Doing Time in California follows a man who escapes from jail just before his release and embarks on a fun and thoughtful journey with friends to a golf tournament. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My younger sister died of bile duct cancer. It was nine months from diagnoses to death, the same amount of time for a natural pregnancy to lead to life.  So, when I decided to write a story dealing with time, I thought the perfect character would be someone who has had their time taken away from them. During the decade I lived in San Francisco I would take Marsh Creek Road for my drive to Stockton to play in a golf tournament every summer. I passed the detention center going and coming and it struck me that it was the perfect place to start the journey.

Kimo Jones is an interesting and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

I obviously wanted a flawed character, like most of us. One of my favorite quotes is Oscar Wilde’s “I can resist everything but temptation,” and I wanted Kimo to be like that. He’s someone that wants to do the right thing but is a slave to his narcissistic impulses. I wanted him to have to make choices that were beneficial to others instead of his own self interests. It was important to me that he evolve beyond his arrested development.

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

I wanted to explore the big boys: life and death, man vs self, love, time, God—but in a humorous way. I grew up Catholic and was often told that God works in mysterious ways, and I wanted to show that with this character. I tried to have him do something for the good of others almost despite himself, that sometimes God must get his vessel drunk out of his mind before He can work His will!

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

I’m working on a memoir called Army Brat that I hope to have completed and ready to go next year.  I went to first grade in Germany, second grade in Aberdeen, Maryland, third grade on the island of Kauai in Hawaii, fourth grade to the middle of seventh grade at Fort Benning, Georgia, the last half of seventh and eighth grade at Fort Hood, Texas, ninth grade at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, then the rest of high school at Punahou School in Honolulu. I got hit by a car chasing my brother with a baseball bat and hit by lightning playing baseball in first grade. We saw Bobby Kennedy give a speech in Stockton, California on his way to Los Angeles the week he was killed. My brother and I played touch football with Lt. William Calley and his M.P. guard while he was on trial for the My Lai Massacre, and I went to high school with Barry Obama before he was Barack. Should be a fun read. Then I’ll work on a sequel to my novel called Doing Time on the Camino.  

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