I’m proud to report that I’m being featured this month in Association of Writers and Writing Program’s In the Spotlight feature! Basically it’s an interview to highlight writers who “are making exceptional contributions to the literary community.” So that’s cool.

Mostly we talk about my work with Dundee Book Company, PTL Literary Pub Quiz, working as an adjunct creative writing professor, the literary scene in Omaha, and, of course, my own writing. I’ve done more than a few interviews over the last couple years, and I’d have to say this is my favorite so far. Being able to address so many different parts of my life in one forum is gratifying. Especially as the promo cycle for Kings of Broken Things is pretty much over, it’s nice to sit back a little bit to appreciate how much we’ve done of the last year. And then, surely, get back to work…

Read more here.

What is your organization’s vision? How do you see it growing ten years from now?
Many times I’ve imagined a future where the projects I work on could come together more seamlessly under a single roof, under the auspices of a bookstore-bar and community space that’s somewhat similar to The Wild Detectives in Dallas. Our bookstore has only been an entity for eight months, but I’ve been creating literary programming for years, most notably the three-years-and-counting run of Pageturners Literary Pub Quiz at our neighborhood bar, which just so happens to be in the spot of a former used bookstore and has a loose literature theme. Combining these efforts into a neighborhood retail bookstore that goes heavy on events and features a bar space that caters to readers and writers would be a dream come true. Book and bottle pairings, a basement or back-room pub that serves as a meeting place for the writing community: what’s not to love? Realistically, for now, we’re still trying to get our feet wet as booksellers. And waiting a couple years to see how this whole retail apocalypse thing plays out is probably wise as well.

When do you find time to write? 
Despite working full-time as a legal reporter, teaching adjunct, owning a pop-up store with my wife, and raising two kids, I find at least a couple hours a day to write. A big part of this is that I work from home for my day job. It’s much easier to sneak away to my other laptop at home than if I was in an office. (Or to skip a shower, for that matter, if that’s the only time left.) It’s also how I was raised. My parents were always busy with some home project or an amateur construction job or volunteering at their church. I’ve heard Joyce Carol Oates talk about how she’s so prolific because she grew up on a farm and learned to use every waking moment for labor. Not that I’m remotely in her orbit, but the idea resonates with me. I live a very different life than my ancestors, but I guess the essential avoidance of idle hands has made it through the generations.