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What do names mean as far as characters go? For me? Just about everything. Names personify people. It’s like the Jerry Seinfeld routine where he says if you name your kid ‘Jeeves’, you’re pretty much consigning him to a life as a butler. Based on your own relationships, experiences, and encounters, the moment a name is mentioned you’ll conjure up a preconception of the person attached to it. You might even think of certain characteristics that people with the same name share. I have lots of rituals when it comes to naming my characters. To begin with, I’ll scribble a lowercase and UPPERCASE alphabet in a notebook. When I come…
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Thanks to everybody who was able to make the launch of August Falling. It was always going to be tough for some, given it was Father’s Day. But there was a great turnout. Also, a big thanks to Pantera Press, Pantera’s Marty Green (the emcee), and Buck Mulligan’s (a fantastic venue). During his emceeing, Marty referred to me as a ‘prolific’ writer. It’s also an adjective my boss, Blaise van Hecke, has used when referencing me during writing workshops we’ve run together. I’ve never thought of myself as ‘prolific’. I’ve just thought of myself as somebody who wants to sit down and write, regardless of whatever format I’m writing at…