My desk right now isn't much more than an end table with a computer monitor sitting on top of it and a CPU standing next to it on the floor. There's only one drawer in the table, and it sticks. Opening and closing it is so difficult that I would risk damaging the table if I tried using the drawer regularly.

Knowing that I still have work to do, be it writing, editing, or generating a new story idea.

I like any good story that can effectively take me to another world for a while, but I'm most often interested in science fiction and fantasy. I like mysteries and romance as well, but I don't generally read romance novels. I prefer to read stories that have a romantic aspect over stories based on a romance.

I would say that I have three, one of whom was primarily a poet. Michael Crichton, William Shakespeare, and Edgar Allen Poe.

I can't say that I remember the first story I ever read, but I do remember the first story I read which had an impact on me. It wasn't a published book nor was it very well edited, but the story itself was entertaining, and I actually had a hand in helping to create it. My involvement was little more than making a character for it based off a series of questions, but it was enough to pique my interest in creating a story of my own.

The first story for which I did more than simply generate ideas and jot down a few random thoughts or write a few simple scenes for was Heart of the Lioness. Though it's not been published yet, it is the first story I wrote about the world of Cerra Sevatia. Once cover art has been made for it and final edits applied, it will be the next book I release.

I take an idea and use it to create a problem. I then come up with the solution to that problem and generate chapter summaries. I then begin writing based on those chapter summaries. I then write forward based on the chapter summaries while letting the characters basically generate the content. Once I have a draft finished, I go back and edit and revise the story. More often than not, I find that the characters in the story will help to shape it. When I have a story I'm satisfied with which fits the characters and the details and the plot, I work on the more meticulous processes of editing until I have a finished story.

I think of the central conflict or theme of the story. Then, I think of a scene from the story which embodies it. Whether I pick a specific detail about that scene to depict, the scene itself, or a metaphorical presentation of that scene, whichever I choose ends up being what I want for the cover.

I was born in Arlington, Texas, but grew up just about everywhere else. Because my mother worked during the summers when my brother and I were out of school, she sent us to her parents' house. They would take us on trips to visit my many aunts and uncles. I think one thing that taught me which influenced my writing was that even within a single family, there are many different kinds of people. No two of my aunts and uncles could be mistaken for one another. It also showed me a much larger picture of the world. I enjoyed the mountains of the northwest and central parts of the United States the most, but seeing the different landscapes of the United States also helped to shape some of the settings for my writing.

I actually have several projects on my plate at the moment, but as far as writing goes, I'm working on the next book related to the Cerra Sevatia series. The only details I can give about it at this time are that it is a character piece related to the series and involves a supporting character from another of my books which is awaiting cover art and final editing before publication. On that note, as far as editing work goes, I have two books which are part of the Cerra Sevatia series that I'm editing with a third, unrelated book sitting on the back burner. As you can see, I'm keeping pretty busy.