Q. What inspired you to start writing?
A. Would you believe Christmas cards? My wife and I have been sending Christmas Newsletters with them ever since we bought our first computer back in the early 90s. I decided very quickly no one wanted to read a dry summary of what the family did over the past year, so I did my best to make them entertaining. And as the old adage says, no good deed goes unpunished. Our family and friends came to tell us how much they looked forward each December to the next one. At some point in this yearly cycle, the parents of a good friend told me I needed to write professionally. I promised them I would give it a try once I retired from the Air Force. They have since passed and Apollo Wept is dedicated to them.
Q. How do you come up with the title to your book?
A. Early in the Obama administration, I read a Wall Street Journal op-ed (‘Atlas Shrugged’: From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years,). I was amazed that I had never heard of the book. After reading the masterpiece, I came to realize what Rand had identified was coming to pass. Fast forward to COVID and the post George Floyd era, wokeism was sweeping our nation making even the world of Atlas Shrugged seem normal. As I started writing the novel, the theme of Atlas Shrugged kept pulling at me. It guided my work and while I would never have the audacity to claim my work as a sequel, I did use it as a guiding template. In that light, I initially called my work Zues Wept. As I continued to write the book, I introduced “Pop” and his love for Star Trek (the original series). I’m sure all the Trekkies out there will know how it became Apollo Wept.
Q. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
A. There are several. My favorite is the Christian theme that develops as the Chinese are trying to disrupt DESPAIR’s mission. Apollo Wept is not Christian book per se, however, there is a strong Christian message that carries to the end of the series. I didn’t originally plan for this to be part of the book. I had progressed to the point where a climatic event was occurring. I had to deal with one of the characters and the thought of bringing in a Christian element just came to me. To be honest, I spent a lot of time since wondering how that thought came to me. I am a Christian and I’ve come to believe it was the holy spirit. So, while the book is definitely not a work of Christian fiction, I do hope it is one Christians will give to their family and friends that have not accepted Jesus. If Apollo Wept can bring people to know Christ, that would be the greatest award I could receive from my work.
Q. Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
A. “Pop.” Or more accurately, the artificial intelligence entity that is based on the memories and intellect of Pen Lencoln’s ( the protagonist) great grandfather. Pop is a relic of the twentieth century. Smart and possessing a low tolerance for stupidity, he is direct and has no problem telling the twenty-second century characters of how asinine their world has become. He holds a special place in my heart as I modeled Pop after my dad, who passed away in 2023 while I was writing Apollo Wept. My “Pop” didn’t mince words, and his advice was usually right on the mark. It was a moving experience getting to write him using the memories of my father.
Q. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
A. First, I hope the message of the thieve on a cross reaches all that have not accepted Christ. As I mentioned earlier, that would be the greatest recognition I could possibly receive from the book. Second is for the readers to see the absurdity of wokeism and the peril of identity politics. Wokeism is a virus that threatens the very foundations of Western Civilization. I hope the nails are being driven into the coffin of this Marxist ideology today, and Apollo Wept will be one of the spikes.
Q. Favorite book/story you have read as an adult.
A. That’s a tough one. I would have to go with The Right Stuff. Not only is it beautifully written, but it also accurately describes the world of tactical aviation. I read it as I was applying to be accepted into Air Force ROTC. I think I finished it in a week and it’s one of the few books I have read more than once.
Q. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
A. I’m an avid runner. I usually run 3-4 half marathons a year. I’ve run 10 marathons and have one more planned before I call it quits on running 26.2 miles. Travelling with my wife is definitely at top of the list. Road trips to visit family (and running events) and cruises are our favorites.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A. An Air Force pilot. My dad was a gunner on the B-36. It was the world’s first intercontinental nuclear bomber (one of my dad’s favorite lines – I included it in Apollo Wept as a tribute to him). He highly encouraged it and for whatever reason, I never strayed from that goal until I lost my 20/20 eyesight in college. I was enrolled in Air Force ROTC and just months away from graduation. I decided that becoming a navigator was the best option available. I was selected to become a Weapon Systems Officer (pronounced “wizzo”) after graduation from the Air Force’s Undergraduate Navigator Training and flew both the legendary F-4 Phantom and the remarkable F-15E Strike Eagle. I was devastated when I realized I would never become a military pilot. But, in hindsight it might have been a blessing. I had a wonderful career, and I can’t say it would have been any better had I became a pilot. I’ve been very blessed.
Q. Your hero?
A. As a child it was Johnny Unitas, the quarterback for the then Baltimore Colts. My parents bought me a biography on him. It’s the first book that I remember reading not written by Dr. Suess. He was well past his prime at this point, but I remember watching him play with a determination and competitiveness that was contagious. I really wanted to be just like “Johnny U.” Like many of my generation, I was lucky. Professional athletes “back in the day” did their best to maintain a professional image. Of course they weren’t perfect, but they were role models, and they worked to maintain that image. It comes with the job. Unfortunately, that’s the exception today and not the rule.
As an adult, it would be my dad. As a became a father, I had him as a guide. My dad didn’t. His father was a loser with a capital L. He abandoned my dad and his mom when my dad was still in diapers. My dad (and mother) did a wonderful job raising my sister and me. They ensure we had opportunities that they didn’t. He never missed a game, even those where I never left the sideline or bench. I wish I was half the dad to my sons that he was to me.
Q. If you could cure a disease, what would it be?
A. Childhood cancer. I’m a St. Jude Hero and raise money for this great organization during their Memphis Marathon each December. If you think you’re having a bad time or feeling down because of fill-in-the-blank, take a trip to a children’s hospital. You’ll probably realize how petty your problem really is and thank the Lord above for your blessings.
Read “Apollo Wept”
How in Hades do I remember this? It makes no sense. But be it the fates or something Chinese, the result of this vision is compelling. My throat goes dry as I look at Voyager in a different light. If the consensus of our historians is correct, humynity peaked in 1491. We’re on the downhill side and the bigotry of Western Civilization, combined with the inequity of free markets, have us in a death spiral to certain collapse. Our current efforts at social justice will delay the calamity; however, the end of the humyn species is inevitable. The science is settled. Voyager might be the last surviving evidence of my species. Long before Earth is consumed by our dying Sun, humyns will be extinguished. Victims of our hubris. But does that overshadow the good? This probe says we aren’t all bad. It was the first to visit the outer planets and discover the physics of interstellar space. What does the lack of one-hundred and one and sixty-eight genders and sexual orientations have to do with that? As I stare at the marvel of engineering fate once again intervenes, and I come up with the question for the ages: What would Pop do?
“DESPAIR, prepare bay two for a deep space environment. I’m bringing Voyager onboard. Comm – prepare to send a message.”
“Ready,” Specialist Evans replies.
“Once Voyager is secure in the hangar bay. Take an image and send with the following message to all Earth based comm channels: ‘Voyager, we are here.’”
