My wife. Cheesy and cliche but there really is nothing else out there in the world for me.

Self-depreciation and punishment. It helps if I have a deadline, even it's artificial or self-imposed. I never write drunk but the brain-storming process sometimes involves a combination of mind-altering substances and loud music that fits my targeted tone. I usually write something, hate it, re-write it, secretly love it but claim to hate it, show it to someone, become incredibly insecure about their feedback, re-write it, submit it through an online grammar program, edit, then submit for publishing and never look at it again.

Absolutely not because it was before the extension of my memory. However, the first novel I attempted to write was in the 5th grade. I didn't understand how plagiarism worked (legally, though I knew it was technically "hack") so my story was about a group of teens who called themselves "X-Men." They had superpowers given to them from gene splicing with animal DNA. I was clearly a fan of "Jurassic Park" and "Island of Dr. Moreau," both books I'd read by this point in my life.

I consume a massive amount of media. It's quite overwhelming, really, the sheer volume of it. I play video games while I binge TV shows then watch movies to accompany the podcasts I listen to while playing video games. It's all connected. I once stopped listening to a Harmontown interview with Steven Conrad so I could binge two seasons of "Patriot" before finishing the podcast.

I enjoy the poetic language of Roberto Bolaño, the bleak tonality of Cormac McCarthy, the intoxicating timbre of Bret Easton Ellis, the raw and honest humor of Dave Eggers, Kurt Vonnegut for all the obvious reasons, Jon Ronson for his ability to craft a narrative from reality, and the overwhelming creativity of J.K. Rowling.

"2666" by Roberto Bolaño is so beautiful and raw, and so unique to me at the time, that it's one of my biggest influences as a writer.
"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Has the most beautiful line in the written word: "He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God God never spoke."
"Fear" by Bob Woodward. The most important and seemingly unbiased telling of Trump's administration, it chronicles the disastrous foundation of the most powerful branch of the US Government.
"Diary" by Chuck Palahniuk. Opened my eyes to certain insanity seemingly necessary for the brilliantly creative. In short, it made me feel better about my dark self.
"The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances" by Matt Inman. The only self-help book I'll ever need.

I follow a lot of writer's blogs and I'll usually pick up what they've plugged. Podcasts are another big source. Most of the ebooks I read are comic books. It's easier to find rare titles, plus when you've moved as much as I have you appreciate packing an iPad over six 150 lb tubs.

I read a lot of comics for pleasure. I couldn't afford them as a kid, so most of what I read was from the library. "Sandman" by Niel Gaiman was the first series I remember reading start to finish. My favorite series right now is "Bitch Planet" by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro. For vacation reads, I usually look for the latest Dave Eggers, Jon Ronson, or re-read an old Michael Crichton.

My desk for a few years was our kitchen table. We never used it for eating, just for storing junk mail and my latest textbooks. I need to drink while I write, so it's nice having a coffee pot, a fridge full of La Croix, and the liquor cabinet all within arm's reach. Right now, my desk is my mattress. We recently moved and have no furniture.

I grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado. My parents put me in a "Core Knowledge" school, which was public albeit selective. That education was key, as was my parent's frequent trips to the library. Literature, arts, and music are celebrated in ways I haven't seen in other Midwestern cities, so I imagine I'd have no desire to write if I grew up anywhere else I've lived, since.

Dorothy Parker said it best: "I hate writing, but I love having written." The sense of accomplishment is the only reward since I find the process itself torture. At the risk of sounding hack, I truly do it for the fans. Even if there are only two of them, somehow it's still worth it.