Across the Border: Stories follows a man searching for himself who, through a variety of exsperances, searches for meaning in life while crossing borders both physically and emotionally. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

These stories that follow a singular protagonist were drawn from my own experiences as a young boy growing into manhood. I had the tremedous opportunity to pursue my dreams and travel to various parts of the world while trying to find my own direction. The inspiration of crafting the stories around a singular protagonist came from Hemingway’s Nick Adams stories. Originally, I wrote the various clusters of stories (boyhood, Baja, Africa) with different protagonists. I later consolidated them into one main character to facilitate the backstory and to let each successive story build upon the earlier stories. This way, I could carry over the tragedies suffered by the main character as his “ghost wounds” that he continues to grapple with as he moves through life. I end with the final African tale as it becomes the character’s inflection point in life where his life will take a definitve turn.​

What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?

I find that one’s past greatly shapes one’s present and future. It is important to be aware of this, as, like it or not, it is inescapable. I also find that one’s forebearers, one’s heritage, also shapes the individual. Obviously, the tragedies in one’s life have a huge impact. We must listen to them and learn, if we so choose. Choice is very critical to the human condition. We make them all the time and must accept their outcomes. After all, we have no one else to blame but ourselves for the choices we make.

Is there anything about Ryan that came from yourself or your life experiences? 

Ryan grew out of my own experience, thus making these stories largely auto-fiction. I find that I needed to have lived the events depicted to give them truth and authenticity.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

I have completed a second collection of short stories, Tarnished Dreams, also available on Amazon. These stories begin with several featuring Ryan’s father, starting with his World War II experience, then pursuing a long-held dream that sustained him after his wounding only to discover that the dream may not turn out as envisioned. The remainder of the stories pick up with Ryan after his Africa trip, now a criminal defense lawyer, still pursuing various dreams that see disillusionment and occasional tragedy. His pursuit finds him in places as varied as the jungles of Borneo, the jumble of rocks in Joshua Tree, the temples of Cambodia and the burning ghats of India.

I have also published a number of single short stories, as ebooks and audiobooks, some from Across the Border, others stand-alone stories. These are also available on Amazon and Audible.

I continue to write short stories, and create my own covers, usually based on my own photographs.

Across the Border is now in production as an audiobook.

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