It's an almost mystical process where the story takes on a life of its own. I develop the characters and the outline of a plot, but as I let the characters speak they often tell me things about the story that I'd not realized when I started writing.

I originally became interested in fantasy through Tolkien and Katherine Kurtz's Deryini series. I was a fan of Robert Asprin's Myth books and Adams' Hitchhiker series. My current favorite is Lisa Shearin.

I follow certain authors, take my wife's recommendations and rely on the opinions of reviewers on sites like io9 and the Backspace Writers group. I admit to being a slow reader, so I don't finish as many books as I'd like.

I mostly read science fiction and fantasy, with an occasional mystery slipping in. For every epic/ complicated book (Game of Thrones) I'll alternate something light/ comedic (Another Fine Myth).

Um... living, I guess. I enjoy my day job as a vocational counselor. My wife and I hike, maintain a house and have geeky conversations. Life in the 21st Century can keep you very busy. I tend to write for an hour after work and early mornings on Saturday.

I have two books completed in the story of Caswel's exile. I expect it will be a four book series with the next one out in late 2015. I also have another character with which I'm experimenting, but he's not ready for prime time yet.

I usually begin with a character, coming up with his/ her background and personality. I then create a secondary character and force the two of them to have a conversation. That suggests a plot. I do an outline and a first draft. Then I change several things and do a second draft. I let one or two beta readers look at that version and make adjustments based on their comments. It usually takes several months and four drafts to make it ready for a professional editor.

I guess the first story I ever wrote for public consumption was a play. A friend of mine and I wrote a soap opera parody for a middle school English class and recruited other students to put it on with us. I played the Narrator in classic Gary Owens voice.

I have several pictures in my head when I'm writing the story. I present some of those images to my artist and let them come back to me with proposals. I'm a counselor and a writer. I leave artwork to artists.

I have a early version of the Nook which I like. I only recently switched to a smartphone, so make of that what you will.

Judgment of the Elders is my first published work. I'm experimenting with several marketing approaches right now. Nothing succeeds like word-of-mouth, however. If you read Judgment, please take the time to review it.

My most recent release, Devil at the Crossroads, started as a short story. I received feedback that it contained too much material and needed to be expanded.