood. Tayen was raised in violence and doesn’t trust anybody. He has avoidant personality disorder and a genetic predisposition toward alcoholism. His path is to learn how to conquer his demons and take the first step up the mountain, and to succeed in his quest.
    4. You now live in Anchorage, Alaska – retired. How does living there, far from the continental US, influence and shape your writings? Living in Alaska opens a whole new world to me. The landscape here has a way of sparking an artist like Greg Bombeck, and in a way, me. I also live part-time in Arizona—another picturesque landscape. I plan to write another story about Alaska, but I have many more stories about my time working on the southwest border in Arizona. Recently, I drove to Eklutna Lake, located south of Palmer, Alaska. I parked at a state campground and walked down past some trees, and could see the lake clearly before me, nestled between the Chugach Mountain range. It was breathtaking. There is a story there somewhere.
    5. The issue of homelessness is in your book. The homeless population seems to be on the rise. What do you think can be done to get more of them off the streets and living productive lives? Writing this book was my perspective to this prevalent substance abuse problem in the Anchorage Borough. Youth nowadays often lack the tools to overcome life’s obstacles. They try to cheat or avoid the problem. The homeless in this area are largely nomadic, moving from one camp to another. They seem to wander purposely chasing one high after an another. If this book reaches one at-risk youth and they are persuaded to reach for that lofty dream and climb the mountain before them, then maybe I have succeeded. A higher power helps. Believe in God and realize everyone has a higher purpose. It is not to get high and wander the streets of Anchorage until death from an overdose.
    6. Your main character, Ty, suffers from alcoholism. This is an all-too common problem for so many people. Why are so many people ruled by an addiction? Escapism. Games, porn, alcohol, drugs. No purpose in life except chasing the next high. They escape into sedation. A higher purpose and their roots are missing. Believing in a higher power could serve to help our addicted youth. With Alaska, and the native population, they are missing ties to their community. Tayen is half Dena’ina Alaska Native Athabaskan, and his mother is a descendant of the Lows, who were explorers and settled in Oregon and Washington. Tayen’s problem is genetics, and he was not raised with a good foundation. He knows nothing of his roots and thinks his problems were caused by his parents, and not something he should solve.
    7. Your book’s protagonist pursues a dream to become a NASCAR driver. Why, do you think, the sport is so wildly popular today? Fast cars have always been intriguing, and many young men are involved in the street racing scene, which becomes a nuisance in some cities with street takeovers. I wanted to open some eyes to the SCCA amateur racing scene by inventing a racing circuit that would lead to a NASCAR contract. It does not exist, as far as I know, but young men would flock to such an event. Racing movies are quite engaging because they feature iconic cars being driven to their limits. Being able to drive fast is exciting, but watching proficient drivers in competition reveals that hard work and resolve are rewarded and can be truly fulfilling. It can bring a purpose, removing the void.
    8. How hard was it to draw your main character? Tayen Stormrider (Klinkhart) came to me quite smoothly in the beginning. It was personality that took much longer—a year with edits and revisions. My developmental editors at Story Ninjas provided me with many pointers to enhance the performance story genre. I finished the first draft, then revised Tayen and the story several times from the beginning. Tayen begins as an arrogant sixteen-year-old with a drinking problem who thinks mountains are beneath him. Then he loses his parents, his vision, and is set on his journey into an orphanage and then homelessness. His life is void of purpose, and all is failings become a part of him. I believe readers will see a remarkable character arc.
    9. You spent most of your career working at Arizona’s southwest border. What did you do? I was a customs officer for about twenty-four years. I was an expert in drug smuggling, and arrested many people, and made many drug seizures. I am currently writing a fictional book called Thunderhead Wash, which draws inspiration from real-life events. It is a fictional characterization of two real events. Two customs patrol officers were killed in 1974 in Nogales, and a border patrol agent was killed in 2010. The primary character is a special agent, a woman, who relies on her father’s retired friends. Her father was murdered in the 1990s. An agent is murdered in 2020. The aged agents tell her stories that mirror the present time and help her on her path to take down a criminal cartel.
    10. Your father worked for the Secret Service. Did that inspire you to go into law enforcement? Yes, my father was an officer with the Uniformed Division under Nixon and then became one of the first special agents with the Office of Inspector General in 1978. He retired as a Deputy Director. My two brothers and I entered law enforcement and worked for various agencies. I worked as a law enforcement officer for over thirty years. I’ve wanted to write since I was sixteen, but it took a lifetime to start. All my books so far have some elements of law enforcement. Thunderhead Wash will be the first book to offer a glimpse into federal law enforcement, specifically the work of agencies that aim to stop threats posed by criminal cartels based in foreign nations.
    11. Your prior two books, Under The Sky and Dance With The Bully, are part of a series, A Luke Sanz Novel. What is the series about? Both books feature Luke Sanz, starting as a teenager. It starts in Puerto Rico and then progresses to the fictional town of Lansburg in Loudon County, Virginia. As a child, Luke was diagnosed with mental illness because he spoke to people who were not there and seemed to foretell future events. He was medicated into a stupor and was free from his ailments for years. He begins to realize that his imaginary friend was real, as were his visions. Under the Sky marks the first use of the protagonist’s powers to combat the demon that has possessed the home they move into. A Dance with the Bully is Luke’s senior year in high school, and a battle he has with the Bully Cladhair.
