We interviewed Cody to find out more about his exciting new book, The Darker Side.
Thank you for this interview, Cody. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?
Me? Let’s see… I’m 40, I’ve been writing since I was about ten or eleven years old, and reading a long time before that. I grew up reading Science Fiction and Fantasy, but was steered gently towards the classics my mother thought a young boy would enjoy. She let me read anything I wanted, and I did, from Dickens to the back of the cereal box.
Reading is what got me dreaming; dreaming is what got me writing.
Do you write full-time?
I’m lucky enough to do that at the moment, yes.
At what point in your life did you make up your mind you were going to become a published author?
I don’t think I ever decided that. I never had enough confidence about my writing to ‘decide’ it was going to happen. When I was 35, I chose to write a book and see what happened. I was as certain about this choice as I was about buying a lottery ticket.
As for why I made that choice, well, some guys have a midlife crisis and buy a sports car, or chase young women. I wrote a book.
Was there anyone in your life that you can give credit to helping pave the way?
My mother made me love reading. She passed that gift along to me, the magic of a good book. Books accompanied me throughout my life and my travels. I’ve read books camping in the Grand Canyon, in Yellowstone National park, and after gazing up at Mt. Rushmore. Reading is a constant, and I firmly believe you can’t write if you don’t love to read.
What was your favorite book to read as a child?
I had no one favorite book. I did enjoy fantasy books when I was young. I fell in love with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as The Chronicles of Narnia. I went into my teen years reading Stephen King. Some of my best reading moments -- those times where you just love the fact that someone invented the printing press -- occurred while entranced by The Stand, It, and Salem’s Lot. I read far and wide throughout high school, going from Michener to Hemingway to Koontz to Steinbeck.
Article comments