1. What is the name of the book and when was it published?

Spire was published first in e-format on June 20, 2011.  On September 17, 2011 the paperback was released.

2. What’s the book’s first line?

I liked coming down.

3. What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.

“Spire” is the story of single omnipresent world government called the Collective, and how they uncover a critical component to human evolution through a mixture of corruption, technology, and experimentation.  The truth though, is that they don’t even know what they’ve discovered, tangling the concepts of advancement and progress with inspiration and intuition.  Nevertheless, the leaders commanding from the top of the Spire know that whatever they’ve discovered unlocks unimaginable human potential–frequently with lethal consequences; they must understand it and control it.  Then came Joshua.  He evolves in a way they did not anticipate, outside of their control.  And more than that, he has help. Within and without the Collective, sides are being chosen for the fate of the human soul.

4. What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?

These are difficult questions to answer concisely.  It was not one person or event, but rather a collision of people and events, and my dreams that inspired the book.  There are moments, vivid explosions of imagery, that overwhelm me sometimes, and at the center of them is something emotionally important to me.  As I peel back the layers of these moments, I take notes, and think about what I see and feel.  Ultimately, my stories come from the process of digesting and reasoning through emotions that I cannot sum up easily.  “Spire” is a pursuit of my understanding the roles of religion, technology, and imagination in my life, and how it affects all of our lives. In the end, I honestly hope it’s just a fun read.

Also, although it is somewhat scary for me voice in this context, the story is at least somewhat about love and loss being direct ties to your soul, and that those ties can save you whenever the world seems to be falling apart.  My brother, Brock, worked at the top of the North Tower, and I have to say that event, and how deeply personal it was for me, is something that I’m still working through today, and something that inevitably creeps into everything that write, and everything that I experience.

5. What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?

He is a sensualist, hiding from loss in experimentation, but ultimately driven by emotion. Joshua borrows characteristics from my life and my imagined self, my great friend Jason, and my brother Brock.  Physically, I picture him as an amalgam of the main character from”inFamous”, Jason Statham, and Sick Boy from “Trainspotting”.

6. What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?

If you’ve ever been sobering up, piecing together the night before, and thought maybe, just maybe, you were being experimented on by the government… ? “Spire” is probably for you.  Also though, if you just want to go for a fast ride in a world of amazing and ubiquitous technology with characters both powerful and powerfully confused, I think you would like “Spire”.