FAR would like to welcome author Lawrence Crossett. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer a few questions.

Since everybody needs a break, even when doing something they love, how do you like to spend your time away from writing?

Because writing is part-time for me, I seldom work long enough to feel I need a break. Writing is my break. I do have other interests, of course. I meditate, work on the house, help friends with community projects, and spend time with my eight year old daughter, who loves to play games that are too rough for me.

What is a typical day like for you?

There isn't a lot of breathing room in my schedule. I get up at three thirty in the morning, or sooner. Until six, I am free to write. Then I jump into a hectic morning of getting my daughter, Kate, ready for school, and myself and my wife off to work. I spend seven hours as a driver for a nursing facility, then put in two hours as a bank janitor. When I get home in the evening, it is often up to me to make supper, as my wife works long hours. I have an hour or so with my family before I have to think about getting to bed so I can get up and do it all again.

When did you decide to take "pen in hand" and write with the intent to publish?

I was probably about ten when I made the decision that I was going to be a writer, having gotten so much joy from reading. Fiction was my escape from a difficult childhood. It was a long time, however, before I had my life together enough to allow me to follow that dream in an effective way. Even now, in my forties, I am just getting started.

Has being published changed you at all? If so, how?

Being published is a great ego boost, and has led to some wonderful experiences. I travelled to Florida and received an EPPIE award--that is an award EPIC puts out for the best electronic books. As a published author, I get, at least occasionally, to talk to people who have read and enjoyed my work.

But as far as changing me, no. I am still struggling to be recognized, still working to put out as good a book as I can. I've set my sights a little higher now, trying to get an agent, and a contract with a publisher who can get me into the bookstores. Ultimately, to consider myself successful, I need to reach a lot more readers than I can now.

What makes a great book to you?

As a reader, I value the same things everyone does--a story that draws me in and creates some emotion. Something I can get enthusiastic about reading, and maybe come away feeling rewarded. As a writer, I have a great appreciation for the craft, and can enjoy a well constructed paragraph. I think good fiction, at least here and there, should be as finely honed as good poetry, and as able to evoke images. Now put those two together--fine writing and a good story--and that's a book I can really enjoy.

What is your favorite part of a book to write?

I enjoy writing when it is working for me--when I sense that what I'm putting down on paper is what I'm struggling to put down on paper. This can happen at any stage. At the beginning, when I'm just trying to work out the details of the plot, and I know all the words will be changed and rearranged later, or at the end, when I'm going through the manuscript for the umpteenth time, only changing a word here or there.

Of all the individuals you have created, do you have a particular favorite? What appeals to you the most about this character?

I've been talked up by reviewers as being good at characterizations--that the people I create seem real, rather than being hastily assembled puppets. This is just a matter of devoting a certain amount of time to the effort. I mean, really, no one cares about the struggle, they care about the person struggling. When you read about a character trying to save the world, you aren't worried about the world, you're worried about that character.

I particularly like the protagonist in Woodline, Steve Lund. He has a lot of conflicting influences in his life, and I think I presented his reaction to those influences well. He struggles with the balance between work and family. Then, when the trouble starts and he's dealing with that horror in the woods, he's still got to consider work and family as well.

You have two books out now, Woodline and Reach of the Claw. Can you tell us about them?

These two books are classic horror, pure entertainment. They read quickly and leave you with the feeling that you've kicked a little butt. With both of them, I was compared to Stephen King.

I saw that you have a book in the works, Blood Dreams, can you tell us a bit about it?

Blood Dreams is a whole new ball game for me, and that's a bit frightening. You won't recognize it as written by the same person. It is a thriller, for one thing, not strictly horror, and I've discovered that means working with it from a different prospective. In my mind, it is more real. It is also darker, although I do leave the reader feeling good about himself at the end. That's important to me. Here's a mini-synopsis:

Eric Mollineaux spent the first six years of his adult life in prison. Now paroled to his mother’s home in central Illinois, he desperately wants a new start, but it won‘t be easy. He bears the burden of a budding psychosis, centered around his penchant for vivid, violent dreams. Will Eric come to terms with his illness before it claims the life of the young Chicago newswoman who has caught his eye, or his four year old niece? This question provides the drama in Blood Dreams.

What made you choose horror as your genre?

I write what I read.

Is there anything else you'd like add?

Yes. It's in the books.

Thanks again for answering our questions. If you're interested in reading more about Mr. Crossett, his website is currently under construction, but Red Room Authors does have a page for him at: http://eliteauthors.com/LawrenceCrossett/crossett.htm.

Interviewed by: Serena