An active imagination helps. I see things in everyday events, in people I've known, places I've been and my mind's eye takes over. When an idea is rattling around for more than a few minutes, the story and the characters unfold. When I can see the character, it's easier to understand their nature. Creating something that entertains, amuses and causes the reader to see things from different perspectives is a challenge I relish.

In third grade I became enthralled with the Hardy Boys Mysteries. They ignited my passion for reading so much that I decided to write one of my own. A stern geography teacher quashed my ardor. The desire was always there, but time was fleeting. Since escaping the corporate world, the passion to write has been rekindled and I'm reinventing myself as a writer.

For me it is a natural flow. If an idea stirs my imagination, the characters write the story. I don't do extensive outlines and scenarios as much as see it through the eyes of the characters. It's their story and I let them tell it.

Quite a few actually. "Stone Chronicles - King's Men" the sequel to "Stone Chronicles - Incident on Fire Road" is 70% drafted, and I'm considering a third book to make it a trilogy. It depends on how the characters see it. I have two other novels in draft stage. One is a about twin brothers separated at birth. Their mother is human and their father is superhuman. The birth violates one of the prime directives of the father's culture and the twin brothers, Gabriel and Michael are separated, one to be raised by the mother and the other by the father. It's an interesting idea. The genre for Stone Chronicles and this new project is referred to as slipstream, fantastica, new weird or crossover fantasy. Take your pick, the genre definition is apparently flexible. On top of those, an idea for a completely different genre has tickled my fancy and I' completed about 50% of the draft. Writers vary on the topic, but for me multiple projects allows me to work on the one peaking my interest. In provides variety that helps keep things fresh.

My characters speak for themselves. The most central ones, share two common traits - there is something uncommon, perhaps extraordinary about them, and below the surface they are flawed. I like characters that are real and with an edge. They speak to me the loudest. It is their voice that is heard, but a bit of my outlook bleeds through. The objective is to combine the best of both to make the stories believable while challenging normal conventions.

I'd read more. Writing can consume you for hours at a time. When you're crafting a story, the concept of time passing escapes you. In a way, it's like reading a book or watching an interesting film - you are drawn in. I'm not sure where the time would be invested. One of my characters was asked how he would have reacted in a critical situation. His response was that he couldn't known unless he was confronted with the same decision. But I couldn't imagine not writing; it becomes a part of who you are.