I just published a novelized version of a story serial I had posted to my Writing.Com account ( I am no longer a member), The Salvage Job. The original series had 19 stories involving the same characters as they interacted over a year and a half. Much of my original material had to be jettisoned, as I had written in many different voices, taking the characters off in different directions as dictated by whim and whatever contest I wanted to enter on the site. I condensed the action to one summer and set up a new unifying story arc that magnified the role of one of the stories focused on a criminal act, the kidnapping of an archaeologist for access to a "fabulous find." Many autobiographical details worked their way into the tale (the fry bread making lesson, fishing on the big reservation lake, the small town student in goth gear, etc.). What I kept was the tension between ex-lovers who have find a balance in their relationship before things get out of hand.

My next two projects are new additions to the Hob Scourge and Startrail serials.

My parents were missionaries and we lived in Africa when I was very small. When we got back to the US, we moved a lot, every couple of years, This gave me a chance to experience many different settings and meet a wide variety of people. It also made it difficult to put down roots and work my way into a community. I became a perpetual outsider and observer. That's a great foundation for Anthropology, which became my field of study, but it's a bit rough on social skill development. I have a habit of half listening to chatter around me as a result of my upbringing and vocation and I think that's given me a good ear for dialogue. It probably hasn't helped make me popular though.

I went indie after several frustrating tries at getting published on paper. When I first started submitting books to publishers, I would at least get acknowledgements and even rejection letters. In more recent years, the fashion has become no reply. Since many publishers won't allow simultaneous submission, you can be tied up for months waiting until you are allowed to submit again. Since I was going through the same process at work with papers for professional journals, I found it tiring to deal with the problem at home as well. I also found that agents are even worse at getting back to you. I did a little research before choosing Smashwords as my indie home.

My earliest writing memory outside of class was putting together skits for my own bestie and myself back in fifth grade. The earliest writing of any length that I did was a very sappy epic poem I penned in middle school. I was a habitual writer on the side in high school and wrote my first novella-length piece when I was a senior.

I love classical fiction and often scour Feedbooks for popular items I can add to my e-shelf. I also check out the Barnes and Noble Nook Book page's Daily Find for newer books and browse for their sale items. My sister sometimes gifts me books she likes too. She's a Kindle girl so I have to read those on my Lenovo tablet or IPhone on the Kindle app.

For a book, I go through five drafts. My first draft is often a mix of electronic and hand written segments that all get put together in a master draft I keep on an external hard drive attached to my laptop in a folder called "Workbench." I also keep a copy of the master in my Dropbox account so I can read and edit it on other devices. My goal for the first draft is to sketch out the story from start to finish. I usually do not have more than a brief paragraph of description to start with if writing from scratch (as opposed to "salvaging" some older material, such as short story serials form my time on Wiritng.com). For the second draft, I read through and add color details (such as descriptions of settings). For the third draft, I use a laserjet to print out a paper copy, which I read and mark up. I sometimes read aloud for this read-through, if only to hear the dialogue spoken. The fourth draft is made by adding my hand-corrections into the master and making any other corrections that seem necessary. The final draft is the outcome of the last read-through and edits. I like to leave some time between draft sessions so I can come at the book with some objectivity. During the time between drafts, I may work on related items such as the book cover. I find covers inspiring to have done early. They underline my commitment to the project and save me a step towards the end.

I want the cover to speak to the story if possible. I usually start by searching for an image that contains an item related to the story. For example, for "Soleville," which is about a shoe company employee, I looked for images of men's shoes. I may try several concepts and techniques to get the image I want. A typical go-to for me is clip art photos in Office products. I also use my own art. I have also used images from public domain sources such as the National Park Service. I use Photoshop Elements to size the cover image and apply effects. When the base image is ready, I apply the print elements (the title and credit). My goal is to develop a balanced image that draws the eye.

A top book for me is Charles Dickens' "Hard Times." This book speaks to the importance of developing one's imagination. On the other hand, "Northanger Abbey" illustrates what can happen when you let your imagination run away with you. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is packed with dazzlingly poetic images that are too complex to grasp in their entirety and beauty in one reading. "A Room with a View" carries its theme so completely through the book (the metaphor of the window exemplifying the impact of one's view on the world) that it stands as a shining example. Finally, every few years, I re-read "War and Peace" because its characters are so richly drawn and their lives still speak to our present world so well.

My first e-reader was an I-Pod. In the past two years, I've acquired a Nook Simple Touch, IPhone, Lenovo Tab 4 and Lenovo Yoga, all of which I use to read e-books. They all have their strengths but the one I consider my main go-to is the Simple Touch.