Starting in September 2022 I began an interesting project. Readers on Smashwords get to see each chapter of "Star Song" as soon as it's finished instead of waiting for the completed book. "Star Song" is an epic science fiction novel (approximately 200,000 words when finished) that I'm currently writing. I have been right on schedule, finishing and publishing an approximately 10,000 word chapter (episode) each month. I decided to do this as a discipline to keep me writing fiction even though my life as a music teacher and performer is very busy. The discipline is paying off! Doing this as a series has made writing such a habitual part of my life that I'm completing 2 or 3 short stories in addition to the "required" chapter of "Star Song" every month. This has been a great learning experience for me, and the comments on the episodes have been very encouraging. I plan on making a print version of "Star Song" available when it is finished. I'm also exploring the idea of turning it into an audiobook. In the meantime, read the first episode, "Treason", and follow the adventures of Commander Alkabah as he discovers the hidden worlds of dark energy and matter. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1162889

My Dog!!! Every morning, without fail. Other than taking him out for his morning walk, I get up and get to work on whatever I can to contribute to human society. When I worked in biotechnology, I got up to work on new medicines. Now, when I'm teaching music, I see the happiness and sense of accomplishment that learning brings to my students. When I'm performing music, I can see the pleasure that I bring to the audience. But, on a lot of mornings, I get up because I can't wait to start writing, working on the next thrilling or thought provoking part of a story or novel. The thought that I will share those stories that might bring pleasure and/or insight to the readers is what often gets me out of bed before the sun rises.

For me, writing is about taking my personal thoughts, emotions, and experiences and making them interesting and relevant to the others. Because I have a vivid imagination, I'm able to present my inner events in dramatic fictional form to share those thoughts with readers. A lot of what I write comes from my subconscious. Often, I'm surprised at the power of what I've written because I get so caught up in telling the story that I'm not aware of the implications until I'm in the editing/revision phase. And, that editing/revision phase is critical to the success of the writing. I spend a lot of time on details after the heat of writing the tale dies down.

I started writing poetry when I was 9 or 10. When I was in college I actually started getting my poetry published. Although I continued to write and publish poetry through my life, I only made sporadic attempts at fiction until recently. In 2020 I got serious about writing prose. I started a science fiction/fantasy novel in December 2020, and completed it in February 2021. Because it uses so much hard science, I realized it needed extensive revision and additions. When revising that novel that I began writing short stories to keep in practice. So, I started writing when I was very young, but it has taken a new direction in the last couple of years.

I don't write to make a living, so the reason I spend so much time creating stories and novels is for a particular type of reader. Because I write unconventional stories with deep, complex themes, I know anyone who reads my fiction is the type of reader, interested in something more than just trivial entertainment. Those people are my motivation. I would like to send out thanks to my biggest fans, the beta readers, who read my fiction before publication. Their comments, criticism, and suggestions are invaluable. Also, thanks to everyone who writes a review of my material on Smashwords. Those comments help me in continually improving my art.

I like to work with an artist who will create a one of a kind illustration that depicts important themes in the book. I then send the image along with the title/text for the cover to an experienced cover designer. Having the two professionals work on it costs some money, but the result is, IMO, striking.

My favorite authors are ones that I go back to again and again. They tend not to be contemporary popular writers. Here's a list of five: Dante Alighieri, Lucretius, Aleksandr Pushkin, H. G. Wells, and contemporary scientist, Lynn Margulis.

I was born in Ithaca, New York. It's a college town, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College. So I was exposed to a lot of art, literature, and music from an early age. When I was about 11 we moved to a house in the country nearby. Growing up in that rural location, I acquired an abiding appreciation for the natural world. Where I was raised contributed to two powerful aspects that are reflected in my writing: love of the natural world and a wide ranging appreciation for fine art, music, and literature.

I am a pretty eclectic reader. I like to read science fiction and mysteries for enjoyment. Lately I've been reading the novels of Walter Tevis - "The Hustler", "Mockingbird", "Queen's Gambit", etc. I read and reread Raymond Chandler's noir mysteries like "The Big Sleep" and "Farewell My Lovely". There are a couple of modern mystery writers I enjoy: Louise Penny and Peter Robinson. I've read everything by Arthur Conan Doyle over and over. Even though I'm retired from scientific work, I still read scientific and medical journals because I enjoy new discoveries and insights in those areas.