Richard uses the “discovery method” of writing novels.  He learned this from Professor Jack Bickham, University of Oklahoma, during a seminar entitled “The Novel”. It was also at this seminar that Richard met the famed adventure novelist Clive Cussler. Professor Bickham discussed his 20 chapter formula and how to develop plots and characters.  Up to that point in time, Richard hadn’t sold a single novel but had two completed manuscripts.  After the seminar, he was able to acquire a three-book contract from his first young adult novel, Cayman Gold.

Since Richard also has a love for history and languages, besides his obvious marriage to science as a biologist, he approaches a novel using the scientific method.  He uses the plot as his hypothesis and then delves into the research that is needed to build a huge backdrop for his story.  The characters arrive on the scene at various times out of discovery.  But it is the months of reading and researching that provide the “meat” for his novels. Research plus field travel to these exotic places make an exciting novel.

One such novel required over twenty books to read, while another only two.  It depends on whether the subject is deep, like Falcon of Abydos, an Egyptian adventure, or fast, like Devil’s Breath Volcano. Regardless of the science, history, languages, sociology, and culture that is involved, Richard usually becomes an expert on the locale and people who appear in the novels.  Because of all of the research involved, the average writing time for a 250 page novel is about one month for the rough draft.  Then he takes two more months to take it through three more drafts before sending it to his publisher, Pelican Publishing Company.