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I’m a hopeless romantic with a wide range of experiences. I was born into a science and teaching family.

Though my degrees are in business and I’m a retired Navy Supply Corps Commander (think Navy accountant), most problems I encountered tended toward innovation ‘out-of-the-bubble’ solutions. I’ve also spent years in city government (maddening bureaucracy); as a VP of a high-tech company; and now work from home on 124 timbered acres in the Olympic Peninsula rainforest. Life is sweet indeed!

Tell me about “The Carbon Series”?

When I started The Carbon Series, I wanted to breach an issue no one had considered: What if mankind’s attempts to control CO2 with genetic manipulation got out of control and plunged levels below what plants need to survive? My journalist wife writes articles on genetic engineering among other technical topics and it gives me added insight on just how close humans are to manipulating the genome to alter our environment – perhaps to fatal consequences. 

I read your latest work, “LinkedIn Love” and thought it was fabulous! What was your inspiration?

My short story, LinkedIn Love, was born from a frustration with LinkedIn’s policies that allow anonymous people to block others from posting, possibly because of a political difference. Before writing that story, I hadn’t considered myself a ‘romance writer’ but now, I’ve got follow on stories I can’t wait to write.

How would you introduce your books to someone that has yet to read it/them?

Be prepared to learn when you read my stories. In each, I try to incorporate real or futuristic science. And I can’t help but emphasize the human element in every situation. 

How many books have you written? What are their titles?

I’ve published one book (The Carbon Trap: Book 1 of The Carbon Series) and several short stories. My sequel, The Carbon Cross, is in final edit. The first standalone short story is LinkedIn Love, which describes how social media can initiate or crush romances. I’ve also created a ‘Muckraker Series’ with an investigative reporter protagonist ‘Digger Cavanaugh’, which I use to expose corruption and explore divisive issues. Its first story was ‘Pink Slime’ to tell the real the ground beef issue.

What genre have you not yet written, but would like to try?

I’ve not written any Young Adult stories yet, but may try it when time permits. Too often authors dumb down science topics because they don’t know how kids absorb complex issues. I think it’s time to raise the bar. I’ve been explaining science to my twin sons for 21 years and am amazed by how they process issues. 

What inspired you to start writing? What age did you start?

All my life I’ve been fascinated by science and have tried incorporating ideas into scenarios. But it wasn’t until I was about 53 that my sons and wife told me to stop talking, and start writing.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Write about what interests you, even if you’re not too knowledgeable about it yet. It makes research more fun.

What’s your favorite scene/line from your works?

The professor’s heartbeat raced and his temples throbbed. I’ve felt this…years ago…before the pacemaker. This is worse.        — It’s the first lines in The Carbon Trap and marks perhaps the first time medical device hacking has been used in a novel as an assassination tool.

What’s the hardest thing about writing? The easiest?

There’s only 24 hours in a day. That’s the hardest. The easiest is figuring out how to twist the plot. 

What are you currently reading?

 Shades of Green by Andy Lake. It’s an eco-thriller that pits an increasingly powerful environmental movement against an entrenched British government.

What are you currently working on?

 Final editing of The Carbon Cross.

Do you listen to music while you write?

Often, mostly soft music without words. My favorite is Rondó Veneziano, a chamber group out of Venice, Italy. 

What’s been your favorite moment as an author? 

Making the New York Times Bestsellers list…whoops, that hasn’t happened yet. Maybe it was when the Heartland Institute’s Science Director favorably compared The Carbon Trap to Michael Crichton’s State of Fear. 

Out of all of your characters, who is your favorite?

Anna Picard, a seriously flawed protagonist, who tries to amend her past actions. It was a character in The Carbon Series who was saved by my wife. “You can’t let her die!”

What do you want readers to take away from your books?

Skepticism. It’s okay to question the bureaucratic status quo, to challenge government’s misuse of power; and to understand the self-interested motivation of the media.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

He was never satisfied with the status quo.

Where can fans find you?

Website: http://www.rainforestpress.com 

Blog: http://rainforestpress.com/blog.html 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randy.dutton.12 

Twitter: randydutton

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5754337.Randy_Dutton 

LinkedIn: randydutton

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Dutton/e/B007DKYQTG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 

This fall I am highlighting 25 authors, their works, and a little bit about who they are and how they became writers. Follow my blog and discover incredible books just waiting to be read, exceptional authors to follow and different genres to explore!