Trippy Hippy follows a young man in 1967, the Summer of Love, who moves to San Francisco and goes on a journey of self-discovery. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The so-called “Summer of Love” was an especially vibrant period in San Francisco instigated by drugs and rock music. It brought young people from all over the country to descend upon San Francisco along with ideals of peace, love, and spiritual evolution. It was a particularly exciting period to use as a setting for my novel.

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

The character Arnie/Gator was based on my own transition from bookkeeper to full-on participant in the lifestyle of the times, but once that transition is made the events that Gator participates in are wholly from my imagination.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The themes that I think were important are embodied by the slogan “Make Love; Not War.” The use of drugs to attain enlightenment plays a huge role in the book as well as the daily life and interactions of the characters. The idea of “free love” is introduced early in the story when Nola gives Gator a welcome to the Ashram blow job with no accompanying drama. Gator’s love and loss of Eddy brings out the pain that comes with living on the edge. Music, too, plays an important part in the lives of the characters as Gator and Wabash form a band to not only make money but to express their ideals.

What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it?

I’ve written the first draft of a historical novel about two boys growing up in pre-civil war West Virginia. I’m not sure when I’ll go back to it. Right now I’m working on a sort of wild boys story set in the early 1950s in Houston where I was raised. It’s called The Road to Hell, and it’s both humorous and potentially tragic as the young gang members pull off pranks that become increasingly serious in nature. I’m also considering writing a second draft of a story I wrote years ago about a drive through Mexico in an old car with a hole in the radiator called A Hundred Years of Cilantro.

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