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Q: Many of your poems are written in first person. Are they autobiographical?
A: My poems are inspired by what I see and what I feel. But, like almost everything else I write for publication these days, they are fictional.
Q: What does F.I. stand for?
A: My first name and my middle name.
Q: Why don't you tell anyone what your name is?
A: It's more fun that way.
Q: What do people call you?
A: F.I.
Q: Who is I.J. Daltson?
A: F.I. & Joel Goldhaber use the penname I.J. Daltson for mystery/thrillers.
Q: Where do you get ideas for your stories?
A: I'm always asking "what if?" For example, the idea for the Revenge and Prophecy stories started with a ruby ring and the question, "What if it was missing?" That led to the five W questions: When was it taken? Where was it taken? Why? Who will retrieve the ring and how?
Q: How long have you been writing?
A: Since I learned how to form letters. My love affair with words began when my parents read stories and poems to me. I would learn them by heart, hold the book, and "read" them to my baby brother. When I could read myself, I was a voracious consumer of books. I also would make up stories and tell them to whomever would listen. Then I began to write them down. I chose journalism as a career because it was a writing job. Even when I worked in marketing/public relations, my jobs required writing every day.
Q: Don't you get discouraged, knowing how hard it is to get published?
A: Many famous authors were rejected dozens of times before they were published. There will always be room for good stories that are well-written.
Q: How should a new writer deal with rejections?
A: Not take them personally. Learn from them if you can.
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