Frequently Asked Questions

(be sure to listen to a recent July 2005 interview with Kelly online at http://www.armchairinterviews.com/past%2Dguests/audio/ )

Has any single book had a profound affect on your life?

That’s a hard question for many reasons. The easy answer is the Bible. So many well told stories, the obvious moral code of conduct, and its impact on the world is unparalleled. But there are so many other books that have had an affect on me throughout my life. For example, I attribute my propensity for smart alek remarks to reading Catch-22 at a young age, while reading Steinbeck and Michener have made me over-descriptive in telling stories.

What books are you reading now?

I tend to grab a stack of books and plow through them. Currently, the stack includes Vince Flynn’s Memorial Day, The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, and The Bourne Legacy, the latest in the Jason Bourne Series. There are a number of obscure reference books as well. I also want to read the 9/11 Commission’s report.

If someone gave you a gift certificate for a bookstore, what would you buy?

Probably some more of those obscure reference books.

What obscure reference books?

I do not want to give away plot lines for the sequel to The Cross of St. Maro.

Speaking of your novel The Cross of St. Maro, like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, it is hard for the reader to know where to draw the line between historical fact and fiction?

A bright line is not drawn for that exact purpose, so the reader accepts the fiction with the historical fact.

But it is not all historical facts?

No, but the historical detail helps put the reader in the shoes of the character to understand where they are coming from and why they may act as they do. For example, Judge Ahrens is an Holocaust survivor. Understanding the risks and sacrifices his family endured helps the reader understand the decisions Judge Ahrens makes.

With The Cross of St. Maro being so research intensive, how did you find the time to be a trial lawyer?

Actually, I try to be a good husband and father first. The law comes next, and the novelist in me consumes the rest of the time. I am also pretty much an insomniac. So writing in the early morning or late at night has never really been an issue for me.

Do you still enjoy practicing law?

As a lawyer, I do many of the same things I do as a novelist: read, write, research. There are two main differences though. As a novelist, I pick what I want to read, write and research. However, as a lawyer, I have the opportunity to help people, people who have had their property taken from them by the government.

Your novel, The Cross of St. Maro, is almost libertarian, are you?

I love the United States as well as our government and cannot begin to imagine the sacrifice so many have incurred to make it as great a country as it is. One of the reasons I became a lawyer was because, and this goes as far back as first grade, I pictured myself as one of America’s famous lawyer/politicians, like Abe Lincoln or Daniel Webster. Even as a child, I signed my name with “Esquire” at the end in recognition of these men. My only problem is when people stop after saying that we are the best nation in the world. I think we can get better.

Do you have any heroes in fiction?

There are many. But I am a sucker for Indiana Jones. What a great character! Sure, he is flawed, but who is not. That is part of his charm. More importantly, he always makes the right decision. Well, even if he makes the wrong decision, he makes it for the right reason.

Is there an Indiana Jones character coming up in your next novel?

My publisher will not let me answer that question.

Finally, what else do you want your readers to know?

I have always believed that hard works counts for something. I think the The Cross of St. Maro reflects this. I hope you enjoy my novel.

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