As you know, my name is Rodney and I live in West Texas with my wife and a furry family. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We have horses, normal size and some that are pre-shrunk, and they’re a lot of fun. We have cats and dogs, too, and they are a lot like children most of the time.
When I’m not writing, or tending the herd, I like to read, watch movies, cook, listen to music, watch my wife play video games (she’s got the hand eye coordination – my game is Galaga, one button and a joystick that only goes left and right, if that tells you anything), and connect with you guys.
My favorite authors are Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance Series and their other works), Dean Koontz (post his early sci-fi days), Jami Gray (Arcane Transporter series), and most recently, Michael Anderle.
I have way too many movies to list, but I like Star Wars and Star Trek (not taking sides, they’re both good) and a lot of other sci-fi (Dune, Ghosrbusters, MCU, Snyderverse), M. Night Shyamalan, Christopher Nolan, and many others. I have to mention The Princess Bride, The Birdcage, and the Mel Brooks films, too!
I love being in the kitchen, but I don’t have as much time as I would like. Life gets busy, and that’s typically one of the places where corners are cut. With that said, my favorite things to cook are soups, stews, steaks, and some holiday dinners. I like to share recipes, so if that suits you, drop me a line.
For music, I’m all over the place. About the only thing I don’t like is opera, gospel, and rap/hip-hop. With that said, Linkin Park is one of my favorites. I’m a child of the eighties, so that means Van Halen, Quuensryche, Queen, Journey, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, and so many others. I realize that music is now considered “classic” by most, but it was a nice and unexpected surprise to be grocery shopping at H-E-B and hear “Panama” playing. That gives you some idea of my age (old and decrepit, according to my better half), and that’s okay. I tend to listen to rock music the most, but I really love rock instrumentals! Joe Satriani is one of the best, followed closely by Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, and a few others. I discovered Really Slow Motion on YouTube, and their stuff (like movie trailer instrumentals) is so cool! I like to listen to this type of music when I write, as it gives me background noise without words to distract my brain.
Video games are a blast, but I’m not good at them. I grew up going to the arcade at the mall, or to 7-11 to play the stand-up cabinet versions, feeding them way too many quarters! However, my wife is very good at PC games, and it’s a lot of fun to watch her play. Of all the games, we’re the most drawn to good FPS (first-person shooters), and the top of the top is the Bioshock series. Behind that, the Deus Ex games, Metro, Fallout, and Prey were fun as well. They have compelling stories to go along with the action, and that makes the experience much more personal.
I used to play RPG games back in the day with my friends, and I think those experiences helped shape me as a writer. During a real good session, you end up creating effectively on the spot, and it’s very organic.
I’ve been in West Texas most of my life (since age seven), and although some think the area is boring (and at times I agree), it always feels good to come home. Lubbock is a very short drive for us. It’s the biggest small town I’e ever seen, and the streets still roll up about 10:00 at night, even though over a quarter of a million people live here. It’s also home to my alumni, Texas Tech University.
I’m self-published, finally making my dream of being a writer a reality. The idea of creating and sharing a story started when I was in elementary school, sort of forgotten for a while, and I got interested again in high school. From there, it got pushed to the back burner multiple times, due to work, school, etc. (all the things you have to do in life to survive when you’re young, yu know, the whole “being an adult” thing). I’ve worked in retail, manufacturing, food service, business owner once before, hotel management, medical billing, human services, and now state government at a health related institution (with my alma mater!).
Such is life, but it was all a good thing.
Being fresh out of high school, I was too focused on getting a story out and done, which left a lot of holes and gaps in the plot, not to mention virtually no character development. I needed to recognize that and learn to be a better writer. Just because I knew what was going on in the story didn’t mean the reader did and could follow. I needed to write for the audience, not just me.
I truly got back to my passion for prose in my late twenties, which is when I got the idea for Scourge. It started in 1998 with a “what if?” moment, which tends to be a great start to any story. (If you want to know the question, just ask and I’ll tell you after you’ve read the book. I don’t like spoilers.) Being young, working full-time, and at times almost two full-time jobs, it didn’t leave much time to write, or anything else. This forced writing into the background. All in all, I don’t regret how that played out, as I believe things happen for a reason.
