Although my mainstream horror is intense, and can be brutal and bloody, I use no foul language, and there are no bedroom scenes. They're meant to be the kind of books you can leave around the house without worrying if your teen will pick it up. (Which doesn't mean they're teen-appropriate; subject matter and violence would earn an R. Use your own judgment.)

My literary pieces have limited language and sex. My short stories potentially more.

I'm a person of faith and it informs everything I write, whether it's reverent or profane. And my characters often do things I wish they wouldn't, but that's okay, they're human, like me.

If you like these writers, you might like me.

(Not because I write like them, but because their voice, meter, perspectives, subjects or dispositions are sometimes reflected in mine.)

Peter Laws: A Baptist minister, true horror fan, and an and amazing writer. Taught me it's okay to love God and monsters, and he knows how to tell a great story.

William Peter Blatty: A devout Christian with the guts and audacity to be utterly blasphemous when presenting true evil.

Dean Koontz: Like Mr Blatty, faith is intrinsic, which means it's warp and weft, not fascia and filigree.

Michael Crichton: "The Andromeda Strain" was my introduction to techno-thrillers. Mr Crichton had no peers.

Truman Capote: In my opinion, the greatest writer of his generation. If I've painted a single sentence as beautiful as his, I'd be happy.

William Golding: A very early influence on me. I was told by a 7th grade teacher "Lord of the Flies" was too violent for my age, so of course I immediately found found a copy. (Was I being stubborn or was I tricked?)

Kurt Vonnegut: The most honest, unpretentious writer I've ever encountered.