Hmm...that's a difficult question, I've read two books a day since the age of 8 and I haven't missed a day, (yes I'm a speed reader) that said, the authors whose work left a lasting impression on me (who I don't personally know) would be 1) Mr + Mrs Eddings who wrote the 'Belgaraid' and 'Mallorean' fantasy series, they're characters were far more life like, their opinions clear cut, that resonate with the reader.
2) Darren Shan, while not a huge fan of his little-to-no description style, I do like his plots and almost casual references of gruesome carnage that would be traumatising in the hands of anyone else, but brilliant in his.
3) Karen Miller with 'Innocent Mage' a remarkably detailed and well written piece that I am able to read over and over again without it losing its impact and interest, incidentally I just ordered its sequel from amazon, to my amusement I noticed our books are made by the same productions company 'Sarl'.
These three would be my favourite authors right now, but there are many others.

The need to use the bathroom would be the honest answer, I stay up very late each night, downing caffeine drinks to stay awake while getting my writing done. But I get the feeling from you that's not the kind of answer you want. In which case, its a firm determination to meet my own high standards, where I judge myself far harsher than I would anyone else in the world. There is something I want in this life, talent can only take you so far, without an easy start that is, therefore I make up the difference by being a stubborn/determined bastard, working hard every day. Simply put, meeting my standards of myself and my future, these are my inspiration.

Sleeping and my side job as a supervisor would be how I spend most of my spare time, though I make a concerted effort to visit family and close friends, so they do not forget what I look like. Otherwise I read, practice martial arts, (budokan + aikido) I also quite like going out to clubs, though I very seldom have the time or the energy for it.

With the exception of manga, and fan fiction, almost all the books I read are in paperback and hardback, I prefer to hold what I'm reading rather than download. However when choosing an E-Book, its the same as picking a normal physical book, if the cover and blurb intrigues me, I'll open it up and give the author a few pages to capture my interest and my patronage.

The first story I ever wrote would be 'Adventure Bound' which I wrote at age 16, however due to being busy in school and less disciplined than I am now with story plans, time management, effort, etc... I never actually finished it, to this day it still remains unpublished. I'm much more interested in my completed, published works, especially those I hope to publish in the near future, for example Grey Faction 2 and Thirteenth Murder.

Structure and planning, that's how I turn my non-stop flow of ideas (aka - imagination) into writable stories.
I start by creating a single scene with multiple characters to gauge their personalities and how I would write them.
Once I have determined a basic plot, I write down a basic overview, then move onto a detailed chapter description, its during this phase most ideas are considered, however during final redrafts many changes can be implemented. Once the story has been planned I start writing, I average 3 hours to eighteen hours per day, the amount is subject to other work, events, visits etc...
By using a plan, I don't have to worry about losing concentration or focus, I know where the story is headed, I just make it come alive. Once finishing the first draft, I go back through and spell check it, as well as look for obvious structure errors. After that I show it to editors, other writers for their feedback, just as I do for them. Then the most gruelling part, which I hate with a passion is the REDRAFTS! rewrite and redraft it until you can't see a single thing wrong with it. I'm a perfectionist at heart and I have done up to 10 redrafts on a book before the publishers even got to see it. (that was grey faction book 1 btw) I typically average 3 - 4 redrafts per book upon completion, and that is my basic process.

I don't have five favourite books of all time, I read too many for that. However the most recent books that impressed me or at least kept me entertained were King Breaker, Gamer, Trapped on Draconia,, Ruin - beginning of a legend and Animal Turntable. As for why, I typically like any book where the writer's personality is so overwhelming it burns into the readers mind, also its got to have a juicy plot and fascinating characters and realisations that leave you a changed person upon reading it. I've read over 11,000 novels since I was a child and anything of importance, I absorb, any mistakes or errors about myself that are lived out in these pages - discard them from my personality and perspectives. I am in a constant state of change, everyone is my master, which is why I love to read, I grow as a person, not limiting myself to a single lifestyle or world, its also (partly) the reason I write, to effect change In my own way. Hmm...I seem to be waffling on a bit, what's the next question?

