Evacuation Route

Q. What inspired you to write this book? Was there a particular moment or event that sparked the idea?

Ans. Knowing and experiencing certain persons in Florida, including in a trailer park.

Q. What research did you undertake to write this book? Were there any surprising or unexpected findings that you discovered during your research?

Ans. I had to research everything about motorcycle gangs, the casino boat, Cajun life and speech patterns, hurricane formation, types of tornados, the habitues of prostitutes in Tampa. Nothing really surprising or shocking.

Q. What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing this book? How did you overcome it?

Ans. Remembering names and character traits from earlier on in the book. Taking 3 years to write, I was often researching what I'd written earlier in the novel. Did I have a name right? Did all of the chronologies match up. Would Darlene say this or that and does her dialect match? What were the girls doing earlier in thus and so chapter?

Q. How did you go about developing the characters in the book? Were any of them based on real people or events?

Ans. Just let them find their own voices. I had heard tales from my parents about various people in their park in Homosassa, FL. Simply exaggerate, alter, and type. I've known addicted persons. My best friend has friends who are bikers so I gleaned some info from him. Also, what club names NOT to use. That's how Knuckledicks was born.

Q. Can you share any interesting anecdotes or stories related to the writing of this book?

Ans. I rely on a group of other retired codgers whom I meet every morning at the crack of dawn in Lapeer, MI Starbucks. I call them my research team. I would read passages to them for criticism and fact checking. They were happy to dive for the Google, which I too, began to rely on, particularly for Cajun and Vietnamese idioms.