Surprisingly neat. I'm not a messy, disorganised, frenetic person - I like to have some semblance of order and structure. However I'm completely OCD either, I just like to be clutter free

I've moved around a fair bit over the years, and have travelled as well. This certainly opens your eyes to different cultures and people. I've been fortunate to meet people from all walks of life and that eclectic mix of characters (and characteristics) certainly helps with writing.

I wrote when I was a teenager (mid teens) and I was reading lots of Robert Ludlum and Craig Thomas - so I wrote cold war style spy stuff. I have no idea whatever happened to all that and would probably cringe now if I ever re-read it! I stopped writing for quite a few years as i played in a few bands - mostly metal/hard rock stuff. Plus, with work and family commitments, time was an issue. But I started again, in earnest, a few years ago and now make time to write.

Not being published! It's so hard to break through so Smashwords really offered an opportunity for me to get my stuff out there. I've entered many competitions, won one, runner up in another and that, as well as positive independent feedback from others on Smashwords, helped give me the confidence to know that my stuff is okay and I should keep going.

I wouldn't say I successful at all. Success to me would be earning enough $ from writing that I could give up my "day job". That may never happen, so until it does, I'm not successful. But Smashwords is a great help indeed in that it provides a platform for publication and feedback which is so important for anyone to gain confidence.

Finishing a story - especially if I can read it back and still enjoy a few turns of phrase, or dialogue or something.

The illusive first novel awaits. I've tried a few times but never really been happy with them. I still enjoy short stories though - I know that a collection of short stories is a bit like a "Greatest Hits" album from your favourite band, but I love reading and writing them. There's less commitment and the story is done and dusted in a short time which, in these busy, attention-deficit-afflicted times, is a great thing.

This question has the potential to end up with a list of authors i like or a list of authors i want people to think I like (i.e. gaining street-cred etc...)! I'll limit it to my Top 5. This is the Top 5 as of now - it will change over time and some great authors I love and read aren't on it, this is just where I am now:

Irvine Welsh, Chick Palahniuk, Stephen King, James Ellroy, Nick Hornby

I try to keep fit, I play music (mainly bass and guitar), and I enjoy life. Eating, drinking, and spending time with my family and friends.

I need quiet. Mostly I'll start with an idea or sometimes just a sentence. From there I get an vague notion of what I want to write about and then start. This is especially true of short stories. Sometimes the stories end up in a totally different place than I thought they would - like "Battle of Wits" which didn't start out being a crime story at all, nor "Pig Farm" which originally was purely a revenge-style thriller but the twist kids came out of nowhere yet really fits. With longer stories I need to plan it - map out the chapters, get an idea of word length and so on.