Dig Two Graves follows a man recently released from prison, armed only with a Bible, rage, and an unresolved history, as he attempts to reclaim his place in the world and regain his respect. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Two primary inspirations, which I discuss in the Afterword: the Egyptian novelist (and 1988 Nobel Prize winner) Naguib Mahfouz’s short novel from 1961, The Thief and the Dogs, which is set in the aftermath of the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, and living in Southwest Florida, which has undergone its own climatic, cultural, and political upheavals in recent years.

When creating Von Martin, did you have a plan for development and character traits, or did it grow organically as you were writing the story?

Since I was following the plot of The Thief and the Dogs pretty closely, I knew WHAT Von was going to do at every turn. What grew organically, and what interested me enough to actually write the novel in the first place, was that it seemed I knew WHY he would be doing these things, the mental gymnastics he would go through to make each terrible decision seem like the correct one to him. Von’s internal narrative, his voice, carried me through to the end.

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

The idea of respect, as opposed to revenge, is huge, obviously. Is respect something you must earn from the people in your life? Or is genuine self-respect a prerequisite?

I’m also fascinated by how I, and many of us, take actions that we are 100% convinced are correct, or righteous, or just, or good, but then these actions have terrible consequences for those around us, and for ourselves. We are often our own worst enemies, and Von is an extreme example of that.

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

The next book is a dark fantasy titled This Accursèd Blade. It’s the story of a cursed sword, from the sword’s point of view, and is also centered around a strong revenge plot: Illyria is a young woman whose soul has been trapped in this sword, and she is determined to work her way back to the sorcerer who put her there to exact her vengeance. I’m presently editing the manuscript, and hope to have it out by the end of the year.

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Von Martin walks out of prison with nothing—no job, no home, no real plan. His ex-wife has moved on with his former best friend. His daughter doesn’t recognize him. His old boss pretends he doesn’t exist.

Everyone tells him to play it safe. Keep his head down. Stay clean. Rebuild.

But Von knows respect isn’t something you get by asking politely.

What starts as a quest to salvage his dignity quickly spirals into a blood-soaked reckoning through the sultry heat and septic underbelly of Southwest Florida. Brutally funny, cynically violent, blisteringly sunburnt, this is the story of a man fighting to reclaim his place in a world that has long since left him behind.

You probably shouldn’t root for Von Martin.

But you just might anyway.