I first started writing when I was 15 years old. I always had these stories running through my mind of hero's chasing after legendary artifacts that were needed to save the world and decided one day to put those stories down onto paper.

My current novel that I am working on at it's very basic level is going to be a love story. In that I will try to express the power behind true love and there are no limits to what we can do with that kind of power.

Well mostly I write short stories and I've always wanted to break into the publishing world but because it is a very competitive market I felt it is very easy to get lost in the main stream. We have to market ourselves no matter what but just being able to find someone, anyone that will like you story enough to publish it has been very difficult and time consuming. Now with online publishing, I can self publish a high quality story without all the rejection letters taking up space on my desk.

The greatest joy of writing for me is the satisfaction I gain when a reader finishes my story and lets me know how much enjoyment they received from the experience.

For me, I take pride in my work and always want to produce the highest quality work possible for those who enjoy reading my stories. After all fans are the lifeline to an authors career and without them there would be no audience to enjoy my stories.

I love reading Stephen King. I have almost all his books in hard back except for Carrie and of course The Gunslinger which was publish in hard cover in a limited quantity. I also enjoy, Anne Rice, Clive Barker, Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, J.K. Rowling, Jim Butcher...The list goes on and on and if I neglected a few authors because there are so many, I apologize in advance!!

My wife and children. They are my life and I want to set a good example for them and make them proud as a husband and father.

I love reading and I love nature so I like to spend my time outside enjoying some fresh air whether it's standing on my deck looking out at the mountains and trees or hiking along those mountains. I also enjoy playing a variety of sports, and attending baseball games with my two boys and occasionally my daughter too. :)

This may sound like blasphemy but I don't know if I have a writing process. I typically don't do outlines, or character sketches. I will do research for technical things to keep it real when necessary but otherwise when writing a story I let the characters dictate the direction of the story through their thoughts and actions. For example. I may gain an idea from a phrase or a picture and the story may start out very simple and basic...A lonely man traveling along a deserted highway. From there based on his thoughts or what he may encounter allows me to let the story flow. Granted the finish product is many miles away from the first draft because new ideas spring to mind as I re-read the story and gain invaluable advice from friends and family.

Well I read many stories when I was younger and mostly for class assignments but I didn't get into reading for enjoyment until I was 14 years old and the first book I read was either Lord of the Rings or Splinter of the Mind's Eye. Both books were amazing and both really got me in the mindset later on that I wanted to write fantasy, sci-fi, fiction based stories.

I try to give a summary of the story within the cover design. I envision what it is I want in my mind and then outline it in my poor chicken scratch for the artist to get a basic visual. From there he or she does all the real heavy lifting.

I don't really have a desk unless you want to consider my lap as such since I do most of my writing on my LAP-top. If I do have a desk it's my foot stool where I keep my lap-top when it's not on my lap being used. :)

Well, I grew up mostly in a somewhat small town called Ojai. It's nestled in the mountains near Ventura and an hour away from Santa Barbara inland from the beaches. I can't say that it influenced my writing but it did inspire my love for nature with all the trees and mountains around me. However, I will say I use Ojai as a setting from time to time.

Yes, and no. I vaguely remember my first attempt at writing and it was suppose to be a novel which never was completed due to the length of the story and the fact I grew bored with the story itself. I was young and reckless what can I say?

That's top secret.

Smashwords has given me the ability to take control of realizing my dream to be a published author.

Wow, this is a tough one because there are so many. Okay
1. Stephen King's "The Gunslinger." I loved this entire series but especially the first book. A lone man, (a serious Bad A--) takes on a town full of crazy driven people with his massive 45's. Never losing his cool, this story has a Clint Eastwood Western feel to it where the good guy is a Bad dude with a couple of guns. It was my first Stephen King book I ever read and I've read almost all of his books to date. Thank you Mr. King for all the hours upon hours of entertainment and inspiration!!
2. Anne Rice's "Interview with a Vampire". I love vampire story's and that whole serious is awesome.
3. J. K. Rowley's Harry Potter series of course. I love wizards and magic so for me this is a no brainer.
4. Cliver Barker's "Imagica". That was an amazing story and though it was 1000 pages long I could've kept reading another 1000 pages easily.
5."The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. This is a great book for everyone to read about the power of positive thinking. Highly recommend it.