I first wrote a book when I was twenty. I had always had a desire to write and have always had a great love of pens. Perhaps these two things were destiny calling me to put pen to paper.

The next five books were written when I was forty two. These books were not hand written, but were typed as inspired.

During this same time period, I started hand writing notebooks as a Q & A with God. This writing continues, but I published the first book in 2012, Please Speak For Thy Servants Are Listening. Surely there will be more to come.

At forty five, I was inspired to write a book of Jesus' teachings about acceptance and non-judgment, Jesus Asks, "What Am I That You Are Not?"

At forty seven, I was inspired to write poetry. Currently, there are ten books published, one completed, but not published and many more poems written. Three of the poetry books have the poems written as art, in shapes. This was an inspirational twist, but one which I really enjoyed. I was never really a big fan of poetry, but the artful shaping of the poems peaked my interest. I really hope that it will inspire others as it did me.

Bringing joy and peace to others. The books that I write are not for me, even though I have learned much from them. The books are for the benefit of others, that they may learn and find hope as I have. The books are meant to expand our perspectives, from one to all. When a person begins to realize that they are but one of the interconnected cogs in the wheel of life, then truly the process of enlightenment begins.

The book titled Leaving I Behind summarizes the process of enlightenment.

As I have learned, we must go through a process of unlearning before we can begin to see things in proper perspective. I have written the questions I asked, so that others may benefit from my experience. The seeker learns that ego stands between self and divinity, self and brother, me and them. It is the perceived separation of the ego which creates the divide, causing all manner of human suffering.

The lessening of human suffering is truly the objective of the seeker of enlightenment. That I may be of service to other seekers, this is my joy.

The poetry seems to flow endlessly.

I continue to write notebooks of Q & A with God.

I have some other books in the works on various topics. Having always been interested in spiritual healing, I have recently done a great deal of research on the subject. Much of our lives is controlled by our health, or at least by the perception of the state of our health. Changing our perspectives can change our health, so I believe there is much to be learned on the subject of "healing."

Having spent a considerable amount of time researching the Bible and other religious texts, I do believe that there is much misunderstood information in use today. I have learned much about how innocent people are manipulated by guilt and fear, so I hope to be able instead to bring acceptance and peace through simplification.

Most importantly, I hope to be able to write on the subject of hope and how we can work together to make all lives better for everyone. The perception of separation allows the "divide and conquer" controllers to keep us from living freely and lovingly. It is our own allowances of divisions which cause disparity to continue. We must join together with all others to create the lives we wish to have.

The authors of A Course In Miracles, Helen Schucman and William Thetford, are my absolute favorites. The creation of this book came after much tedious and tiring effort, for which the authors really saw no benefit. They demonstrated the best in us, by offering the book without their names on the cover, so that they could not be used as distractions from this marvelous manuscript.

Neale Donald Walsch, the author of the Conversations With God books, is a powerful example for those of us who seek to know God. He risked ridicule and shame, offering his books that we may know God more personally. He wrote that we could learn as he had.

Dr. Wayne Dyer has written many books which bring light to the masses. I have learned much from him.

There are too many to list, but I most admire those who are/were the scribes, giving of themselves for the benefit of all.

Learning. I do untold hours of research on various subjects. Seldom a day goes by in which I haven't learn many new things. I try to keep my mind very active. I love to learn, believing that what I learn is meant to be shared. I have the time and willingness to do the research, hoping that my efforts are useful to others.

I have hobbies, such as painting. Some of the book covers are photos of paintings I have done. Painting is relaxing and fun, even if I demonstrate a lack of talent for it. I hope that others will be inspired to take a brush and create their own masterpieces.

It is my belief that everyone has gifts to offer the world. We have a responsibility to create as inspired. Let us not leave this world having created nothing. Do something that has never been done before, even if you are the only one who appreciates it.

I write upon receiving inspiration. For example, after listening to a story about something really sad that happened, I will write a poem about the event. I have written when I "heard" direction to do so. I tend to write more when I am relaxed and open to receiving inspiration. Sometimes, inspiration comes faster than I can write. Sometimes, inspiration doesn't come at all.

I find that I cannot write unless I am inspired to do so. If I sit down and decide to write something, it is a fruitless struggle.

When inspired, I can write for hours on end. The five book series was typed in three months, they were never hand written. As the words came into my head, I typed them, sometimes for eighteen hours a day.

Cover design is more difficult for me, especially since I have no artistic training. I try to consider the subject matter of the book and design the cover to suit the content. The book Poems From The Heart has a heart on the cover. Please Speak For Thy Servants Are Listening has a picture of one of the notebook pages included in the book.

Cover design is important, more than I had previously realized. I've had to do some research on this and have looked at some award winning cover designs to get ideas. There's really no chance that I'll have a future in advertising, but I think that my book covers offer a glimpse into the books.

The Bible, as it was my introduction to the subject and experience of God. I was raised on biblical teachings, so my earliest experience of God came from my family and Sunday School. In spiritual progression, I would call this my step one.

Conversations With God (Three Books,) as they taught me to know God personally. These books literally changed my life, offering me a totally new perspective on God. These books demonstrated that God was not jealous or vengeful, but was truly only loving and kind. This was my step two.

A Course In Miracles, as it was the clarification for all the confusion. There are only a few specific quotes from the Bible in this book, but it offers much clarification for the questions people have about God and spirituality and life. This book is not a one time read, but is for a lifetime of study and contemplation. This was my step three.

The Disappearance Of The Universe, as it offered clarification for A Course In Miracles. This book helps its readers to better understand A Course In Miracles.

Autobiography Of A Yogi, as it brought to light the struggles of a spiritual seeker. This book is amusing and amazing. The author, Paramahansa Yogananda, writes wonderfully of his adventures toward enlightenment. It also contains an astonishing amount of historical facts, which offer great insights into the world in which we live.

Having grown up in rural south Georgia, Christianity was simply a way of life. From this base, I grew and learned about spirituality outside of religion. I pondered why some were Christians and some were Catholics and some were Morman. Seeking always to find God, I looked in many places. I wondered why Jews were God's chosen people, as stated in the Bible. I wondered why some people believed in many gods and what part myths played in modern day religions.

My writing was influenced by my quest to know God, which wasn't satisfied by what I learned in Sunday School. I wanted to really know God personally, not fear Him as I had been taught from the Bible. If God were loving, how could He be vengeful and judgmental? There always seemed a conflict between the loving God and the God who wrought destruction upon the world.

What I've learned is that all paths lead to God, as we have never left the Source of our creation. God, or Source, is not as I had imagined or been told. God is not the old guy in the sky, as I was taught in Sunday School. God is neither male nor female, young or old, black or white. God is not religious, nor is any religion preferred. God, which is but a descriptor of the Source of all, merely is. From this Source, are we.

The primary motivation is control of rights. With indie publishing, the author can and should retain all rights to the book's contents. When a publishing contract is signed, certain rights are signed away to the publishing company. This is the nature of the publishing business. When books are self published on most indie publishing sites, the author retains all rights. There are exceptions, but if the author is intent upon retaining all rights, careful reading of "the site's fine print" is necessary.

Due to the nature of my books, I wished to keep the content as written. I needed to have control over the content, so I published the books on the two sites which offered me the freedom to freely publish without any restrictions: Smashwords for ebooks and The Book Patch for paperback books.

I have a calling and a purpose. It is this calling which inspires me to create the books that I write. The hope that someone will be inspired by the books offers me the impetus to continue.