I am still finishing my first novel, Subduction, but the process of watching the characters develop independent of my will has been a revelation. The characters speak to me. No, not to me, in front of me, allowing me to record their conversations. They get mad, frustrated, if I leave them in limbo for too long; and when I return, they refuse to turn their heads at my tapping on the door until, finally, one of them crosses over and unlocks it, and then sits back down without looking at me. When I hover over them, clucking to keep them in line, they scatter across the page.

I do plan to continue being a multimedia investigative journalist. I have reported, written, recorded and produced original and widely disseminated news across all media. My main calling as a journalist is to serve as a public watchdog of our country’s governmental and corporate powers and to protect public resources whether financial, socio-cultural or environmental.

My primary goal is to produce books of fiction and non-fiction on a regular basis. I’d also like to share my passion by teaching what I know.

Many who would never pick up a newspaper or a scholarly article will read fiction. For fiction to be effective, readers must feel the truths of the story in their bones. It is my hope that reading a work of fiction set in a marginalized community will raise awareness and understanding of the psychological effect of economic, social, cultural and political oppression. However, it would be folly for me to say that this choice was deliberate on my part. The plot for Subduction, my first novel, came to me unbidden and refused to leave until I gave it my full attention.

I am listening for the next story. It has to come from the heart.