Frequently Asked Questions

Your third novel is called GOOD JUNK.  What’s it about?

Cliff St. James returns to stir up a lot of trouble as he investigates a series of murders in New Orleans.  A sexy FBI gal, shifty intelligence agents, shady scrap sellers, fast-talking thieves, Feds on the take, and lots of gun-running.  Sounds like a party to me!

Since GOOD JUNK is the second thriller featuring New Orleans detective Cliff St. James, do you bring back any of the characters from STORM DAMAGE?

Yes, except for the dead ones!  Cliff’s pal and partner Honey is now an NOPD homicide detective, and they again work closely together.  Cliff once again has his hands full on both the professional and personal fronts.

Are all the locations in your books real?

Most are, but not all.  For legal reasons I sometimes have to create a location instead of using an existing one.  I do a tremendous amount of field research; usually, if I’ve written about an establishment or city or country, I’ve been there beforehand.  I inject as much verisimilitude, or authenticity into my writing as possible.  I travel a lot.

Was STORM DAMAGE based on a true story?

No.  The premise of the book was inspired by a real event, but otherwise there is no connection.

Do you still live in New Orleans?

I had to move due to other commitments after living there for two and a half years, but I visit often and have many friends there.  I encourage everyone to take a holiday in and enjoy New Orleans.

How long did it take to write STORM DAMAGE?

STORM DAMAGE is unusual because it took three years to finish it.  I worked 12 hour shifts, six or seven days a week as a private security contractor over that three year period.  I never had a chance to just write full-time.  I started working on the book in 2007, the same year I co-founded a security company that specialized in providing training.  So I was pretty busy.  But if I worked nightshift, I could usually spend a couple of hours each shift writing, while still fulfilling my duties.

Does your first novel, UNSEEN FORCES, feature detective Cliff St. James?

No, the hero is Dr. Sky Wilder, a maverick archeologist and adventurer who has been marginalized by the scientific establishment.  He manages to get into a lot of trouble while working in the field trying to prove his “fringe” theories.  There is plenty of espionage and conspiracy in that book and it’s been called “Indiana Jones on steroids,” although Wilder is a present-day character.  A sequel is in the works.

UNSEEN FORCES features a female psychic spy working for the U.S. Army.  Did the military really use psychic spies?

Yes.  There were a series of super secret military units under different code names.  The program officially ended in 1995.  The whole thing was essentially given birth in 1972 at the Stanford Research Institute with CIA funding.  What’s interesting is that the Russians revealed in January 2005, in Pravda, that President Boris Yelstin had used Russian psychic spies to protect him from American psychic spies.