I have gotten to know some other writers over the last couple years. To break up the sound of my own voice on this blog, I thought I’d ask them to answer a few simple questions about their most recent work and how they create.
This month is an author I met in a professional setting. I just finished doing the audiobook narration for Bill Ciccotti. The book is “The Dead Never Sleep – The Long Walk II“. It’s available at Audible.com.
Bill is a fairly prolific author, with titles covering adventures in Key West, the Old West, WWII and more. He struck me as an interesting addition to the series.
1. Introduce Yourself – I an not a retired NAVY SEAL, but do have an overactive imagination and a lifetime full of wild adventures that may have been embellished (slightly?) in my books. I did lose my job but found another. As well as a love for writing.
2. And now introduce your book – This book is based on a factual trip and altercation in Canada. My best friend Brian (AKA Ryan) and I have had some wild times and more than a few road trips, including Cuba. The Ukrainian Club 9 theme has been used in all my Key West books. It started as a light side note but morphed into a book of its own, To Russia Without Love is the story of two friends who have been hounded over the years by the Russian mob. All over a bar fight in Canada. After death attempts and destruction of my boat and Ryan’s home, we decided to head to Russia after those tattoo thugs and finish this once and for all.
3. Why did you write this book? Why write the book? Because I love writing and I have a funny storytelling ability, The driving force in writing, for me is to put all these wild storied down before they are forgotten. Also hopefully sharing these adventures with others and putting a smile on their faces as they read my books or listen to the great audio production. My inspiration is my life. I have had a lifelong friend in Brian and out adventures in craziness have fueled my imagination with the raw basis of these great tales.
4. What was the hardest part of writing this book? The greatest challenge was spelling. Thank God for spellcheck. I have a vivid imagination. And great memory of a wonderful life. all of this makes writing easy for me.
5. What do you hope your readers get from your book? I hope my readers get a smile out of my books and audios. Laughter is underrated.
6. What are you proudest of about your book? I am proudest about being able to read my works several times and still laugh at what I have come up with. I have written many books Some I am not so proud of but as I wrote more, I have improved greatly and smile a lot more
7. Other writers and some readers are fascinated by the writing process. Please describe yours.My writing process is come up with an idea. Then figure a storyline. Then concentrate on each individual part of the story presented in each chapter. One small section or step at a time. Rewrite often. Reread it often. Switch out parts you don’t like, add inspiration from life experiences. Change the names of your friends if they are characters. But not enough that people who know them wont recognize who you are talking about.
Never delete anything. Save it all in files on your computer for later possible se. Maybe that same book or a future one.
8. Who or What Inspires You? My inspiration is my life and friends. I have led a wild life and have a handful of true friends. Ryan is Brian, my best friend for over 50 years. Use reality, then embellish the hell out of it.
9. Are There Any More Books Coming? Many more books in the future. Several completed, and a few being worked on as we speak. The ideas never stop. Think wild. Normal is overrated.
My books are available on Kindle, Paperback, and Audio Book format at Amazon.com. Check out my Author Page.
Stories Are My Life 
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