That period allowed me to grow, exposing me to influences I needed, and ultimately made me better. It gave me time to read, which I think is important for any writer. Anything can give you an idea, or spur a thought that can develop into something more [the name of one of my main characters for an upcoming science fiction novel came from the side of a semi-trailer 🙂 ]. This doesn’t mean copying an idea, but you get exposed to the way you can use certain words for more effect, set the pacing of the story, or a different way to structure it. It’s also good to write something everyday, even if it’s just nonsense. Skills you don’t use get rusty from disuse.
I finished college in that gap, and took some creative writing classes as part of my degree. (I don’t recommend a twenty-two year plan, but I don’t regret the way it played out. Everything that happened made me who I am today). The experience was invaluable, and my toolbox for authoring was suddenly full of really cool tools! One of the assignments we were given was to write a short story with the main character being of the opposite sex. When we reviewed them in class, the idea was to have the members in class of the opposite sex tell the writer how close they got. That left an impression, which I think is evident in my work thus far.
Another lesson that taught me a lot was to write a short story in no more than 500 words. When we turned them in and read to the class, the next assignment was to do it again, in half as many words. That makes you think critically about what you want to say and how to say it, and it really boosts your vocabulary. Ideas like connotation get pushed to the front of your mind. It is hard to do at first, but it shows that sometimes less is more.
By 2020, I was finally able to devote a good amount of time to my craft, and self-published Scourge in January of 2022. It was exciting, fulfilling, and terrifying all at the same time. I’d finally done it, and I can’t truly relate what it felt like the first time I saw it available for sale online, and again when I held an actual prtinted copy the first time. Being the author, I didn’t expect that type of impact – after all, I’ve seen the story mulitple times already – but it was a “bucket list” moment.
The other side of putting it in front of the world was the fact that readers might not like it, and I could get negative feedback, but I realize that’s okay, too. I don’t expect to be the next Dean Koontz or Stephen King, although that would be really cool, but fiction is subjective. You can’t please everyone all the time, regardless of how badly I’d like to.
I got good comments and reviews, but at that point, it was mostly from family or friends. That feedback can be biased, so it’s not the best measure of the actual quality, even though it’s nice to hear. So, I entered it in contests and reached out to get reviews. Those would be honest and a better way to see if what I wrote made a difference and if people really liked it.
The first five-star review from someone I didn’t know felt beyond great, and it was validation. I was floored when I was notified that Scourge won first place in the CLC Book Excellence Awards for Paranormal & Urban Fantasy in 2023. It was amazing, and it told me I could do this and have an audience.
Reaching that audience (all of you) is always the next hurdle, as self-publishing isn’t backed by a company to promote and distribute. It’s a hard path, having to burden all the expenses and the time, hoping to get the story to the right place. Even so, I believe this is the route to follow. Reader reviews are a big help with this.
Submitting a manuscript to a traditional publisher means limiting the exposure to a select few that are already exposed to hundreds of other books. If no one in that scant scope likes what you’ve done, it goes nowhere. Getting a contract would be outstanding, but with self-publishing, it lets the reader decide if they like it or not. I would rather someone read it and discover it’s not for them than have them never see it at all. So I didn’t give up.
The sequel, Demons, followed in September of 2023. The original plan was to have the Triskellion Saga be a trilogy, but it will go beyond three volumes, although Angela’s main arc will be covered in the first three. I’ve grown quite fond of the characters, and I think they have more to give.
The third book, Cataclysm, is in the final draft and lacks a cover, but the goal is to have it out in 2024. This pacing feels right; putting out a novel each year seems like a challenging, but doable, goal.
I prefer to write cross-genre as it doesn’t cleanly fit into a set category, and I think that applies to a lot of really good stories. In my day, it was all just sci-fi/fantasy, but now, most of the sub-genres have their own label. I think the multiple genres imitate life, making the plots and characters of my work more believable and relatable.
I strive to develop a scene in my mind, like watching a movie, then describe what I see. Those kinds of special effects can’t be topped, and it can really draw the reader into the moment while making it more memorable.
If I can get a reader to reach catharsis in any form, I’ve done what I set out to do. So, when you’re reading, were there points you got scared, or felt sad, or cheered the hero on? I sure hope so, and if you did, I would love to hear about it.
I appreciate you being here and listening to my blathering more than I can espress in words, even being a writer. I hope you enjoy my work, and continue to do so as I get more stories out.
Take a look around while you’re here and don’t hesitate to drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you!
Check out a short online interview with more info below.
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