Q: Do you try to emulate other authors in your writing?
A: Not specifically or totally. I often find myself using structural style that I have observed in other author’s works.

Q: Do you think any one of your books will ever be a “best seller?”
A: Of course! Every author thinks his book is the best. Moving your book to the “best seller” list requires tremendous marketing efforts. We all think that maybe someday we’ll be discovered, very similar to trying to break into entertainment world notoriety. With my work at the hospital I do not have time for an aggressive marketing campaign.

Q: Do the characters in your books resemble live people?
A: My characters are usually a composite of traits and personality quirks that I have observed over the years in people I have known or have known about. They never totally resemble any one person in name or physical make-up.

Q: Have you written other works before you started writing novels?
A: Only articles for scientific and medical publication. I began writing my first novel, Trails to Dos Encinos, six years ago. It took me two years to complete it.

Q: Who is your favorite author?
A: Considering style, structure, and characterization I would have to say, John Grisham. For another reason, his work is consistently good year after year.

Q: Do you have advice for anyone who wants to write?
A: I think one of the most important priorities is to read other author’s works. My other recommendation is to write something every day - write a paragraph, create a scene, describe a character, or just describe a sunset. Like any other skill, practice is paramount.

Q: How long does it take you to write a book?
A: You may be able to finish a novel in three to four months, but the editing process and the re-writing often takes another three or four months for me. If you work at another job as I do, it could take up to a year to complete one book.

Q: How do you find enough time to write?
A: I allocate time in the early morning and late at night. I think each writer has different habits here. Most important is to write when you have a new idea for a story or a scene and feel compelled to record what you have created right at the time.

Q: I have heard that one of your next novel is an exposé of what goes on behind the scenes in a hospital. Will you please comment?
A: My medical thrillers, Dark Side Hospital, Suit Up in Scrubs, and CODE PINK! are not about what goes on in hospitals but about what could occur in certain circumstances. Return to Dos Encinow is a western romance, a sequel to Trails to Dos Encinos.

Q: Where do you get ideas for your books?
A: My stories are fiction. But true for most writers of fiction, I call on personal life experiences to create characters, plot, and settings.

Q: Did you take lessons in writing?
A: Still another recommendation I would make for anyone interested in writing: join writer’s organizations and take advantage of the many seminars, workshops, and publications that are available.

Q: What do you consider the most important element of writing a book?
A: Of course all elements must be considered important. If I had to pick one, I would choose characterization. Readers may ignore some elements but they remember characters.

Q: Do you make an outline of your text before you begin writing?
A: I strongly advise doing just that. Of course, it will change as you progress in writing a novel, but an outline serves as a roadmap that keeps you on track.

Q: What do you find to be the most difficult part in composing a novel?
A: It is probably different for each author. For me the ending is the most difficult—bringing all the loose ends together into one glorious finale. I don’t think I have ever heard this question answered by any other author.

Q: Can you give a hint about what your next booke is about?
A: The manuscript I'm working on now is an emotionally charged story about an eleven year-old boy, an undocumented immigrant, who is the only survivor of a tragic accident that occurred during his family's journey to America from the interior of Mexico. The Immigrant should be finished in 3 - 4 months.

Q: What have you found to be the most difficult experiences that you’ve faced as an author?
A: Anyone who writes must be ready to accept disappointments, rejections, and criticism. For me, as a physician for many years, I have found it extremely difficult to tolerate criticism. I’m working on it!