Takeshi Yamada

"If writers help each other, then more good books will get written and sold, more readers will be drawn to this bounty, and all of publishing will prosper."
- Jonathan Maberry

"To exceed the limits of a formula without destroying it is the dream of every magazine writer who is not a hopeless hack."
- Raymond Chandler

I'm a writer living in Southern California and working as a programmer.

Significant influences are Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Robert Jordan, and Raymond Chandler.

Much of my writing deals with life and its impermanence. I'm also fascinated by the mind and consciousness. Japan also plays a central role in many of my stories, as I have had a long and intimate relationship with that country.

I also like the concept of writing strong female characters who are more than simply male surrogates, but instead retain a definite sense of their femininity; I'm a believer that good writers can achieve this balance.

If I had to say one character from fiction who is my role model, it would have to be Robert De Niro's character Ben Whittaker from the movie, "The Intern". I watched the movie a second time during a flight from Indianapolis to Tokyo and took notes on why exactly is he so cool. I jokingly ask my wife to judge my "Ben level" 1-100 each day. Some days I do better than others.

Music is a huge influence on my writing. Almost everything I write is written while listening to music, usually related to the story. For example, I listen to retro hits from 1940's Japan when writing my "Angel Above" noir book and I enjoy listening to epic fantasy instrumental music when writing my fantasy stories. There's something indescribable that happens when you listen to the music that your characters would.

野魔太竹四（山田健）