I’ve always loved making of stories. When I was a kid, I always had adventures going on in my head. But I never realized I could be an author. I thought authors were rich and famous. (Trust me, some are, but most write because they love it.) It wasn’t until I was in my late thirties that I tried writing my first book. I wish I had known when I was younger that anyone can be an author.

It depends on the book. Typically, I take a week or two to make an outline. Then I write a first draft, which takes two to three months on average. Then I edit, edit, edit. (You know when your teacher tells you to polish your sloppy copy of your work? That’s what editing is.) This usually takes another two to three months. Once everything is polished the book usually comes out about a year later. So about eighteen months from when I start to when I have a book in my hands.

Every author has their own schedule. For me, mornings and evening are my best time to write. I like to start by reading what I wrote the day before. This gets me into the story and lets me make any changes I think it needs. Then I write really hard for two or three hours. I try to write about 2,000 words a day. But I don’t always get that. I love to watch movies and read books when I am writing because they inspire my imagination.

When I first started writing there weren’t a lot of options. You wrote a manuscript, contacted agents and editors, and hoped one of them liked your work enough to buy it. Now there are many more options. You can sell your work through an agent, contact publishers directly (check their submission requirements), or publish your own books yourself. There is no single right path. The most important thing is to keep writing. It’s great to get published but that doesn’t make you a “real” writer. Writing does that.

For me, it usually starts with one thing that sparks my imagination. With Mysteries of Cove, it was seeing a giant mechanical dragon head when my wife and I went to see the musical Wicked. With The Lost Wonderland Diaries, it was reading about Lewis Carroll’s missing diaries. Then I start to ask “What if?” questions. Usually these answers will bring in a couple of author ideas that combine with the first idea to form a whole story.

My mom swears that when I was three years old, she came into the kitchen and I was copying words out of a picture book onto a piece of paper. When she asked me what I was doing, I told her I was writing a book. (That’s actually called plagiarism, and my first book did NOT get published.)

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I LOVE reading. Great stories get me excited to write my own stories. I feel the same way about movies. I also love board games, Dungeons and Dragons, camping, and trying new foods. I’d like to start traveling more. But my favorite thing is visiting schools and talking to kids about reading and writing. That’s my reward for finishing a new book.

They love it. Sometimes they complain that I’m closed in my office too much. But we are all readers, so we love talking about my stories. They give me lots of ideas. Now my grandkids are getting old enough to read my books, which is super cool!

Researching new books is one of the best things about writing. For Mysteries of Cove, I learned all about steam power and hydroponics. For The Lost Wonderland Diaries, I learned about Lewis Carroll aka Charles Dodgson who was not only a great writer, but also a mathematician, puzzle maker, inventor, artist and more. I also got to interview many dyslexic people and learn about how everyone’s brain is different. For Case File 13, I learned about voodoo, body snatching, doppelgangers, and Mayan pyramids.

So far, I have published 18 books. But there are lots more on the way. My favorite book is always the one I am working on.

This is such a hard question. I am always discovering new books that I love. But if I had to pick my very favorite of all time, it would probably be Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Three things. Read, read, read. The more you read the better you will get at writing. Read a book for fun, but then go back and study the parts you loved the best to figure out what made them so good. Great writers are great readers.

I do, and I love it so much! I get questions about my books, suggestions for other stories, and a lot of messages from readers who tell me that my books inspired them in some way. I am happy all day when I get messages from my readers.

I have written some books for adults and some books that are focused on kids as readers. But my favorite is writing books that adults and kids like to read. I’ve heard from kids as young as six reading my books and one woman who was 83! It makes me so happy when families read my books together.

First, a hero you care about. Second, a noble goal that readers can root for. Third, hard obstacles your characters have to get past to reach their goals, and fourth, consequences for success and failure. Give me an interesting character and an exciting quest, and I will read all day.

When I was younger, I wanted to be either a football player or a race car driver. Then I wanted to be a garbage man, because I liked finding things like old bicycles that I could fix. Then I went to a dentist’s house and he had a bowling alley in his basement. So, I totally wanted to be a dentist.

I would love to dream up cool theme park rides. Roller coasters, and animatronics. I would also love to be the captain of the Jungle Cruise at one of the Disney Parks. I have a bunch of jokes I am dying to tell.