It was never in "the plan" to be an author and write a book... but, life changes and now I love writing.

In my younger years I used to write all kinds of funny stories. I had quite an imagination. I'm also an artist. At some point after college I decided I wanted a career using my art skills and ended up making video games for many years. But, I always had that nagging desire to write - I just didn't know what to write until this idea came to me.

The idea of Burning Bridges popped into my head a few years ago, and it stuck. I couldn't shake it. So, I sat down one night and created an outline. I listed the scenes I wanted to recreate, invented some interesting characters I wanted to introduce and a clever way to rebuild after an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) disaster. I also listed my favorite books and authors, with a quick description of their stories and what I liked about that book or series of books. Authors like Blake Crouch, Bobby Adair, Mike Kraus, E.E. Isherwood, Bobby Akart, JD Palmer, Nicholas Sansbury Smith and, of course, Stephen King (The Stand). Once I had the book somewhat organized in my head and the important events written out on my laptop, I started the first chapter.

So, why did I decide to write a book?

I read a lot. I have read so many books in the post apocalyptic genre and I am very aware of the types of stories I like to read. Reading creative fiction gives me a needed break from the real world craziness. I like books that pull me in and allow me to escape into the desolate world as the character sees it and feel like I am there with them in their struggle to survive. I like real dialogue. The kind of back and forth between friends you hear every day in real life. And yes, it comes with some swear words.

I've worked as a 3D Artist in the video game industry for over 25 years. My claim to fame would be my position as Art Director on the SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs franchise for Sony Playstation. I feel my years of experience have given me much deeper knowledge on how to entertain people and how to create appealing art, combined with good design and an elaborate backstory. I feel that my background helped extremely when it came to describing scenes and coming up with clever ideas to weave into my book to create an interesting, fun to read story.

Beyond art and writing, I spend my time running, biking, snowboarding, surfing, foil surfing (Google it!) and playing drums in a cover band. I like to keep busy.

Will there be a Burning Bridges Book 2? If this book is accepted well and people like the story, there will most definitely be a second book. It's already in my head.

- Russ