When not writing, I'm an avid fisherman and outdoor person. I love camping, hiking or just sitting next to a lake or river. I try to spend as much time outdoors as I can, whether it be next to a fire, stargazing in the back yard or chasing allusive bass and whopper catfish on the water. My writing is heavily influenced by the natural world, which provides endless inspiration for science-fiction, fantasy and horror.

Some of my favorite authors include Stephen King, Piers Anthony, Larry Niven, Michael Crichton, Isaac Asimov, Jerry Pournell, Dean Koontz, Tolkien, Robert Ludlum, David Morrell, H.G. Wells, Clive Barker, Arthur C. Clarke and many, many more...

"Mythical", my urban fantasy short story, was the first real fiction story I ever wrote. While I was writing non-fiction at the time, I soon learned that fiction was an entirely different animal. The story has had several incarnations and revisions, and after struggling with the story for more than two years, I was fortunate enough to have a legend in the fantasy genre, Piers Anthony, take interest in it and guide me. I also received a great deal of help from producer and voice actor, Steve Williams, who narrated and produced the audiobook. Steve really helped me fine-tune the piece to flow smoothly as an audiobook. To this day, it is still my personal favorite.

I've had stories appear in anthologies from The Bearded Scribe Press and JWK Fiction, as well as in Nebula Rift, Under the Bed, Far Horizons and Calamities Press Literary magazines.

I typically start with just an idea and try to formulate a general outline from that, expanding it with details as I develop them. I keep the outline as a reference and guide, but once I start writing, the stories often take on directions of their own.

Social media and paid advertisements have been the most effective for me so far. Facebook groups, Twitter, the Kindle Boards, World Literary Cafe, Stumble Upon and the Goodreads ad program are just a few of the marketing options I use.

I enjoy reading science and technology books and magazines (National Geographic, Popular Mechanics, etc..) and as far as fiction, I really love science-fiction and horror.

To be perfectly honest, the sun. When I see the sun, regardless of how tired I am or how little sleep I've had, when that first sunbeam hits me, I'm up. Then, of course, my drive to write and tell stories takes over, often motivated by the weird dreams I had overnight.

I really enjoy the story, because I become lost in it. I have to take care to edit everything I write several times, because I often get so caught up in the story that is developing, I forget all about grammar and writing conventions. Nothing is more vivid or more moving than the images I can evoke within my mind's eye, and when combined with an interesting story, the result is an immersion that cannot be had with movies, music or through modern-day graphics.

Trial and error. As with my stories, even a careful, well planned design theme often takes on a life of its own, once started. I typically start with a blank slate and just the title, then I create graphic after graphic, testing different colors and effects, until I get an image that matches the story inside. I know one should never judge a book by its cover, but I do think that a book cover should, at the very least, hint at the subject matter within.

As a fiction writer, fans are everything to me. I would still write, even if no one read a single word, due to my internal need to do so. However, when I took the steps which led to self-publication, I was seeking to earn the highest reward a writer can receive, a receptive audience and praise from readers; or, in a word, fans. I write because I enjoy it, and I'm terribly unhappy if I don't. I publish, because I want to share that writing and hopefully, grow a fan base of my own.

Fans make a professional writer. I rely on fans, and their reviews, to guide my words. Without fans, I am merely writing, with them, I am a writer. Without readers, I'm casting words into the wind...

I have three longer works in progress at the present time, along with four more short stories, all of which I hope to have published by year's end. Some are completed but tied up in submissions at the moment, as I'm actively trying to increase my publishing credits this year as well. Stay tuned... there is much more to come!

I grew up, and still live in, Eastern Missouri just outside of St. Louis. Living in the midwest has instilled in me a great respect and love for nature. I am fortunate to live in an area surrounded by state parks, lakes, rivers and protected natural areas, and these locations are where I find the majority of my inspirations for writing. Some of the most amazing stories imaginable are played out everyday, right under our noses, within the natural world...