Describe your desk:
I don't have a desk as such,for my laptop sits on a small wheeled table,the sort commonly used to pull over a bed to have breakfast. Various useful objects are within easy reach,including a back-scratcher! I write in semi-darkness, with the window covered over to prevent distractions. The room is illuminated by two strategically placed bedside table-lamps and my laptop screen. I'm frequently surprised by what the weather is doing,when I venture into other rooms and look out of the window. As I live in a noisy location, I drown out disturbance by playing music from the hard drive via earbuds.

What's the story behind your stories?
Many of my protagonists are outsiders and solitaries, which is rather a giveaway about my own place in society. Writers are hermits by the nature of their calling, though their seclusion is preceded by immersion in the ways of conventional society. So it was with me, and after a prolonged and intense dunking in the ways of man I took several years out getting to know myself again. I have learned much from reading fiction over the years, loving new words, hearing of new writers and taking encouragement from the success of the characters in their stories. I'll pass on some of these pleasures to my readers. Thus I may use words that aren't commonly heard anymore, mention musicians or authors that the character enjoys, both as an indicator of their nature and to introduce the reader to them.

What do you read for pleasure?
I have wide-ranging tastes,though since I started writing again I've confined myself to poetry,wary of being infuenced by the style of other authors. From 2009 - 2012 I read about 1,400 novels and volumes of short stories and poetry,as well as many non-fiction works. I think that I kept my local branch library open.

What motivated you to become an indie author?
I had an agent when I started writing in the 1970's, and she did all of the hard work of finding me work and selling what I wrote. Sadly,she died while I was in America. I've been doing my own thing since,and the attraction of publishing via Smashwords is evident when you look at the percentage paid on earnings compared to traditional publishers. It's salutary to remember that JK Rowling was turned down a dozen times by publishers,before being accepted. As the great screenwriter William Goldman said of the workings of the Hollywood studios : " No one knows anything. " So why not let the reader decide ?

Who are your favorite authors?
For short stories I still think that Guy de Maupassant is the master,though Raymond Carver and Michele Roberts are satisfying and thought-provoking. I favour American thriller writers over British,and Michael Connelly,James Lee-Burke and Dennis Lehane are masterful. James Connolly is superb. Elmore Leonard has never written anything bad. Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series of mysteries are a delight. Henning Mankell is well known for his Wallander series of novels,but any of his novels are fine and moving. Alice Hoffman is always engrossing. I love Patrick Gale,Justin Cartwright,Helen Dunmore, and Donald Harington. I grew up reading articulate tellers of tales,such as J.B. Priestley,John Steinbeck,Ray Bradbury and E.L.Doctorow,all of whom are more concerned with getting their story across than being pretentious in a literary way. If I want to read something unusual I'll go to Haruki Murakami,and Annie Dillard makes me happy. If you haven't read any of Richard Brautigan,then please do,for there's no one like him. Try 'The Hawkline Monster' or 'The Abortion.An Historical Romance 1966.'

Whats the best advice you know about writing ?
Two wise observations spring to mind. The great American sports-writer Red Smith said " Writing is easy. Sit down and open a vein. " And E.L. Doctorow noticed that " Writing is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as the headlights,but you make the whole trip that way."

What is your writing process?
I like to think that I have a good memory,but jotting ideas down immediately is a tremendous way of capturing slippery sources of inspiration. It can simply be a phrase or title,as well as plot ideas - don't let them get away. I begin composing stories mentally,often years before sitting down to write using some of the strange and amusing things that have happened to me and friends.I know that some writers stick to a strict regime of creating a certain number of words each and every day. I can see the value in that,as some good may come of it even if it's painfully forced,but I work better going with the flow that comes from needing to put down what's come to me since I left the story. Its more of a release of pressure,rather than a regular syphoning-off of words.

How do you tackle cover design?
Although I'm a writer I have a keen visual sense. My father was a noted photographer,and I grew up surrounded by cameras and mind-expanding images. I have a background that includes the creative arts,so have a go

I had an agent when I started writing in the 1970s, and she did all of the hard work of finding me work and selling what I wrote. Sadly, she died while I was in America. I've been doing my own thing since, and the attraction of publishing via Smashwords is evident when you look at the percentage paid on earnings compared to traditional publishers. It's salutary to remember that JK Rowling was turned down a dozen times by publishers, before being accepted. As the great screenwriter William Goldman said of the workings of the Hollywood studios : "No one knows anything." So, why not let the reader decide?

Many of my protagonists are outsiders and solitaries,which is rather a give-away about my own place in society. Writers are hermits by the nature of their calling,though their seclusion is usually preceded by immersion in the ways of conventional society. So it was with me,and after a prolonged and intense dunking in the ways of man I took several years out getting to know myself again. I have learned much from reading fiction over the years,loving new words,hearing of new artists and taking encouragement from the success of the characters in the stories;I hope to pass on some of these pleasures to my readers. Thus I may use words that aren't commonly heard anymore,mention musicians or authors that the character enjoys,both as an indicator of their nature and to introduce the reader to them.

