Interview, page 3
The characters in Dead In 5 Heartbeats deal with their disputes with rival motorcycle clubs without calling the police. Is that the case in your life?
	I don't call the police.
Patch Kinkade carries a Sharpfinger knife, the same one you wear on your belt. Is the knife a sort of character in the book?
	Kind of. A lot of people I ride with carry that knife. I actually prefer fixed blades--like the Schrade Sharpfinger--to a folded blade. Although I carry a folded blade too, with a fixed blade you don’t have to reach inside your pocket. It’s always handy, on your belt when you need it. I use my Sharpfinger as a tool. I do everything with it. I like knives with sharp points. You never know when you might want to pop a balloon or peel a banana.
As a kid, did you read a lot?
	I read all the Zane Grey westerns as a boy. When I was in prison I read anything I could find by Louis L’Amour. I’m an avid reader. The only thing I ever learned as a youngster in school was how to read. I went back to school as an adult in prison through the Folsom Cordova Adult School District and received my degree. But I learned to enjoy reading as a child. I still learn a lot from reading.
Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
	I’ll read anything except science fiction. I’ve just started a book about an American Indian warrior named Black Hawk. It was originally written in the early 1800s. Black Hawk, a Sauk Indian chief, was from the Illinois area and I guess he was the last Indian to go to war against the United States. When Abraham Lincoln fought in the Army, it was against Black Hawk. Somebody sent me the book after reading my books and figured I’d like it. The person who sent it felt Black Hawk’s life ran parallel to my life with the Hell’s Angels, considering the way the government messes with our club.