Bastard son of country folk healers and big tent evangelicals.
Neo-Pagan and keeper of the Aging Elvinian Psycho Vaudevillian Vibration.
D.O. lives in the Midwest, where he experiments with taming wild animals with string band instrumentation and roasting meats, between writing novels.
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Questions:
- Tell our readers a little about yourself and your writing (including publications).
Creatively, when I am not writing, I am a chef, and musician. I find that I really thrive when I occupy these spaces, or at least attempt to. I just published my fourth book, Shaker (Halloween 2026). “The Stag and the Mother Moon” (May, 2024), The Harvest: The Mercer Witches Book I (September 2025), and Convergence: The Mercer Witches Book II (March 2026). - What writing projects are you currently working on?
I am finishing revisions and edits for Ascension: The Mercer Witches Book III as we speak, for a potential December 2026 release. In progress I have The Mercer Witches Book IV (tentatively July 2027), as well as another standalone novel, The Hand of The Hound (October 2027). I have a couple more on the burner ready to go, but I really don’t want to touch anything else until I finish the fourth and final installment of The Mercer Witches. No matter what else I work on, the end of this series just keeps calling, like an itch behind my eyes. Plus, no one likes tackling an unfinished series! - Are you a daytime writer, a mid-day writer, a nighttime writer, or just someone who writes when the mood hits you?
As chaotic and disorganized as I am in most other things, I am really set in my writing routine. When I am drafting, I wake up an hour earlier than I need to every morning, grab a coffee and write for one hour. That way no matter what else happens in my day, I at least have something down on paper. If I get more time, and I am feeling it, I may write more in the evenings or whatever, but I try to never miss my morning writing session when I am drafting. - Do you have a writing “Bucket List” (goals you want to accomplish as a writer)?
Like most of us, I think I would love to earn a living writing, editing, and talking endlessly about books. I would love to say, “I just write for the love of the story”, and I do enjoy the process, and love story telling as a tradition. But ultimately I think I would love to make it my full-time vocation. I will say that my first goal was achieved this summer. I received two reviews, one for The Harvest, and one for “The Stag and The Mother Moon,” where I could tell the readers just got it. They connected with the story I was trying to tell, and it really meant something to them. That was incredibly validating and probably enough affirmation that I could write another five books without hearing another positive word about them and be okay. - Who is your favorite author and why?
I really have too many that I love to just name one. King was the first for sure. I was given The Eyes of The Dragon when I was eleven years old by an uncle who I completely idolized. From there I was hooked and never looked back. Barker, Lovecraft, Rice, Straub are other favorites. Later I got into Patricia Cornwell, Thomas Harris, R.A. Salvatore, Peter Benchley, and loved them all. I would add Brenda S. Tolian to that list as well. Her book of poetry, Bestial Mouths, is a well-read favorite, and one I have bought extras of to give as gifts. - Who/what first inspired you to write?
As I said, I have always been a creative, I written music and lyrics all of my life. I have always loved reading and admired authors so much. But I never thought it was something I would do. I went through a really traumatic period in my life between December of 2021, and April of 2022. I lost a good friend, my step-father, and my marriage of nineteen years all in that period. I was desperate for a creative outlet I could throw myself into. I was also only about a year and a half into much needed sobriety, and as much as I loved creating music with people. I knew how dangerous that could be to throw myself into that situation during a time when everything I was trying to be was being tested. I also had two young sons looking to me to see how to handle it when life really starts kicking your ass. So I sat down and just started to write. No plan, no forethought about an outcome, I just let it rip. After a few months of that I started to find some common threads in my stories and the idea for The Mercer Witches was born from that. So in true ADHD fashion, I dove headfirst into every resource I could find on how to actually be a writer. Not just the stream of consciousness stuff I was vomiting out every day as therapy. But to maybe tell a story other folks would enjoy. - What are your favorite book genres?
Horror, and thrillers. - HORROR FANS: What was the first horror movie you ever saw? What is your favorite horror movie? What is the worst horror movie you have ever seen?
First horror movie was Jaws. I was probably six or so and it freaked me right out. My favorite would have to be either the original Predator or the 2022 remake of Hellraiser. That Nora death scene where Pinhead plays her vocal cords like an instrument while she screams is a work of absolute genius. I love Doug Bradley, he was fantastic, but Jamie Clayton is so menacing without being physically imposing at all. As far as worst goes, Popeye the Slayer Man is likely right up there. - Do you have any “rules” when you write? (EX for me: the dog never dies!)
There are a couple of things I try to adhere to. The Mercer Witches Series is a big, diverse, and mostly Fem cast. I try to be very careful how I represent people in that light. There are enough men writing women badly in the world, and I don’t want to contribute to that. Those books, well, even the newest non Mercer Witches book, deal with some heavy stuff; trauma, deconstruction, abuse. And they delve deep into a wide variety of occult, pagan, and religious practices from all over. I feel a mandate to handle these things with care. I don’t shy away from heavy topics or potential triggers, but I make it a point to only go just as far as I need to in order to tell the story honestly and with the respect I feel it needs. It is a delicate balance that I hope I always land on the right side of. - Speaking of animals, do you have any pets?
Three cats, Betty, Ezikiel, and Nilla, and a little Pit mix named Greta Jean. - When you are in a writing funk, how do you find your way out?
I try and immerse myself in some other art forms. I feel like any creative endeavor draws from a well that has to be replenished from time to time. I do that by absorbing more art. Concerts, movies, theater, museums. And I try to get around other creatives as much as possible. Just keep the tank full so when I go to draw from it, it is there and ready. I cannot count the times I have come home late from a concert and just started attacking whatever project I am working on. - Do you ever base any characters on yourself? Give specifics in your books if possible.
Oh for sure. Sugarfoot, from The Mercer Witches books, his habit of cooking and singing old hymnals to self-soothe, is all me. Fredrick Sapp’s tendency to be over dressed no matter the circumstance, is also me. The main character, Lewis, from my newest book, Shaker, is more than self-insertion, he and these circumstances are based more on my life than I probably should admit in public. But if I am being honest, I was an addict for a long time, and being twenty years removed from that life now, I feel like it was a good time to work through that part of my life in a story. - What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
To say, just write, is the obvious thing. And that is so important. Just sit and write, doesn’t matter if you don’t know what story you are going to tell yet. Just write, most of it will be really bad in the beginning, but it doesn’t matter, it’s just practice. Also, don’t shy away from some formal learning. The best thing I feel like I have done for myself as a writer, was to take a few months away from it, and I hopped on Udemy and took some classes on editing and proofreading, as well as grabbed every lecture I could find by established writers. It won’t all apply to you, but you will start to discern what does pretty quickly. Above all, just remember what you are doing. You are telling stories. Think about the great story tellers you know in your own life. My grandfather was a constant storyteller. He could make the most mundane day of yard work, or trip to the grocery store sound like the most exciting event of his life. Find those voices in your own life and listen for them to emerge in your own writing. None of us are born with our own distinct writing voice. We develop it through practice and influences. Learning to listen for it just helps you develop your own voice so much faster.
