Chris grew up in Independence, MO. He attended college at Truman State University where he pursued his loves of theater, music, and the written word. Now, he makes his home in Kansas City, MO with his wife Christy and their four cats.
Aside from writing feverishly, he is an avid supporter of the Kansas City burlesque, performance, and arts communities. He is an occasional emcee, outspoken supporter of LGBTQ equality, and King of the Nerds. No, you didn't vote for him; that's why he's king, not president.
Website/blog
Death would have been easier. Instead, he’s woken up in a strange place where all the lost and forgotten things and people of our world go to rest. The laws of physics seem to be driven more by magic than logic. Cats fly and talk into his mind. He’s in a place where real power has been trampled under the foot of a maniacal emperor, and Gabriel alone has the power to free these forgotten people from the emperor’s iron grip. Which will Gabriel save: these lost and broken people, or his own shattered life?
Q) What inspired you to write this story?
In a former job, I traveled extensively around the US. When you go around this country and probably others, you come across all of these abandoned houses, factories, silos, all kinds of things. I thought about those places. At one time, they were someone’s world. Someone lived there, worked there, built that place with their own hands. Now they sit empty and forgotten. I think there’s a magic to that.
Q) How long did it take you to write?
The Lost and Broken Realm took me about a year to write the first draft, and then another six months or so of editing, alpha reading, more editing, beta reading, and a few more rounds of editing.
Q) What is your favorite thing about writing?
When the book takes an unexpected turn. You’re going along, writing your story, and then a character does something you didn’t expect. I know that sounds strange to non-writers, but that’s how it works for me. The characters live in me and I’m just jotting down what happens.
Q) What is your least favorite thing about writing?
Editing. Seriously, going over your entire book with a fine-toothed comb is maddening. There’s so much there and when you decide you need to change something, it can ripple throughout hundred of pages.
Q) If you could be any famous person for one day, who would you be and why?
Mukesh Ambani. He’s this filthy-rich businessman in India that has built a 400,000 square foot, $1 billion dollar home in Mumbai, which is famous for its huge slums. I would donate that “house” to the poor that need housing and education, then give away as many of his assets as possible to the poor. He won’t be happy after that day, but the world will be better off.
Q) What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it?
I cook quite a bit and we clean out the fridge every week, so I don’t have a cool answer for this. Probably our baking soda. Been there a couple years, so we probably need a new one for deodorizing.
Q) What can readers expect from you in the future?
Currently, I’m writing the sequel to The Lost and Broken Realm, which has the working title Reclaiming the Lost. I have so many story ideas, though, spanning cyberpunk, dystopic, space opera, and superhero fiction.
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