I’ve Been Waiting follows a narcotics detective who, at the request of a beautiful woman, investigates an unsolved mystery and encounters paranormal activities. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Well, this is a good question. I guess I was going through some difficult times personally. With the loss of family members, Grand Parents, Aunts, Uncles, and Parents passing away, I guess you begin to question our very existence. You begin to wonder, is there something out there beyond this life, or is this it? So, with each passing of a loved one, a deep sadness begins to fill your heart. I feel that this was the place I was in at the time, and then I started having this reoccurring dream. It was the same dream, over and over, becoming more vivid each time. So, I started telling people about the dream.

The dream was about this guy walking down the street in an older part of Boston. The street was dark with high buildings on each side. It was a dark night with a slight fog that had rolled in. I had a feeling that the guy was aimlessly walking down the street, heading toward his favorite bar. As he got closer to the bar, he noticed this very attractive woman standing on the street corner under the lights. For whatever the reason, he was drawn toward the girl, and as he approached, he asked her if she was lost or needed help. She looked back at the guy and said, No…I’m waiting for you.

So, that was the dream. What exactly it meant, I didn’t know, but I finally decided to write it down. Writing it down made me realize that this guy, who became John O’Roark in the book, was lost. He had lost everything, his family, his self-worth, his career, and everything he ever believed in. However, I knew that this woman, who mysteriously came into his life at just the right time, would help him find his way back.

John is an interesting and unique character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

Once I wrote down the dream, I had to go back and determine just what happened to this individual. So, I asked myself what tragedy could occur in a person’s life to make him feel the way he feels and put him in this situation of feeling totally lost. The most important thing in this world is your family, and if anything were to happen to them, you would be devastated. In knowing that, then you ask yourself, how would you respond and what would you do if something happened to your family like what happened to John’s family in the book? So, this is the direction I went within the book.

What was strange was when I started creating the different characters in the story. For instance, Dex, the stutterer came out of thin air, but he’s a big part of the story. Once I had the characters in place, the story just took off. It was as if I was just along for the ride, typing away as I saw the scenes play out.

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

I would say that the overall theme of this book is about hope. It’s about an individual who is in complete despair, lost, and alone in his grief with no sense of purpose due to his circumstances. Yet, on an unexpected meeting with a mysterious woman, his life begins to turn around as he embarks on an incredible journey that allows him to overcome his hardships and find a new purpose in life. It’s about the hope and the belief that he will be together again with his family someday and that, for now, he has much more to do in this world as he realizes that his new purpose is to help others.

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

I have several books in mind and have written the outlines for each. Obviously, this book has an ending that leads to another journey for John’s character. So, I’m in the process of outlining his next adventure.

Two other books that I am working on are: “Frantic Panic” and “The Family Secret”

These books have no release date and are in the early stages of development.

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