Deadly Serious centers around an aspiring comedian who finds himself pulled into a world of Cold War secrets, murder, and romance. Where did the idea for this novel come from?

At the time, I was living in Los Angeles and attending comedy clubs during what we now think of as the Cold War era. Some well-known comedians either died under mysterious circumstances or committed suicide, and I became intrigued by the reasons why.

Did any classic spy novels, noir stories, or dark comedies influence the book?

I think the work of John le Carré and Robert Ludlum influenced many of my choices.

How were you able to strike a balance between humor, genuine danger, and emotional stakes?

The irreverent main character, Danny Goodis, believed that comedy and free speech could rise above any danger, but he was mistaken in his assessment of what he was really stumbling into. The story subtly alludes to electrogravitics, which some scientists have associated with UFO/UAP propulsion systems.

Dan spends much of the novel trying to maintain control while his world keeps shifting. Were you interested in exploring how ordinary people respond to overwhelming systems?

I think this is a situation where a character gets in over his head and doesn’t recognize the imminent danger. He acts like a whistleblower in his comedy routines, while Cubans, Russians, and others want to silence him.

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