Tell us about the book? Where Toys Go is the story of a young girl named Jack and her brother, Andy. It''s a bit of an exploration into how we all end up the way we are, the whole nature vs nurture argument. In Jack''s case, she has grown up without her mother while Andy can still remember having her around. I go into the dynamics of how that has affected both of them and how those single moments can change the entire trajectory of a family.Oh, and also, there''s a monster that sneaks into their house and steals toys. What sort of monster?I don''t want to give too much away, but there''s a creature called The Toy Thief that plays heavily into the book. Do you ever wonder how things just seem to vanish from your house even though you knew where they were? Maybe a pack of batteries shows up missing, even though you knew exactly where you put them? It might have been The Toy Thief.He''s a creature that comes and goes as he pleases, gliding in and out of houses without ever being seen.

The reason? To feed a hunger for innocence and goodness that can never truly be sated, like a junkie looking for his next fix. His drug of choice? Children''s favorite toys. Did you base your characters on anyone you knew? Jack and Andy weren''t based on anyone per se, but they were inspired by an idea. My kids are young at the moment, a bit younger than the characters of the book, and as a father, I realize how delicate the balance of family is. How would they change if something rocked their lives off the track they''re on now? Would they even resemble the same people as adults? So, to answer the original question, the characters have bits and pieces of me, my siblings, and my kids mixed in as well. None of it is exact, but I think that Jack in particular is one of the best characters I''ve written.Any particular influences in this book?Beyond my family, I''d say The Toy Thief in general definitely has a Guillermo Del Toro sort of feel to him. I''m not a visual designer myself, but I like to try to give just enough detail in all my books to let the reader fill in the blanks for themselves.

I would love to see someone with a style and imagination like Del Toro bring The Toy Thief to life. Is there any advice you can give someone starting to write?Find what works for you. Everyone has their own method, and the only way you find it is to get in there and practice. Read a few books about writing if you''re into it, but don''t overdo it. That time would better be spent doing your own writing, in my humble opinion.Where do you write usually?I have an office job along with two kids to take care of. When it''s all said and done, the main time I have to really sink into something and get lost in it is at lunch. Over the past decade, I''ve written about seven books, all of them in my car during my lunch break.

It''s become a bit of a running joke at work.if you ask me to go eat lunch with you, you''ll probably be disappointed. I do think there''s a good lesson in that for me. Even though I hope to write full time at some point in my life, writing has nothing to do with a nice office or a fancy desk. You can do it anywhere if you want to.Did you write in silence, or to any particular music?Occasionally, I''ll write to music, but never anything with lyrics. Usually, I write in silence so that I don''t get distracted. I do, however, have one tradition that I''ve kept up for the last four or five books I''ve written.

I like to find a "theme song" for whatever book I''m working on, and I listen to it over and over again riding to and from work. It really helps me to visualize the book, almost like I''m watching a movie trailer for it in my head. Which part of the writing process do you prefer? First drafts? Edits?I think a big part of me maturing as a writer is getting out of the first draft mentality. I used to hate edits because it always felt like I was spinning my wheels. I always wanted to get on to the next thing.On the past few books, a big change has hit me. Edits can still be tough, especially when you''ve already read through it multiple times, but now I''ve finally seen how vital a part of the process it is. A book that''s only half edited is completely throw away.

All that potential is wasted just because I, or any author, didn''t want to put in the time to really make it shine. In other words, editing is writing.How much planning do you do on your books?It varies from project to project. I''ve written enough books that I now have a certain number of things nailed down. I generally know how long a draft should take, how long to wait before editing, things like that. What I do like to play around with is style and voice from project to project. Some books lend themselves to really well planned outlines, while others sort of bloom as I go.What are you writing now?I always have a few things in progress, but my next big project is a dark fantasy novel that digs into some of the uncomfortable history of America, specifically the south.

I don''t want to go too far into it just yet, knowing how things can change, but I look forward to wrapping it up in the coming months.