Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/566726
CHANGING LANES 26 SEPTEMBER 2015 // WWW.CHANGINGLANESDIGITAL.COM On The Road in a series, so it made sense to write one. Can you give us any previews as to what is to come in the rest of the series? Are there other adventures in store? The title of each book contains the name of a highway, or stretch of highway ¬– Coquihalla, Grapevine, Sea to Sky, Top of the World – and the highway dictates the location of a major part of the story. I'm always on the lookout for interesting highway names, and I have a couple already on my to-do list. I haven't any other stories planned in detail, but I do expect to have some of the more interesting characters from earlier novels play a role in future stories. How did you get your start in writing? I've always loved to read, and for some reason, that also made me want to write. I always received high marks in English classes in school, and tried writing my first novel when I was about twelve. Over the years, I've written poetry, songs, articles and short stories, as well as keeping a journal during much of my life. It's just something that came naturally to me. What other kinds of writings do you compose, if any? I pretty much stick to writing novels now, but I've written poetry and songs in the past. I enjoy hearing from readers all over the U.S. and Canada, as well as in the United K i n g d o m . R o y a l t i e s a s i d e , it really m a k e s the work worthwhile to know that there are readers out there who enjoy my books and are waiting eagerly for the next novel in the series. What do you think makes trucking such an appealing topic for audiences to read about, even if they don't have a background with it? Everyone sees big rigs on the highways. Some readers might know a truck driver personally, but the vast majority of them don't really know what life on the road is really like. I imagine most people are curious about how it feels to drive an eighteen-wheeler and what the life of a long haul truck driver is like. Who are your literary inspirations? At the time I began writing the series in the mid-nineties, my favorite mystery writers were Michael Connelly, Elizabeth George, Tony Hillerman and Martha Grimes. I've taken certain elements from each of them in creating my series. My current favorite is John Lescroart, who writes mysteries set in San Francisco. Author of Hunter Payne series, R.E. Donald