On a lark, I asked a Facebook writing group (10 Minute Novelists, fantastic support group) if it would be a good idea to interview my own characters and share that interview. It took all of three positive responses to get my butt in the chair. Clearly, I’m easily motivated.

I decided to start with my most recently published novel The Favorite (2014), where a boxer is ordered to throw a title fight and reexamines his past and his relationships. I’ll be talking to 18-year-old Kayla Dane, the daughter of the protagonist, Michael Dane. I’ll keep this as spoiler-free as I can manage.

When we last saw you, you turned down a full-ride at an Ivy League school to train with Dutch, your father’s old trainer. What went into that decision? I got that message from my father. I’d never met him, but I followed his career. I watched every punch he ever threw. He was my favorite boxer. When Dutch came over with that letter from my dad, it changed the way I looked at my father, at my life, at everything. School didn’t make sense anymore. I wanted to get closer to my dad, and this seemed like the best way.

Your father wasn’t in your life, growing up. What do you know about him? What did you learn about him that made you want to do what you did? I heard all the stories. I heard he had a deadly right hand. I saw that title fight against Quin Cortez, and when Cortez retired, he said my dad was the best fighter he ever got in the ring with. Dutch told me that when he found out about me, that was the day he grew up. My mom told me he sacrificed everything for his family. I heard what he made of himself, from an orphaned child with Dutch as his surrogate father, to his short time as champion. All of that is a high bar to live up to, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.

Your family’s legacy seems to be tied up in fighting. Your father and grandfather had rough life circumstances, where yours seems to have been rather comfortable, comparatively. Why fight? When I was a kid, I got into several fights. I had a temper (laughs). Child of a fighter and a Brazilian woman. I guess it was just in my blood. I watched my dad’s fights so much that I thought I was good at it. I took my lumps. Mostly, though, I was just angry. Everyone I knew had some kind interaction with my father, even the friends I had whose dads were deadbeats. All I heard about my dad were these stories. My dad was famous, and I never had his presence in my life. Training with Dutch, I’ve got at least a small part of that relationship.

Your grandmother is serving a life sentence. Have you ever met her? No, I never did. I would love to, though. I would tell her that her son took after her, that he sacrificed for his family the way she sacrificed for hers. And I’d thank her.

What’s next for you? I’m training MMA with Dutch as my striking coach. That took him a minute to wrap his head around. He's incredibly protective of me, he tells me I'm more like my dad than he's comfortable with. I have my first amateur fight in a month, wish me luck! After that, I'm not sure, we'll see.

The Favorite is available now, click the link in the picture for more info.

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