I started a blog on Opera.com after I retired from the world of Hi-Tech, and it became fairly popular because I examined issues of some importance to the readers and offered solutions in a few cases. I also wanted to build on my experience in writing a few technical articles that were published in trade journals. This led to taking a shot at writing fiction in the form of short stories that I included in my blog posts from time to time, and finally, my debut novel, "Secret of the First Immortals".
I submitted this work to a number of publishers and signed a contract with Adventure Books Publishing. Unfortunately, they went out of business before it got published, so I decided to self-publish and see what happened.

I enjoy losing myself in the story, and attempting to write literature instead of dreck. I'm not sure if I have succeeded, but it is fun to keep trying.

They give me the confidence to keep at it until I get it right. They are my barometer, and inspire me to continue the effort. I hope that they will add an honest review after reading my writing.

I have come to realize that the short story and essays are far more difficult to write than a novel, because they must be succinct and pack a big punch in as few words as possible. So, I am working on a book of essays, and researching a sequel to "Secret of the First Immortals". I did publish my first effort with short stories, "Smog and the Salv", here on Smashwords, and I hope it will be discovered by the ebook fans in Smashwords' universe.

Many; I guess the most influential were Ernest Hemingway, Robert Ruark, Edward Abby, Ray Bradbury, Tom Wolfe, and Michael Crichton.

My wife's bullwhip!

I tinker in my electronics lab in the basement, and go backpacking or fly fishing for trout with my friends whenever I can. Also, I spent many years skiing in the National Ski Patrol System, and support their efforts. In addition, I have been fund-raising for the Institute for Ethnomedicine in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Mainly through word of mouth. Goodreads was also a good source on-line before it got acquired.

Yes. It was a short story based on the life work of my father and grandfather, who were game wardens and conservationists.

Shoot first, and ask questions later! I get my thoughts on paper as fast as I can, and then turn inspiration into perspiration through multiple revisions and reorganization.

Not really. I started reading at an early age (encouraged by my mother), and read the discarded science fiction magazines that my father loved to read when he had the time.

Poorly. This is an area that I need to improve on, or turn the job over to a professional.

1. The collected short stories of Ernest Hemingway (he was the master of the short story)
2. The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark (very powerful writing with strong emotional impact)
3. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (science fiction uniquely combined with great literature)
4. The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abby (subversion of orthodoxy in the form of literature and a huge lover of nature)
5. Michael Crichton (nearly everything he wrote--he was a visionary; trained in science, and a damned good storyteller)