Adventures Are Everywhere is a collection of short stories that celebrate the spirit of exploration, weaving together humor, introspection, and the unexpected twists of human nature. How did you balance humor and emotional depth across such diverse stories?

When I write, I just produce whatever comes naturally, so I would say that the balance within these stories is just characteristic of who I am — humorous and emotionally deep! For all of the authors I have dealt with, whether by reading their books or coaching them, my favorites are all those who are completely honest with themselves and their subject matter. So, my lesson to myself and others is simply this — Want to write great stories that a wide assortment of people love? Start by being that great unique person that people naturally love!

Which story in Adventures Are Everywhere was the most challenging to write, and why?

The most challenging story to write was “We’re All Going to Die,” which was inspired by a dream and didn’t have much context for me to explore in greater depth. I wrote it shortly after graduating from college while going through mental withdrawal from a very intense year of work and studies, and it was one of my first serious attempts at writing short stories. I especially struggled to figure out whether it had enough of a complete scene as a short story or if it was lacking in any way. Many years later, when I was putting together the collection, I debated whether or not to include this story, and whether or not I should heavily edit it, but in the end I decided to simply celebrate it for what it was — an early piece that I had successfully completed.

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

The majority of my stories explore the themes of friendship and relationship in one way or another, because I’m not exactly sure how to tell a meaningful story that is absent multiple characters who are learning to relate to one another. I also like to more or less gently poke fun at people who rely upon certain establishments without realizing why they do so or without questioning their own motives, whether those establishments be as large as government or are more fluid like family and religion. In many ways, writing stories is my own way of processing and understanding life, so in the adventure of my own life, I write about the things that help me be a better person in my own friendships and relationships with others.

Are there any particular authors or works that influenced the adventurous spirit of this book?

I like a wide variety of stories — C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes collection and other novels, and more. If any of them have influenced my writing, including this collection of shorts, I would be honored to say so. Unfortunately, I am too firmly entrenched in my own style that I have a hard time analyzing it objectively.

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