Thank you so much for reading any one of my works. I am deeply honored, especially if you have graced me with critiques!

If you know me from GaiaOnline or Facebook, you’re at the correct FictionPress page. If not, then you clicked on the wrong link (and if you are here by mistake, please take some time to read and leave a critique?).

-Status as of October 19, 2009-

I try to update my stories on a weekly basis or every other week, but I wind up updating them whenever I get around to it. I’m sorry the updates are so arbitrary.

(So it’s been two months since I last touched this profile; let’s fix that.)

-Acts of Men- I have the prologue and first four chapters up. Some critique, please? It’s not definite, but it’s close to being definite. It just needs a few tweaks here and there and everywhere.

-In Law, In Love, In Life- Hopefully, I will actually finish writing this (but it’s only in the drafting stage on chapter three) before the end of the year. No guarantees, but this WILL get done (and I put the “will” in caps to denote its urgency).

But what next after the novel and the fantasy series? I wonder...

--I have compiled a list of frequently asked questions I’ve noticed in the GaiaOnline Writers Forum. These are such trivial questions that cannot possibly spark an intelligent conversation, so I decided to write my answers on my FP profile so I can copy and paste the answers for my convenience. If you would like to read them, go ahead.

-What and/or who got you interested in writing?

When I was in the third grade, my classmates and teachers complimented my wiring skills. Since I love praise (always have, always will), I started with rather juvenile short stories. I continued writing short stories until the end of fifth grade. At the time, I decided to graduate myself up to novel-length plots. A few authors I’ve read and enjoyed have shaped my interest in writing.

-Why do you write?

When I was little, I always wanted to emulate my older brother, Devin. However, I found that I failed where he succeeded and vice-versa. At some point, I realized it was pointless to try to have a one-sided competition with him and refine the skills I enjoy best. To me, it began to make no sense to enjoy a victory where Devin naturally failed. But I liked it and decided, “Eh, why the hell not?”

Growing up, I’ve always changed my career aspirations, but I always wanted to write on the side. It was so hard for me to pick a career goal because I was so versatile in most subjects. Because writing can be about and incorporate anything, I found it the easiest thing for me to do for the rest of my life. However, writing will always be my secondary career since it’s so very much rooted in chance. I’m just as interested in law.

-Where and who do you draw inspiration from?

I get all of my inspiration from living and all the people in my life. I also get inspiration from television, books, RPG videogames, and other forms of entertainment. Talking with others about non-writing things always helps me. Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, Michael Crichton, and James Patterson (well, just the Alex Cross series) have become major influences on my writings. Many teachers I’ve had are also major influences (though there are too many to list).

-What genre do you write?

When I started actual novels, my plots were very similar to Final Fantasy games and other anime/manga that held my interest. Eventually, I found my calling in the crime mystery genre. That doesn’t mean that I only write crime novels, though. Every now and then, I’ll write a romance or a piece of realistic fiction (mostly involving lawyers). I also draw and write comics and graphic novels, but I would rather write a novel. I’m not good with fantasy and sci-fi; the world-building always gets me. Sometimes, I write lawyer parody plays more targeted to fans of David E. Kelley works.

-What do you write on and with? Pen, pencil? Paper, computer?

I write my plans on paper with pen. However, if I can’t have a pen at the time, I will use pencil; I use pencils only for drawing. I type the draft on the computer for many convenient reasons. Editing is a lot easier, and I can save my novel onto a scan disk and plug it into a laptop for portability. Computers are much more conveninent, but I’m afraid I can only spell certain words on the computer that I can’t spell on paper. I still use a Webster’s dictionary even when typing. (I don’t quite trust the grammar check.)

-First, second, or third person as a point of view?

You wouldn’t know it, but I do prefer third person limited over first. I find writing in third limited to be much easier than writing in first. On occasion, I’ll take a stab at third omniscient. Never have I written an entire story in second; that’s too hard.

