I was a military brat and I grew up everywhere, which probably made me want to put down roots so that my son could grow up in one location. Don't get me wrong. I don't think that moving from place to place was all that bad. But, I never had those old childhood friends or memories of community that other children had. Consequently, when I finally had a child, I wanted to provide him with the childhood that I never had, including living in a single location until he was grown.

I also think that one of the most profound influences on my childhood was the opportunity to spend my summers with my maternal grandparents. They lived on a farm in Mississippi, and they taught me a lot, including how to make the best ice cream sundae known to the human race. I also was introduced to Louis L'Amour dime store western novels, which influenced my love for reading. I have complete set of his books even today. For some reason, that old timey sense of right and wrong, when a man's integrity meant something, really impressed me. My favorite quote, "You can never stop a man who knows he's a right and just keeps a comin'," whip crack sound effect goes here.

I've been writing all my life. I've composed poems, songs and short stories. None have yet been published although I do have some videos on YouTube with me singing. I don't sing all that well and I don't play the guitar all that well. But, I will claim to be a pretty decent lyricist, and consequently, my songs are poignant and/or funny and/or socially provocative. Someday, I hope to record some of my songs ... I have one named "Jesus Wept" about hypocrisy and one named "No Way Out" about domestic violence, which is pretty moving. I also converted Robert Frosts, " The Road Not Taken" to tune. It's awesome but I don't own the copyright so I could never record it.

Sometimes I wonder if it's more that I am compelled or obligated to write than that I enjoy writing. I believe God gives gifts. I am not beautiful. I am not a fast runner. I am not musically gifted. I am not artistically talented. But, I can write a heart wrenching story. And, I do have a compelling social conscience. Combine the two, and you can create a great novel ... then you just have to get readers to read it. LOL.

Fans mean everything. Without readers who turn into fans, my dream of giving large sums of money to deserving charities simply isn't going to happen.

Also, having people tell how my books touched them and how it related to the struggles they were facing ... wow. Everybody has a story.

Honestly, I think I should right another novel based solely on fan feedback. Who knows, maybe I will.

Ooh ... good question. Three fictional books in the works ... scandal in little league baseball, scandal in a small non-profit and scandal in the South Carolina legislature. I also have a non-fiction book that is a fundraiser that I need to complete. 2014 will be a very busy year.

I've been very moved by some of the big names authors of the print era from all different genre: Louis L'Amour, Ayn Rand, Gore Vidal, Colleen McCullough and John Grisham come to mind.

What woman didn't enjoy the series written by EL James, Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling. Julie Garwood and Rosalind Laker have written some novels that were also wonderfully crafted and made you genuinely care about the characters which is a gift.

I also have been very moved by non-fiction writers from earlier days, particularly Henry David Thoreau and Thomas Paine, as well as the lesser read and so amazingly insightful Sir William Blackstone (Commentaries on the Laws of England).

I just purchased an eBook reader so I need to work on my indie author list.

OK. It's just too hard to pick five. So, I picked five books that have affected me personally.

Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged) -- read my book (A Hollywood Legend ... Stalker) to learn why this book has such relevance to me.

Louis L'Amour (Flint) -- it's my favorite about an honorable man surrounded by dishonorable people who went into the desert to die and ended up finding his happily ever after.

Tie on historical fiction between Colleen McCullough (Caesar) and Gore Vidal (Burr) -- Of all the people throughout history, Julius Caesar is the man I would most want to meet (besides Jesus, of course), because I would want to find out if Caesar truly was a good man and was trying to return the power to the people, or if he was a sociopathic tyrant. Of course, I would probably not be able to discern the difference unless I had telepathic super powers. LOL. As for the book on Burr, it was an amazing historical perspective of a very brilliant and misunderstood man.

Sir William Blackstone (Commentary on the Laws of England) -- This book made sense and I'm not a lawyer. But, it looked at laws and explained the obligations of the government to pass fair laws.

Jessica Rachel Mullaney (A Hollywood Legend ... Hero) -- OK, I'm sorry but I have to pick my own book. And, I am officially admitting the second book is my favorite of the series.