Q. What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
A. I’ve always been interested in how much we know about how the things around us work. We use machines every day but often have no idea how they function or how they’re made. For example, I grew up working on car engines, but I’d have no idea how to fix my modern BMW if it stopped working. We plug in, flip switches, or turn on taps every day, expecting something to come out of the wire or pipe without knowing who put it there and how. What would we do if it all stopped working?
I have a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, so there is an expectation that I would know something about making medicine. However, if I found myself in the past, with no modern conveniences, would I be able to use my knowledge to survive? The first two books in the series were to answer this question since I gave Matt Miller the same expertise I had. The last two books in the series follow Matt as he matures into a man and takes on a new set of challenges.
The other motivation for writing the Matt Miller series was to give my son an example of a strong male role model. I grew tired of the American obsession with antiheroes like Tony Soprano, Walter White, and Jamie Lannister, who were popular when I started writing the series. Matt Miller is the regular kind of hero and we never tire of heroic men.
Q. Can You Tell Us About these Books from Your Point of View?
A. The first two books are the logline: A young, modern-day scientist wakes up in colonial Virginia and must learn to survive. After the first two books, though, Matt Miller is no longer in survival mode. Architect, the fourth book in the Matt Miller in the Colonies series, will be released on February 28, 2023. In Architect, Matt is navigating the life he has made for himself, and it’s becoming more difficult to decide which path is the best.
Q. What Can Readers Expect from These Books?
A.Matt Miller is a mature man now with grown-up problems. He’s smarter and tougher, but his challenges are much more significant. He also thinks more about time travel, his role in the universe, and human consciousness.
Q. Can You Tell Me Three Fun Facts About You?
A. 1. I have a Sheepadoodle puppy named Misha. She has way more energy than I expected. I live three blocks from the beach in La Jolla, CA, and run on the beach most days with Misha. I am an avid Harley-Davidson rider.
Q. What Are Your Plans for Future Writing Projects?
A. I’m still deciding on the plot for the fifth book in the Matt Miller in the Colonies series, and I’ve recently outlined a how-to book on self-publishing. There is also a new series I’ve been throwing around that deals with humanity’s struggle against artificial intelligence. I suspect the human brain and body have an untapped potential that we haven’t come close to harnessing. I’d love to explore that in a battle between intelligent robots and humans that are finally learning to develop their mental and physical capabilities..
Q.What Do You Want the World to Know About Your Books?
A. Some days it feels like the world is trying its hardest to discourage men from being strong and taking on the world. Examples of this are undervaluing the importance of fathers in the lives of children (especially daughters!) and the everyday use of the phrase “toxic masculinity,” whatever that is. Matt Miller is my antidote to this. He is a strong husband, father, protector, and businessman and will never apologize for doing what he feels is best for his family. Matt Miller is the noble, honorable, and unyielding character that men should strive to be and women should want as their partners. He certainly is the kind of man I want my daughters to marry.
Q. How Do You Think Your Book Relates to The World Today?
A. Strong and heroic role models are more important than ever for both men and women, and the series abounds with heroes. On a more scientific note, we are learning more about the human mind and the role of human consciousness in the universe. I begin exploring this as the series progresses.
Q.What Do You Hope Will Be the Everlasting Thoughts for Readers Who Finish Your Book?
A. I’ve often wondered how authors managed to get their characters to live in my head, so my goal is for my readers to wonder the same. Are these characters real, or just in my mind? That’s not supposed to be a rhetorical question at all.
Q.What Should Remain with Readers Long After Putting Your Book Down?
A. I have tried hard in the fourth book to speculate on the nature of reality and the universe. Scientists are learning more and more about time travel, human consciousness, and the nature of the quantum world. The quantum world is a place where miracles happen and we live in it. If my readers don’t believe in a higher power, I would want them to explore that disbelief. If they do believe, I’d like them to dig deeper and determine precisely what that means.
Q. If People Can Only Buy One Book This Month, Why Should It Be Yours?
A.I guarantee that you’ll be inspired. If you read the first book, I guarantee you’ll want to read the second. Matt Miller is a hero, and there is something healthy about being immersed in a hero’s journey. A hero has convictions and fights for what is good and right. We need examples of this more today than ever.
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