Destroy Creation: Phase II continues the saga of Dr. Larson’s manipulation of Thomas and his psychic abilities and sheds light on the backstory of how he arrived where he is now. What was the inspiration for your story?

The true inspiration for this story mostly came from the dichotomy of creating and destroying. I’m a huge Pink Floyd fan, and much of their music has inspired stories and poetry I have written over the years. When I did some research into their music and learned of their underlying tones of dichotomy in their album The Dark Side of the Moon, I went down a rabbit hole of finding my own original idea for a story. What was originally just a short story I’d written which was the ending of Create Destruction, begged a more conclusive ending. In Create Destruction, we followed Thomas on his almost self-destructive journey of losing himself and his identity all while choosing to do so. Even when he didn’t choose, not doing so was still a choice. Destroy Creation follows Thomas on his road of consequences and what he hoped would be redemption. Much like the lives we all live, we make choices based on thoughts, feelings, or beliefs and then must be ready for the potential consequences that may follow. Thomas is no different despite his abilities and much like myself, he only strived to make a difference in the world and I hope he did.

The writing in your story is extremely artful and creative. Was it a conscious effort to create a story in this fashion, or is this style of writing reflective of your writing style in general?

I’m quite sure everyone that knows me well would describe me as being an extrovert. I say that to say that in most cases I have a tendency to stand out whether it’s my obnoxious laugh, witty humor, philosophical insights, or talking to strangers, I wanted my writing style to stand out as well. I understand the fact that verse writing looks different from traditional prose that so many have come to read over the centuries. What I enjoy about poetry is that there are no boundaries, loose rules, and a simpler way to convey complex stories or emotions. I’m a poet at heart but I’m also a storyteller and without dragging an idea out for multiple books for some money grab or being overly complex I chose to keep this story short. Short in the sense that all that I wrote was important to the story, characters, and lessons learned, leaving out the fluff, and omitting less impactful occurrences for the sake of word or page count. Call it quality of quantity or more is less and less is more if you must. The beauty of poetry is that it gives me the freedom to choose my words, the way they are conveyed on the page, and even the way I intend for them to be read.

What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?

Being in the military has certainly had the biggest impact on my writing. It has led me down some dark and light paths, granting me perspectives on life I never would have obtained had I chosen another path. Having spent time overseas in combat zones, alone in my room on holidays, and absent from my wife and children, family, and friends, gave me a lot of time to think about what matters in life. More so, on the legacy I want to leave behind and the specific lessons I deem important to teach. One could say the military made me more self-aware and that awareness has interwoven itself into my writings and storytelling. You’ll find these snippets here and there whenever I tell a military story, or speak of an individual I know. Sometimes it’s just as simple as the character or story. Other times, it’s the very way I think and feel and it’s all left up to interpretation.

I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?

I had ideas of expanding this story early on but I don’t know how I feel about them now with how this series ended. This was a huge passion project for me and while I love the story and I’m sure I could go further, sometimes the end is necessary. It’s not to say that I won’t continue to improve and hone my writing skills and create captivating characters and unimaginable stories that take readers for a ride. What I’d like to take from this story is the philosophical underpinnings, the matters of choice and consequences, and hopefully interweave them into future stories that follow characters searching for something more.

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