My desk is a large, leather-topped mahogany art deco piece that I have managed to bury beneath three computer monitors and piles of papers and documents. It drives my partner to despair but I assure her that everything on it is important and has its place.

I found myself contemplating on how rapidly the world was changing. And how fast and competitive life was becoming for everyone; for Gen X and Y and especially for baby-boomers. The book evolved from my trying to crystallize in my own mind what was happening; why, and what the ramifications might be for me and my family going forward.

I had tried several times previously to have books and articles published without much success. Numerous rejections made me realize that although the cliché "everyone has a book in them" is perhaps true, most are books that no one gives a damn about or could be bothered reading. Indie authors at least are being helped up onto the first step of the ladder leading to exposure of their work. From there it's all about good marketing, and good luck.

The sense that every day is a gift and I shouldn't waste it. Apart from the mercenary, daily grind most of us have to endure, I try every day to do something that is worthwhile, stimulating, and fulfilling for my creative urges.

I like early morning walks along the beach with my partner; managing our tropical garden which is a work in progress; and really love chasing down balls on the tennis court and unleashing the occasional "winner". Oh yes, and I can't live without music in my life... music of all genres and cultures.

I just go with what looks right to me. I'm a very visual person and drive everyone crazy the way I high-light and red-ink every book and article I'm really into. I like my images to be dramatic and cover designs to be theatrical.

As a kid I was really into fiction of all types; sci-fi, adventure, thrillers. As I grew older I gradually found myself more pre-occupied with non-fiction. I guess I became less inclined to lose myself in escapism and more challenged to understand, cope, and adapt to what was going on around me.

These days I mainly read non-fiction. I read to try and learn, and to understand. I watch movies when I want to escape reality.

It was entitled "Dawn On Armageddon" and was written two decades ago. As the name implies, it wasn't a feel-good story, but rather an attempt to predict how World War III might have erupted in the Middle East. Needless to say, it was well wide of the mark.

I remember being mesmerized as a kid when I first got my hands on a battered copy of a James Bond paper-back. I believe it was Ian Fleming's "Live and Let Die".