The greatest joy of writing comes when I receive readers' feedback. To know that what I created is enjoyed by another person is unquestionably the best feeling.
That being said, I enjoy writing regardless. It allows me to wander the world, to escape the mundane daily routine.

I don't seem to recall the first story I ever read, but I remember some of the first books I read. They were books about cowboys and Indians, about justice and injustice, about wide-open spaces and friendships that transcended races, cultures, and territories. Those stories filled me with the desire to see the world, to experience adventure.
Later in life, literary fiction had a profound impact on me. Ever since then, I've been reading character-driven stories.

To list all of my favorite books would be an exhausting task, so I'm glad you only ask for five. Black Spring by Henry Miller because of its diversity in style and its uncompromising sense of reality. Hunger by Knut Hamsun because of its honesty, its lack of action, its focus on the protagonist's psyche. The Stranger by Albert Camus because of its setting and its flawed humanity. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez because of its beauty and its portrayal of time and place. The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick by Peter Handke because of its psychological detachment.

My primary motivation to become an independent author came about after my publisher closed it doors. A small Canadian press originally published my first book in 2007; unfortunately, the press closed its doors shortly thereafter, and I was on my own again. Prior to this, I had made dozens of submissions to both agents and publishers, which made one thing perfectly clear: the genre I write in is not commercially viable in the traditional publishing world. There are some small presses that publish literary fiction; however, most publish only a handful of titles per year. Going independent allowed me to not only re-release my first book, but, subsequently, the two remaining volumes in my trilogy as well.

I'm currently working on a novel where mistaken identity lands a man in a European detention center for illegal immigrants. I want to explore the psychological changes a healthy human undergoes in a forced detention at an overcrowded center. Since these centers are of a non-penitentiary character, the detainees are often stripped of basic rights, are without the benefit of a public defender, and are not allowed to receive visitors. I want to explore the impact this kind of environment has.

When not writing or doing what has to be done? Well, I usually get on my motorcycle and head out to the unknown. I ride a dualsport bike, so I'm always looking for unpaved roads, old logging trails, or abandoned carriage roads. More often than not, I end up in places I would never see if I stayed on the pavement. From time to time, I'm fortunate enough to stumble upon abandoned properties that haven't been used for over a century. Old house walls, foundations, quarries...not only are these great source of inspiration, old ruins also remind me of my own mortality.

Since most of my writing is done in a first-person narrative, I tend to internalize a story. For me, to know and write a character well, I have to almost become one with the character. It starts with an idea, perhaps the beginning and the ending. From there, I let the story brew in my mind. I tend to do a lot of research on locations, and I want to see and feel what the character sees and feels, I want to smell and taste what he smells and tastes. From there, I let the story take over. I let the scenarios take root in my head; I envision them, every little detail. Then, at night when the house is quiet, I sit down and write. This process is pretty taxing, and almost self-destructive at times. For example, when I was writing the Mad Days of Me, trilogy, I had the protagonist in my head for almost six years. It is, nevertheless, the only way I know to write, since I'm unable to write from an outline.

I don't really have a desk because I use either a laptop or my little Neo, so can I set myself up anywhere. I do, however, maintain a corkboard covered in sentences, photographs, maps, subway maps, train schedules, menus...whatever is pertinent to the story I'm writing at the time. Other than that, I always have a cup of coffee no matter where I write, and an ashtray near me, if I happen to write outdoors.

Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski, Albert Camus, Karel Capek, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Knut Hamsun, Albert Cossery, John Steibeck, Peter Handke, Walker Winslow,....

That's easy - my family. They are the driving force behind almost everything I do.