I write and publish an article online every weekend. My articles are free to readers. They have eye-catching, searchable titles. While most article writers pick one topic and write continually about it, I write articles on diverse topics. All of my articles link to my Facebook page where my Smashwords e-novels are listed.

My desk is a traditional office manager's desk constructed of oak with a dark stain. The large surface accommodates my computer monitor, keyboard, printer, speakers, and mouse. The other hardware is stored in a cabinet below. I have plenty of room to spread out hard copy notes and scribbles under a banker's lamp. I am detail-oriented in my life and in my writing. The desk allows me to surround myself with a myriad of details which I craft into my stories.

I grew up in rural South Carolina. I was the eldest son of three boys. My father was a high school principal. My mother was a school teacher. Childhood experiences in that state have influenced my writing of some short articles. My novels have mostly been influenced by travel to foreign lands as a Navy Pilot and Logistician, and by vacation travel. It is the experiences that I have had meeting people in other cultures, plus a love of history, that has mostly influenced my major writing.

I can trace writing fiction to grade school essay assignments. I got praise for the stories, but no encouragement to do more than the assignment. Most of my jobs have involved written reports. I liked to jazz up my reports to make people want to read them. My wake up call was in the mid-1990s when I wrote an expansive Navy Logistics exercise. About ten naval units and more than a thousand people played roles in the exercise, based on the script that I wrote. By the third day, people who had no role contacted me to try to get advanced copies of the script (which I released in parts over a seven day period). They were reading it to family and friends - who wanted to know what would happen next in the story.

My latest book is "The Star of India." It is the second book in a three book drama series called "A Voice from New Mill Creek." The story behind this book is the same one that is behind the first book, "A Voice from New Mill Creek: The Methodists." Much of the fictional drama is based on historical fact. An historian is studying the actual site along New Mill Creek in Chesapeake, VA where 4 mills were constructed (the first in the 1600s), the likely location of the first Methodist meeting house in colonial America (early 1700s), and a Union defensive battle line during the War Between the States. "The Star of India" introduces a French Royal who learned to be a world shaper in the French East India Company. He will be a dark and powerful force to come to New Mill Creek in the third and final book of the series.

That was a natural fit for me. I am not one who wants to stand in a line or to be told what or how to write. I like to identify my goals, plan, and execute my plan on my terms. My writing is not commercial. It is not crafted to fit with the latest trend. Smashwords has been a significant enabler for me to publish my novels. Readers of my writing do not want to read what the crowd is told to read. They are dedicated Indie readers.

Smashwords' aggregation techniques, and distribution service are vital to me as an Indie author just as aircraft mechanics were vital to me as a Navy pilot. Mark Coker combined his experiences with a clear and strong vision when he created Smashwords. The staff of Smashwords that I have encountered are competent, helpful, and very customer (Indie writer) focused. Such success as I have had as a writer is due in large part to Smashwords. Thank you!

Measures of Performance. Most people call that feedback. I like to hear from my readers. I am thrilled to see a reader take the time to rate and write a comment about one of my novels. A reader who does that has been motivated by a writer. Seeing that happen completes my effort as a writer.

I have begun to write the final book that will complete the "Voice from New Mill Creek" three book series. I hope to publish it by early 2015. I have three novels lined up to write after that one.

My reading interests are diverse. Now and then, I read again some of the works of the masters of the writing craft: Hemingway, Twain, Poe, Orwell, Michener, and Hawthorne, to name some.

I am fortunate to be a writer who does not experience "writer's block". While I sleep, my mind works on the riddles and clues that will lead me to craft the next day's writing. I wake up at 4:45 am and get up eager to write. I remember, for awhile, what my mind has worked on. I get a cup of coffee while my computer loads. Then, my fingers fly on the keyboard! I usually have about five pages of raw but useful writing in an hour. Then, it is time for me to go to work at my day job.

My day job consumes about 12 hours of each of my weekdays. I like to get outside to walk, work in the yard, fish, golf, go to the beach, and to sail on the Chesapeake Bay with a friend. I don't miss a chance to spend time with family. My children are grown and they have not provided grandchildren yet. But, they visit, and I love hearing their stories.

A search on Smashwords first. I also websearch topics.

My son designs my book covers. He likes the challenge, and he is a driven learner. I like the opportunity that it gives me to work with him on something that is uniquely ours to share. Plus, he is good at designing book covers!

I use the Kindle. I like the features and it has never disappointed me technically.

I expect to be found one day blankly staring at my computer monitor, with one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse. Those who find me will say, "I wonder how this book would have ended?"