How do you get inspired to write?
You can say that I’m always inspired to write, but what makes me really get going is when I see something in life that seems like it’s out of a movie—or something people wouldn’t believe—and I feel compelled to find a way to work it into a story. The other thing is when I read or hear an audiobook where the author just nails it. It’s usually some great writing technique that I recognize and makes me think, “that’s really cool!” It makes me aspire to be more clever in my writing.
How do you deal with writer’s block?
I just sat on a Bouchercon panel recently that dealt with this exact topic. Someone on the panel said that writer’s block isn’t even a thing. Doesn’t exist. You just write until you write your way out of it. Some techniques to get things moving should include getting up and going for a walk, or going for a drive and strolling around your local Wal-Mart. (Guaranteed inspiration!) I really don’t run into writer’s block, but when I’m in a corner and not sure which way to turn, that’s often when the best material appears.
What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?
Ooh, this is a good question. Something personal that pertains to writing. I’ll say this. I was adopted. In doing some genealogy research, I found a few things that were pretty disturbing. My grandfather died in prison for murder, and my father was murdered from a stab wound to the heart. Those events would be interesting to look into more, but I stopped digging. Instead, I chose to look into how I descend from a Scottish Highland clan of folks who used to deliver mail using small wooden boats across Loch Lomand. Turns out, the MacFarland clan kilt is pretty cool.
What are you currently working on?
Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
When the lottery hit a billion dollars recently, I thought, what would I do with that much money? I combined that daydream with the kind of people someone with a billion dollars would start to run into and I thought, what’s the worst thing they could do with that much of money? (I wanted to build dog shelters, but that kind of book wouldn’t make it in the thriller category!) That’s where the idea for Billionaire Camp came in (working title). A place where new billionaires come to be groomed into a new world, all while unknowingly funding a horrible undertaking going on right under their noses at a compound along the 98th meridian in North Texas.
What kind of research did you do for this novel?
Besides wondering how I’d build out an island fortress with amazing restricted access control measures that involve lasers and catapults? My writing partner Jerome turned me on to a YouTube series called Soft White Underbelly that profiles real-life people that make up our vulnerable population. Hearing their stories played a big role in the book. I also have a close friend who I was a cop with who is now an active DEA agent. I’ve asked him a bunch of questions about trafficking (both human and drugs), and he’s also an organ donation recipient, which also plays into the story.
In general, what emotions do you usually wish to elicit with your writing?
I look for ways for the reader to sympathize with the antagonist. I want them to feel a connection so they find themselves identifying with something bad that’s going on. Then, I look for that jaw-dropping moment somewhere in the story the reader becomes totally torn.
Best advice on writing you've ever received?
Anything I write should do one of three things: add conflict, develop character, or advance the story. Thank you, Lee Goldberg.
What is the weirdest/wildest topic or fact that you’ve had to research or uncovered in your research?
I participated in SERE training (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) with the Marine Corps Special Forces as a combat roll player. The multitude of clever things that you can do to break someone down is an art form that goes back for centuries. I worked some things into one of my S.I.L.O. novels a few years ago.
Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story?
My hopes and dreams of an island fortress with amazing restricted access control measures never comes true, and my wife and I have to move to a retirement village in Florida that doesn’t have an indoor gun range or unlimited supplies of bourbon. The end.
What else would you want readers to know about you? Where can readers find you online?
I’ve totally shifted into vinyl records and spend Saturdays rummaging around estate sales digging up some amazing finds. That’s also allowed me to build out a new hi-fi system and plug into some existing Nu-tone speakers that were in the house before we moved in. We love filling the house with music.
People can visit thewritersdossier.com or jeffcircle.com to find all the work I do profiling interesting writers both online and on the podcast. Links to all my social media platforms are also there, or just search Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and Bluesky.
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