I really only understand myself, and I’m a misfit and a weirdo who doesn’t know how to interact and communicate with people very well, so other misfits and weirdos are the types of people I really like writing about.… more
I really only understand myself, and I’m a misfit and a weirdo who doesn’t know how to interact and communicate with people very well, so other misfits and weirdos are the types of people I really like writing about.… more
People’s behavior is seldom as simple as some moral failing. Things like family, poverty, oppression, tradition, values and culture influence the situations people find themselves in. Even the worst characters want the same things we all want—joy, peace, love, and dignity.… more
Daniel Brown is a stand-in for a lot of outsiders I’ve seen. Ones that don’t fit into normal society. That get singled out because they don’t “look” right. The constant judging from little kids to senior citizens. And this person is weary. How can they not be?… more
I wanted stories with working class people fed up with the daily grind, waking up to the idea that our economic system is built for a small fraction of people and that the American Dream is a kind of lullaby they sing to us to keep us showing up to work on time.… more
What I’ve learned and am still learning is to be more lean. To always be trimming the fat and to only give the bare necessities. When I’m using a microscope instead of telescope is when I think I’m working at my best. … more
I wanted to create a character who was broken… deeply broken… a character who wanted to disappear from the world and be very quiet so as not to hurt others… but who nevertheless brought pain where ever he went.… more
I had been trying to write a novel called Gaslit for about 7 years, on and off, and it went nowhere. There’s no other way to explain it but a man’s voice came to me, and off I went. Gaslit turned into The Stalker. … more
I always say, “I don’t do action. I do violence.” I want the violence to hit. And the way I do that is I focus on making it as small as possible. To me, a machine gun isn’t as dramatic as a six-shooter, and a six-shooter isn’t as dramatic as a baseball bat. The more you can make it about one body trying to affect another body, change you, break you, really that’s the way to head, because we’ve all felt pain.… more
I didn’t set out to shock anyone with the sexual abuse; but I also knew it was my job to be honest there, report on the atrocities or else I don’t think Marcus’ motives as an adult would have rung true.… more
I’d look out my window at 2 a.m. and there’d be some guy just sitting in his car and crying, and a few feet away there were some homeless folk whacked out of their minds on something, fucking on the sidewalk, all the tech bros spilling out of the bars, roving around in howling packs.… more