I usually read action / adventure books. I was very sad to hear of the death of Tom Clancy as I enjoyed his work enormously. The detail and the realism of the settings that Tom created was superb.

I started writing after I had my heart attack in 2004. I had to stop teaching and I needed something to fill my days. It's a big change going from being in contact with perhaps 200 people a day to being home alone with your black Labrador as company! I'd always loved reading Sherlock Holmes stories and watched many of the old black and white films. Just for fun, I decided to write a pastiche and so The Star of Bithur was my first attempt. I passed a paper copy around interested friends and then finally plucked up courage to publish it on Smashwords in 2012.

Sherlock Holmes and Watson meet with the Chinese ambassador at an exhibition of The Zhou Bell, a priceless Chinese antique. The Ambassador fears that the bell might be stolen which it subsequently is. Holmes must now try and recover the bell which leads our duo into Imperial intrigue involving slight of hand, assassins and a visit to the East End of London.

In a word...cluttered! Today I have my iPad open, my Windows netbook and also my Apple MacBookPro! Plus, I have a clipboard full of old print-outs which I turn over and use as scrap paper for ideas and background information for stories.

I get a great deal of enjoyment from seeing where the story takes me. It is an organic thing, it is not a fixed path from A to B to C. The pathway through the book meanders and changes as I do more research which bends the story. I get real pleasure from weaving the fantasy of Sherlock Holmes into real events. This gives an anchor for a particular period of time where I can search for events to include in the story to add interest.

One of my great joys is hearing what folk think of my book. I am open to constructive criticism and I want to know what folk REALLY think, not just what your friends or your Auntie thinks : ) ! I want people to enjoy my books, I am not writing them for a huge profit or for fame, I want to entertain my readers and also to enjoy the writing process. Strangely, I enjoy reading my own books. It is quite a different experience as a reader and I like my own books!

This is a difficult one. I have an iPad and my wife has an Android tablet and a Kindle. Depending on where I am and what I have packed, I will use them all...but I do love my iPad.

Being retired gives me the opportunity to write to my hearts content and technology helps me achieve much...even from my bed!
I have to say I am a total geek! I'm 64 years old but I love gadgets and my iPad is such a source of both entertainment and productivity. Everything from 'Angry Birds' to Google Drive and You Tube is on my iPad. I read my email when I wake up, I may read the BBC news and then go to Smashwords and Amazon to check how my books are doing all BEFORE I get up!
Being creative gives me a buzz and writing is something I have done for years as a teacher but now it is for pleasure and to create something worthwhile from nothing is something i find amazing. It never fails to excite me.

Hmm, that is an interesting question! I design my own book covers and try as much as I can to match my cover image to the theme of the book. I am artistic and I use the free software 'Gimp' on my Mac to produce my covers.
I was a complete novice with the software and found that using the tutorials on You Tube was really helpful. For my images, I use the completely free images at stockfreeimages.com for my covers, there are hundreds to chose from at zero cost.

I think really word of mouth has been a big help to me. I also have used my social media accounts to good effect, offering free copies of my books for a limited time.

Smashwords has opened up a huge market for me. I now can sell my books all over the world through many different outlets with zero costs. The guidance they give through their free ebook tutorials is superb and I would recommend Smashwords as a publishing platform for any budding writer. Through Smashwords you learn so much about how to format your book, marketing strategies, cover design...so many things.

I mustn't give too much away but I have a new book partly written which I hope to publish before Christmas.
Holmes takes a rare holiday on the south coast of England as Watson would like to learn to sail. A strange Illness afflicts Holmes. Watson must take the lead under Holmes's direction. Once recovered, the pair must locate the source of the illness which appears to be spreading.