The basis for Small Town Odds came from me wondering what might have happened if I'd never left my hometown, and what could have happened to keep me from leaving. I also began thinking about how few people's lives turn out exactly the way they'd hoped. An extreme example of that particular brand of disappointment—this character's biggest mistake is also the best thing in his life—came to me. Then I just decided to set the action of the story in a place I know really well, which is small town West Virginia.

This is a tale about a young man unable to come to terms with the decisions he's made in the course of his life. A smart kid and reluctant football hero, Eric Mercer wanted nothing more than to break free of his hometown of Pinely, West Virginia. But when he accidentally got his childhood crush pregnant, all his dreams came undone. The book takes place six years later. Eric loves his daughter—and hates the rest of his life. I describe him as a guy who made one mistake, then decided to go ahead and make a habit of it. So he's a bit of a lovable screw-up who has to come to terms with the mistakes of his past. In a bit of a clumsy, bumbly way.

I didn't tell anyone I was writing a book until I was halfway finished. I just didn't want to have to answer a lot of questions about it until I knew what the hell I was doing. I told people at the midway point because I wanted the added motivation of people asking me about it—knowing the only way to get them to stop was to finish the damn thing.

It took me around a year-and-a-half to get the first draft. But the truth is, in real time, it took a little over two years. I say a year-and-a-half because right in the middle of writing it, I met my wife. So I suddenly stopped writing for about eight months because I was much too fascinated by her. But she eventually helped me get back to writing, which took tremendous discipline on my part. Now I realize she may have been using it as an excuse for some time alone.

I'm a nighttime writer. After dinner until one or two a.m. That's the time of the day when my brain feels most warmed up and ready to be creative. Some people I know wake up and go straight into writing. I can barely make myself a bowl of cereal in the morning, let alone create good fiction, so that's not really an option for me. Plus, it's more acceptable to enjoy a drink or two at night. If you're having a beer first thing in the morning, you're really risking an intervention. And that's only going to slow down your writing.

There was something very satisfying about sitting down each night to spend time with a character who constantly seems to make the most self-destructive decision, or say exactly the wrong thing—because I'm not that way at all. Most instincts of that nature were beaten out of me at a very early age.

Music is a big influence on me. As a matter of fact, I feel much more qualified to discuss music with people than books. But some of the music I listened to growing up—the music my parents listened to—taught me a lot about language and stories. People like Paul Simon, James Taylor, Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, Jim Croce, etc. When I was writing Small Town Odds I would start almost every writing session by listening to one particular song. I just sat, listened, and prepared my mind to enter this other world.

My favorite book is Round the Bend by Nevile Shute. It's out of print. But it's a really amazing story about a man who seems to befriend and facilitate true spiritual greatness, despite the fact that he's only trying to run a business. It touches on so many things about religion, and how you make your living, and how the world doesn't have to be quite so at odds with itself all the time. From there, I'd go to Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo. And just about anything else by Richard Russo for that matter. I'm excited to even share a bookstore with a writer like him.

Small Town Odds may sound like a guy's book, but there's something in it for men and women, both. There's drinking, fighting and football for the men. And there's love—both romantic and between a father and daughter—for the women. I happen to know that the book made an ex-Marine cry. So that says something—although I'm not sure what. But the story should appeal to anyone who feels their life hasn't turned out exactly as planned. Which is just about everyone in the world, at last count.

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