I am now planning the story line for a book that will tap into my experiences traveling to Antarctica. I am looking at ways to connect this story with several headline events from the last year.

While planning this I am also in the final stages of getting my second Smashwords publication through the last few steps of the publication process.

The two largest genres that I read are sea-fiction and spy / action adventure. In sea fiction field I have read Patrick OBrian, Alexander Kent, CS Forester, Dudley Pope, and Alan Evans.

In the area of spy / action adventure I favor Desmond Bagley and Alistair MacLean.

Over the years I have also read a lot of fantasy books and favorites in this area include Robert Jordan and Tolkien.

In the area of real history, there are few works to equal Winston Churchill's World War Two series.

Adventure is what keeps me going. Some adventures are small....going to work and learning something new. Perhaps snowshoeing in the mountains or climbing to a new mountain top. Even spending time with friends and learning more about them. Other adventures are big...exploring the ruins of an ancient civilization, diving a new wreck, or visiting a new country.

Typically the big adventures take more money...so they are not as plentiful. But to me each day is an adventure and that is what keeps life fun, fresh, and exciting.

I spend much of each day with my wife and new dog. They are sources of both joy and surprise.

Almost anything outdoors is of interest to me....hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, kayaking, rafting, caving, canoeing, and SCUBA diving. I also love to travel and visit another country at least once a year.

I am going to make a confession. I only read print books. There are a few reasons for this.

First, I work in a technology field and once I am out of the office I try to minimize my exposure to electronic devices. Second, I read in some unconventional locations that can sometime be wet...so I don't like using something electronic in those circumstances. Finally, to me readying a very personal experience....I love holding a printed book, feeling its pages, and seeing it sit on my shelf.

The day will soon come when I make the jump, but it has not happened yet.

Yes, I do; a short story in junior high school. Does anyone remember Banacek? It was an NBC show in the early 1970's and I used its format of unexplainable thefts being investigated by a clever detective. My borrowing of the Banacek idea was not well disguised....and the story was not well crafted. But then, I was only 14 at the time.

I do remember the first story (actually stories) that I read. It was the Hardy Boys detective series by Franklin W. Dixon. These were simple stories of crime and adventure and perhaps they had more influence on my life than I realize. They may have been the seed that bloomed into my love of travel and outdoor adventure.

I read the first fifty books in the series when I was in elementary and junior high school. I still have these books on a shelf in my den.

So far I have been using my own photographs for covers. They are shots from SCUBA diving that I edit and stylize to make them suit the story. I am a very avid photographer and have sold some works over the years. I love being able to complete my story by adding my own cover to it.

Wow. This is a very hard question and one I have never given a lot of thought to over the years.

Two of my favorite stories are HMS Ulysses and San Andreas by Alistair MacLean. Another is A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Also high on my list would be the World War Two series by Winston Churchill. And finally, The Good Shepard by CS Forester.

Mostly fiction adventures that take place at sea. I have listed many authors that interest me in previous questions. But I do try to fit in some non-fiction books either on modern politics, travel, or World War Two history.

As I said earlier, I am a printed book reader. If I was a fast reader, an electronic device would make more sense, but I am a slow reader. I love being able to hold a boo,k to look at it on the shelf, and to flip through them. So, to date, my favorite reader is the mark one eyeball : )

My desk is solid wood and was made in the 1930's. It is organized with papers, pens, etc all having their proper place. The desk faces out a window on the second floor of our house. However, the desk is mostly ceremonial....I do 90% of my writing at local coffee shops.