I started writing professionally when I was nineteen, however writing in general stated when I was eleven and I entered a BBC writing competition (Brighton Haikus) to my surprise I won it, and myself along with a few runner-ups were interviewed on national TV about it...I still have it on VHS somewhere. This attention and victory was the first step in my developing an ego. Prior to that I just thought of myself as 'normal/nothing special' however in the following years I discovered more and more things about myself that allowed me to be conceited/prideful, this prompted me to do something with this so called 'talent'. I started writing on Fanfiction.net under the pen name 'Nexus Darkworld' its per chapter publishing of a story allowed me to start getting feedback throughout the whole process of writing them. Given however the number of hours I put into it instead of focusing on my studies (not to say I failed classes, far from it) eventually I considered writing professionally, to make money from my time. It was far harder than I had ever imagined it to be. I was ignorant of how much of an increase in skill, time and effort was required from amateur writing. But I learned, I adapted, and saying goodbye to a proper nights sleep, I dove deep into the world of the pros. My first book 'Adventure Bound' at age 16 was a resounding failure, it took a further three years for me to write and actually finish what would become my professional debut, titled 'Grey Faction - Arrival of the Grey Queen'. From there was a horrifyingly competitive world of agents and pros, to anyone that plans to try it. GOOD LUCK!

My latest book is 'Thirteenth Murder' which is due to be released Spring 2014. It's an 18+ crime thriller and is proving to be an interesting challenge to write, as its the first book I've wrote without any magic or supernatural-ness at all. It did however allow me to go deeper into human aspect of my characters as there's no special effects or explosions every five seconds to divert the readers attention. Not to say its a slow starter, like all my books it dives into the plot with a violent passion that my readers should expect from me by now. The story begins with the last moments of a serial killer in his cell, before he is led to his execution, where he reveals before the flip of a switch that he has prepared for the death of his thirteenth victim, he's enemies in the audience are worried, but his claims are dismissed by the police as a delay tactic and is electrocuted as planned. In the moments of his death, the story takes you deep into this man's awful past, his rape and headshot trauma as a child, his rebirth, and his quest for revenge for which he would sacrifice his future to achieve it. For this book I did a lot of research into mental damage and the recovery methods involved, however as a change of pace, during the period that the protagonist is in hospital and then a mental institution, are written from his mind addled perspective and limited senses due to brain damage. Deeply challenging, deeply moving, and satisfying to write. Be sure to keep and eye out for it. There's a free preview of this book on the smashwords E-Book site, so be sure to check it out if crime thrillers are your thing.

I cannot just pick a part of the writing process, to me it is one single action, for me writing is a way for me to project my will, my beliefs, my passion into the public eye, to change, to instruct, to entertain, brighten your day for a moment amidst the difficulty of daily life, or even just tickle your dark side. I absolutely love writing, I am able to create worlds and realities with little more than my imagination, its satisfying beyond belief to see my books on the shelves, to see fans freak out when they recognise me, I will continue to write until I die on the job, I won't stop, writing is my reason to live, to keep going on in this screwed up world. To justify my existence, I will live the way I want and aim for the top.

My fans are all wonderful, beautiful weirdoes, meeting them at conventions, book events and signings are a regular justification of my effort. Writing would lose at least half its meaning if I didn't have them around to buy my books, give me reviews and critiques, support me, encourage me when I need it. They are my proof in this world of what I do, if they weren't around I'd just be that sad, fat guy that writes fairy tales on his PC all day instead of doing a 'proper' job. I hope to gain many more fans, and I hope my current ones will be patient as I bring out my next lot of books, trust me you haven't seen anything yet, time for me to get serious about conquering the world of pro writers. My manuscripts and future books must therefore reflect this standard, I hope you'll all enjoy what will follow over the next few years.