I don't have a desk as such,for my laptop sits on a small wheeled table,the sort commonly used to pull over a bed to have breakfast. Various useful objects are within easy reach,including a back-scratcher. I write in semi-darkness,with the window covered over to prevent distractions. The room is illuminated by two strategically placed bedside table-lamps and my laptop screen. I'm frequently surprised by what the weather is doing,when I venture into other rooms and look out of the window. As I live in a noisy location,I often drown out disturbance by playing music from the hard-drive via ear-buds. It's better to know what sound is coming next,rather than be startled by an unexpected crash or bang.

Two wise observations spring to mind. The great American sports writer Red Smith said: "Writing is easy. Sit down and open a vein." And E.L. Doctorow noticed that "Writing is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as the headlights, but you make the whole trip that way."

I like to think that I have a good memory, but jotting ideas down immediately is a tremendous way of capturing slippery sources of inspiration. It can simply be a phrase or title, as well as plot ideas - don't let them get away. I begin composing stories mentally, often years ago, before sitting down to write using some of the strange and amusing things that have happened to me and people I've met.I know that some writers stick to a strict regime of creating a certain number of words each and every day. I can see the value in that, as some good may come of it even if it's painfully forced, but I work better going with the flow that comes from needing to put down what's come to me since I left the story. Its more of a release of pressure, rather than a regular syphoning-off of words.

I have wide-ranging tastes, though when I first started writing again I confined myself to poetry, wary of being influenced by the style of other authors. From 2009 - 2012 I read about 1,400 novels and volumes of short stories and poetry,as well as many non-fiction works. I think that I kept my local branch library open. I felt the lack of reading for pleasure, so began borrowing books again.

For short stories I still think that Guy de Maupassant is the master, though Raymond Carver and Michele Roberts are satisfying and thought-provoking. I favour American thriller writers over British, and Michael Connelly, James Lee-Burke and Dennis Lehane are masterful. James Connolly is superb. Elmore Leonard has never written anything bad. Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series of mysteries are a delight. Henning Mankell is well-known for his Wallander series of novels, but any of his novels are fine and moving. Alice Hoffman is always engrossing. I love Patrick Gale, Justin Cartwright, Helen Dunmore, and Donald Harington. I grew up reading articulate tellers of tales, such as J.B. Priestley, John Steinbeck, Ray Bradbury and E.L. Doctorow, all of whom are more concerned with getting their story across than being pretentious in a literary way. If I want to read something unusual, I'll go to Haruki Murakami. Annie Dillard makes me happy. If you haven't read any of Richard Brautigan, then please do, for there's no one like him. Try 'The Hawkline Monster' or 'The Abortion. An Historical Romance 1966.'

Although I'm a writer I have a keen visual sense. My father was a noted photographer, and I grew up surrounded by cameras and mind-expanding images. I have a background that includes the creative arts, so have a good idea what I want my cover to look like. The biggest worry in designing a cover is that of copyright, though there are a number of useful stock image sites, but their photographs and illustrations can be a little mundane and predictable. I like the deviantART site, whose contributors make for a friendly community. As Mark Coker suggests about so many aspects of e-book production, the key is to keep things simple and that includes cover design. What would look attractive as a full-sized hardback book cover design may well not work when reduced to a small tile-size online. Think bright colours and a readily discernible image, whatever it is - a flying bird, the sun, a flower or a couple kissing. Make sure that your book title and author name are legible in the shrunk tile size - unless the image on the cover is so eye-catching that they lessen the impact. There's lots of pay-for graphic design sites, but I'm happy with the free Irfan View and Fotor programmes which are easy to use and do all that I need.

About the only time I have a favourite anything is when I'm in love, so any ten books I choose now may well change the next time I'm asked. I'll always adore 'The Wind In The Willows' by Kenneth Grahame and with illustrations by E.H. Shepherd, for its depiction of the joys of Nature, the value of friendship, the importance of standing up for your beliefs and the daftness of our obsessions. Its statements about ecology are unacknowledged, as it's seen as a children's story. John Irving's 'The Cider-House Rules' is amazing, and they even made it into a decent film. I like it for the atmosphere of place, the selflessness of its characters, the coming-of-age narrative balancing the decline that comes with ageing and the overall warmth of the story. A collection of Guy de Maupassant's short stories would keep me happy, as long as it included 'The Horla' and 'Regret' . Maupassant conveys more in a few pages about human foibles than some writers do in a whole novel. Justin Cartwright writes incisively about family relationships and I'm fond of 'The Promise of Happiness'. Patrick Gale should be knighted for his lovely novels, and I particularly like ' Notes from an Exhibition' - read 'A Perfectly Good Man' afterwards, as some of the characters reappear. Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy for being so thrilling and debunking the pomposity of religion and the hubris of man. Alice Hoffman's 'The Dovekeepers' is one of the most absorbing reads I've ever enjoyed. 'Stoner' by John E Williams is finally being given the recognition it deserves - a brilliant portrayal of a decent man and a frustrated love affair. Tim Gautreaux's 'The Clearing' steams off the page in more ways than one. That's more than ten, but who cares ?