Off Kilter follows a well-known artist who is experiencing a strange number of minor accidents as he discovers the reason why things are happening to him. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Off Kilter picks-up right where the first story, Brushed Off, ended with the main character (James) recovering from gun shot wounds and a horrendous fist fight so I felt he would be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder which has altered and dulled his responses to others and his everyday life experiences. This premise provided me with many opportunities to explore within the plot.

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

I lived most of my life in the contemporary art community of Los Angeles and the many individuals I’ve delt with are definitely reflected in the characters I create. Readers of Brushed Off have repeatedly told me they especially enjoyed reading about such realistic individuals.

What was the hardest part about writing a mystery story; where you constantly have to give just enough to keep the mystery alive until the big reveal?

Making the transitions both believable and intriguing is always challenging, but it is also one of the things I enjoy creating the most, especially the nuances that can be manipulated and fiddled with.

Will there be a third mystery in this series, if so, what can you tell readers about it? 

Yes, I decided from the very beginning that this would be at least a trilogy and one of the best things about centering a story within the contemporary art community is that I can always rely on it being in a constant state of flux. Which provides me with an endless variety of characters and sub-plots to select from. That said, I’m jousting   around with how to bring computer technology and an artist sense-ability together using only words on paper, rather than actual visual images.

Author Links: Website | Facebook

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/05/the-characters-i-create/