When I was ten years old, I often used to spend Christmas vacation with my grandmother. She lived alone in a small apartment in St. Paul that was near a huge railroad switching station. (Do these even exist anymore?) At night in the winter I could hear the trains clanking and the brakes squealing as I went to bed. My grandmother gave me a copy of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" about Sherlock Homes. With the sound of the lonely trains,I read the book in two nights and was hooked forever on mysteries and suspense stories. It all started with her generosity.

Since I write mystery/suspense stories, I have to know about how the story will end. Then I work back to the beginning to plant clues, create suspense, and twist the plot---several times. So, I have to do some planning about the plot before I began writing. Equally important is the creation of the characters. Luckily, I write series so my hero remains the same person. But I must create several villains for the hero to struggle against. I try to discover almost as many aspects of these characters as I do the main character. That's because a strong villain makes a strong hero.

Covers are so critical, especially for e-books since readers can't pick them up in their hands and turn them over. I think real life provides the best images for covers. When a new book of mine is coming out I work with the publisher to find photos and images that are colorful, arresting, and have a "wow" factor. These form the basis of each cover with the title and my name added later. I also try to pick images that suggest the theme or plot of the book so readers get an idea of what the book is about.

Of course, I read a lot of mystery and suspense novels. I think most writers write what they like to read---I'm no different. I also like non-fiction such as history, biography, and financial things. Lately, I've Come to realize how deficient my knowledge of science is . . . any science! It is so important for a writer to know a wide variety of information. Besides, I want to become more aware of how science is a part of our lives and community. I don't think most people realize how much "art" exists in science!

I use a Kindle Fire---simply because my wife bought it for me!! I love it and since I travel a lot with my wife for pleasure and to do research for my books, the Kindle and e-books are wonderful. I remember when I had to pack half my suitcase with paperbacks for long vacations.

I work at a bean-shaped, wooden desk with no drawers. I think drawers simply fill-up with junk and I want to avoid that. Of course, I have a laptop and a wicker basket that holds notebooks, pens, pencils, and a calculator. To my left is a dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus. I'm also proud to say that I have all my print books stacked next to the dictionary. When I get discouraged, they remind me of how far I've come.

I grew up in the small, southern Minnesota town of Le Sueur. It was a wonderful place to grow up for a future writer. That's because I knew everyone in town, including corporate execs, doctors, house painters, plumbers, farmers, accountants, women who volunteered at the Hospital Auxiliary, poor and rich people. I not only got to know what they were like but also what motivated them. All of these people have helped me create my fictional characters. What a blessing I had!

In high school when I was invited to write a humorous column for the school newspaper. I didn't think much of my writing until other students started complimenting me about my columns. It was the first hint I may have some talent for writing . . .

In 2013 I had the opportunity to travel to a mysterious place---Myanmar in SE Asia. It had been closed to the world for 50 years but finally cracked open a door to the western world for limited business and tourism. How many places on earth can you visit with this history? The trip was fascinating and wonderful. From that trip, I wrote my latest book, "Up Like Thunder" that is a suspense mystery set in Myanmar.

Stephen King once wrote that writing is magic: I can sit down all alone, put some marks on paper and from far away you can read those marks and my thoughts are magically transmitted to you! For me, writing is the chance to share some basic aspects of being human with other humans. And in the meantime, if the story entertains them or makes them feel good---hey, that's "icing on the cake of life!"