Behind the scenes
On location
Bert Pasquale, my NASA genius cousin/talented photographer, agreeed to tackle the task of shooting my cover photo reference. Here we are in Acadia, Maine waiting for the perfect sunset lighting.
Grave rubbing
Where do character names come from? Gravestones? Yep. While on a excursion to Porter Preserve, Maine in 2018 we stumbled upon the amazing headstone of “Captain Phineas Kimble.” the surname (Kimball) soon became my inspiration for developing my main character Beck Kimball. A scene in the book includes the cemetery. In 2022 I returned to create several rubbings.
My Journey
At 18, I attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Since then, I’ve been blessed with a rewarding career as an illustrator. Now after 30 years, I decided to put my fictional stories into print, an undertaking I didn’t take lightly. Being Dyslexic, I needed to face the challenges and mental stigma that would arise during the process of writing a 580 page novel (“go big or go home,” I thought).
Wow. What a journey. My wife challenged me to face my fears and break down the walls that bind us. I’m so glad she did. Turns out, not by accident, my female character(Hanna) is based totally on my wife, Anna.