I spent over $20,000 publishing my books through vanity presses before I realized there was a better way.

Smashwords has allowed me to control my publications and distribute my books in an efficient and effective way. Marketing is increasingly a job that the writer must do him/her self. Smashwords gives me the tools to do the marketing I need.

The initial idea is always very exciting, it's like mad passionate sex.

My fans inspire me to be a better writer.

I have another book of short stories that I'm working on called 'The Bronze Age'. I like the short story format. It allows me to explore a particular idea, compare it with others and weave it into a fun story that will entertain my readers without taking up too much of their valuable time.

I have another book of short stories that I'm working on. I like the short story format. It allows me to explore a particular idea, compare it with others and weave it into a fun story that will entertain my readers without taking up too much of their valuable time.

Joseph Conrad, Alexander Pushkin, Hemingway, Martha Gellhorn, I read extensively both non fiction - history, and fiction.

The prospects of creating a story that will inspire and motivate myself and others to make each day a successful adventure.

reading,traveling, watching movies

I have a sony reader and I look through it daily for good reads.

Coming to America. My descriptions of arriving in Oakland California from Scotland in 1981.

First I sit down with the intention of writing. Usually I come to my writing desk with an idea I want to write about or a project I'm currently working on. If I cannnot think of anything. I meditate on the writings I have done. Look through other writings and concentrate on a first line. Once I've got the first line I'm off and running. It's important to want to be creative and allow yourself to be creative, which means being patient with yourself.

The Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. It was horrifying, but beautiful in its descriptive powers. When I finished reading it I wanted to be a writer, although at the time I had no idea how that would happen.

My daughter's a graphic artist and I dabble in the fine arts. I usually make a crude drawing and give it to her. Then we work on it for a bit until it conveys the feel that I want.

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad; because of his tremendous powers of observation and description,
The Captains Daughter, by Alexander Pushkin, because of his fresh humanist and descriptive writing style.
Giovanni's Room, by James Baldwin, because of his fierce powerful subject matter.
Hemingway' short stories, because of their brevity and powerful dialogues that infuse great sensitivity into his characters.
The Lunatic, by Anthony Winkler, because he tells hilarious stories about Jamaican characters that are irresistible.

poetry

sony reader