    12. What inspired you to write them? I wrote the books as a means to try to overcome my own demons—the difficulty of growing up in high school in New York after moving there from Puerto Rico. I lived in a haunted house for about four years. It was tame compared to what Luke and his family faced. I set out to write a book about our family’s journey, titled The Red Hill Haunt. Instead, I was inspired to write about a young man with this huge purpose and burden set forth by God. As with all messages from Heaven, the tasks we receive are filtered through whatever barrier is created between God’s Earth and us. Luke must stop a calamity at some point in his life. Unsure what.
    13. The stories revolve around a 17-year-old high school senior, Luke Sanz. How did you come to create this character and what would you say are his defining characteristics? I patterned Luke after an actor named Hal Cumpston. His thoughtful and emotional acting in Nine Perfect Strangers and The Walking Dead: World Beyond spoke to me. He was so genuine and had a significant presence on the screen, just like I envisioned Luke would have. I divided the book into plotlines and gave separate character arcs to Luke for each novel. As far as characteristics go, he is unsure of his place in the world. By the end of A Dance with the Bully, Luke begins to evolve into a dangerous man. He is loyal and loving. To a stranger, he can be both cordial and prepared to kill that person if necessary.
    14. In these two books, Luke has special powers. How does he come to control or use them to his advantage? Luke has an angel sent by an archangel to guide him with the use of his powers. When Luke touches a person, he sees a vision that could help him. Part of growing up is learning how to control one’s powers. He also has disjointed dreams of potential future occurrences. This power will evolve with each book. Part of the subplot involves learning how to utilize his gifts, and the angel attempts to assist him. He can also see spirits and demons at times, but not always. He can also adopt powers from other people he encounters if given willingly.
    15. In your first novel, you write of a boy who is bullied in high school. In your latest book, a young man is a homeless alcoholic. Why is surviving one’s youth a common thread? I was always very shy, a total introvert. I was content to sit down by myself and not talk to anyone. My father moves us around a bit. From New York to Virginia, then to Puerto Rico, back to New York, and then to California. It was as if I landed on a new planet each time. I grew up socially awkward. All my characters have difficulties with transitioning from one land to another. The protagonist is under considerable stress and must learn how to survive in a challenging environment. I want the reader to feel the stress the character is under, and see that they need to step up and face their problems.

    16. In Under The Sky, he has visions of events form the past, present, and future. How does he know which ones to trust and understand? Luke has no choice but to pay attention to the visions and make a decision, owning the consequences. They are a gift to steer him in the correct direction when he or people he loves are in danger. The actual reason for his gifts is yet to be revealed to him. He is meant to stop a calamity. The reader sees that he has visions of the Second Fall of Rome. In Book 3, Cardinal Down, Luke will be an Army Ranger assigned to the Intelligence Service Activity. He will learn how to use his powers in combat. Some of his dreams are clear, while others are symbolic.
    17. In the sequel, A Dance With The Bully, Luke feels his calling to a future as a federal law enforcement officer. You actually had a three-decade career in law enforcement. Did you get to live out your calling? I feel fulfilled in my career. For the majority of my career, I felt a calling to teach and pass on all my knowledge to other law enforcement officers I came into contact with. I have a strong belief that a law enforcement officer needs to find a niche within their authorities and become an expert at that type of criminal investigation. I also believe that if you are hired for a job, you give one hundred ten percent and work above and beyond to accomplish the mission. There is a sacrifice LEOs make with their personal lives. It sucks, but it is part of the package. I regret that about the job.
    18. In that book, a family moves into a haunted house. Did you ever live in one, too? I lived in a haunted house in New York—there are some similarities to Under the Sky. The interior of the house, including the hidden void, remained the same. The attack on my dog happened, but everything else was exaggerated. The knocks on the back door were a weekly occurrence. We had several deaths in our backyard because the intersection behind the house had an often-ignored stop sign. The book was my way to cope with that part of my childhood. The final scenes with the demon were a homage to the movie The Game of Death. Luke and the priests had to climb the pagoda toward the final battle.
    19. How would you describe your writing style? I use the Story Grid method to write. I prefer to write in the third person limited omniscient. I told Anchorage Box Racer in first-person limited. I wanted to both keep the reader locked into Tayen’s world and not the thoughts of the other characters. I try to be very descriptive of the action and the landscape surrounding the characters, because I want the reader to visualize what’s written. When I read, I can see the action, like a movie. I want to bring that to my readers. I try to spend time developing the psychology of the characters, and tend to have flawed, broken heroes just like in real life. I also believe in giving the antagonist the opportunity to be redeemed, even if they may reject it.
    20. Which books are your favorites – and which writers do you emulate? Such a difficult question. I am more of a reader than a writer. I am a huge Stephen King fan, specifically the book The Stand. King is the best at creating and developing characters. I’ve read Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove three times. I’ve read all C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower books three times. Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and its sequels are masterpieces. Specifically, Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend and Somewhere in Time/Bid Time Return. I try to incorporate a little of all of them, but I tend to lean towards Victor Gischler the most, with an emphasis on adhering to the demands of the Story Grid by Victor Coyne. Not that I succeed.
    21. Do you view storytelling as a means to entertain or inspire – or both? It’s both; I watch Vision Quest because I want to feel young, strong, and determined. I read and watch Game of Thrones repeatedly because the masterful storytelling, dialogue, and plot lines are entertaining. I want to be reminded that struggle provides an opportunity for success. Nothing comes easy. The fight molds you into who you are meant to be. The movies Rocky, Karate Kid, Rudy, and The Natural are all movies I watch repeatedly. Anchorage Box Racer is not about racing cars; it’s about the struggle young beaten-down men endure and how some get bogged down in the mire and don’t take a stab at the opportunities for success. Climb the wall instead of staring at the ground in defeat.
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