-How long does it take for you to finish a novel?

It takes me one week to pre-write a novel. It takes me one month to two months to draft, one or two weeks to revise, and two months to three months to edit a novel. (I tend to get caught in a seemingly-endless loop of revising and editing, though, so I sometimes get done with those two steps slower.) I get novels done fast because I always have at least two going at once. Also, I have to write the beginning and the ending scenes first; otherwise, I find it very difficult to write the middle.

-Every novel, you have this warning before the actual story. Why?

I was kind of emulating South Park and their little pre-show warning. At first, I found the warning humorous. Thus, I started writing “court-appointed” warnings to credit allusions, point out inaccuracies, and to serve as a dedication--all in one page.

-What are some things you’ve always wanted to do in a novel?

Many things come to mind. First and foremost, I want to name every single chapter title after a Beatles song (appropriate to the contents, of course). The rest of the things on this list are too trivial to be spoken out loud. I would really like to title a chapter “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey.”

-What is your favorite plot you’ve ever written?

My favorite plot is The Pieces of Logic and Hope. This is my very first, non-parody teen novel. I put so much effort into it that I’m obligated to make this novel my number one plot. It’s so intricate in a few ways and not just because it’s part mystery. The only problem is that the main character is very much flat.

-Who is your favorite character you’ve ever created?

Allen Ethan Peterson from In Law, In Love, In Life (which will be published on this site someday) is my favorite character. After reading a few chapters, many said Allen is like Gregory House from House M.D. Truth be told, he’s one of those “self-inserts” that are, in every way, pointless to worry about. So I guess I must like myself to like Allen. He’s a jerk, opinionated, and has a morbid sense of humor. Conversely, he’s a very honest man with a skewed perspective of the world and a sense of justice.

-What if you were published would be the best award you could ever think of?

I have dreamt of a few things happening to at least one of my hypothetically published novels. The best thing would be Stephen Colbert giving it the Colbert Bump--on his show, especially. The second best thing would be for one of my novels to get on any high school’s English curriculum. The third would be a Pulitzer Prize and the fourth would be the Nobel Prize for Literature. (I set my sights low on the prestigious awards because I’m not that great.) Fifth would be recognition from Oprah Winfrey.

-What hobbies do you have besides writing?

I love to read (mostly crime mystery, but I read other genres). I can’t choose between James Patterson and Agatha Christie because they’re so different. I do love to peruse FanFiction.net now and again because, quite frankly, some works posted there do amuse me. I watch a lot of TV, too--perhaps a little too much. I watch mostly crime shows, but I watch other genres. I can’t really say I have a favorite TV show because I watch so many. Most movies I watch are comedy or superhero movies, and I will not be afraid to admit that I have little to no tastes in movies; I love Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey, though there are some of their movies that are just ew.

I’m not a huge comic book fan, so the most movies I watch are superheroes such as Batman or Spider-man. (Spider-man is my favorite superhero.) Anime and manga occupy enough of my time. From time to time, I doodle and cartoon; I’m not too serious about it, though. I play RPG videogames, mostly Final Fantasy and anything else Square has produced. If I get to it and can find a friend or two, I bowl and play tennis and volleyball. Occasionally, I tap a tune on the piano (self-taught) or strum on a guitar (uncle taught me).

-What music do you listen to when you write? Does any of it inspire you?

I really do need music to write, and it doesn’t really inspire me. However, I get so into writing that I don’t realize, like, seven songs have played and ended until I take a short break. There really is no point in me putting music on while I write, but I instinctively do for whatever reasons. With it or without it, I write.

I have some weird musical tastes, though. I listen mostly to Japanese-pop (or J-pop), classical/instrumental music (mostly piano), Disney songs, and bands that formed in 1989 or earlier. The Beatles are my favorite, and The White Album and Rubber Soul album are pure love. I tend to listen to a lot of bands from the “British Invasion.”