There were two principle reasons. The first was 'artistic control', for want of a better phrase. Which sounds a bit pompous but is in reality extremely important to anyone who has spent weeks, months or even years sweating over their manuscript. With indie publishing the author retains full control over everything: cover design, interior layout, title, down to the actual text itself, something that rarely happens with traditional publishing. This can also apply to such crucial issues as how long the book remains in print.

The second issue is the time-scale involved. I am not a patient person. When I write a book I want to see it in print. Quickly. And so do my readers. With indie publishing I can have the book available within weeks. The average lead time for traditional publishing is 18 months or so - and that is if you already have a publisher interested. If not, well, how long is a piece of string...

For me, there is another distinct advantage to indie publishing. The books I write tend to be cross genre, which trad publishing houses don't tend to like very much. Indie publishing gives me a platform free of restrictions and labels. And I can easily change the category if I choose.

The disadvantage is that indie publishing can involve a lot of additional work which takes away from creative writing time. In my view it is well worth it.

Having said all of this, my first book, a non-fiction spiritual growth book, was traditionally published and I am very grateful for the opportunity and encouragement it gave me. I wasn't confident enough to indie publish back then (and the possibilities to do so were a lot less than they are now) and I don't think I'd have found the confidence in my writing that I now have without that.

Feeling the words flow onto to paper - I always write longhand with a pen and paper. And then redrafting those initial sentences into an image, creating a picture with words in the same way that an artist does with his brush and paints.

The next book in The Skull Chronicles Series, which will be Book IV. I'm delighted to be making good headway with it. At the same time I'm working on a second, completely different genre of novel. It's lighter, contemporary, full of interesting characters and real life situations. I have several other books waiting in the wings, with the odd chapters written, including a romance set in the 1950s.

I can remember the essay I write as part of my English 'O' level. I had to write about a 'typical breakfast time' with my family. I can't remember now what I wrote, though I gave my imagination full rein and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. It didn't feel like I was doing an exam at all. I can remember being extremely pleased with the result, and the examiners must have thought so too, as they gave me an A grade.

Wait for inspiration to strike and then get it all down on paper as it comes. The initial words usually flow out as a stream of consciousness and would be totally unintelligible as a book as I set them down in very rough note form. I can write thousands of words in a few hours.

Then comes the moulding into sentences and paragraphs. Something a reader could make sense of. This part takes a great deal longer than the initial idea dump but is perhaps the most rewarding part because it's where the skill comes in, fashioning and moulding ideas and images so that they pull the reader into their spell.

Cluttered.

Not knowing what the day will bring. Everything is possible and nothing is impossible. The sense of excitement that comes from anticipating what adventures may unfold with the hours. Clean sheets of paper waiting to be filled with new ideas. Birdsong and morning sunshine. That first cup of coffee.

I have a passion for dance, especially ballroom/latin & salsa, not forgetting a good boogey to the music of my youth, and I dance several times a week. I have considered belly dancing - watch this space...

When I'm not writing, or shaking it down on the dance floor, I love to be outside in the natural world, whether pottering in the garden or walking in the wilderness of the hills. Spirituality plays a huge part in my life, and it is in the natural world that I find my closest connection to my spiritual essence.