I'm a keen golfer though my handicap might suggest otherwise. I also like biking on my Honda Pacific Coast. I acquired the bike by accident as an unintended trade in for a bike I was selling. Little did I know that the Pacific Coast is one of Honda's best kept secrets. What a great bike.

I was an early adopter of the Amazon Kindle. In fact I still have the original well worn Kindle reader. In my opinion there's no better way to read a book than on an electronic device. So handy and easy, whilst giving greater access to authors and great books.

Regalion was my first book. It was hard to write, taking over nine months but an experience well worth the effort. An effort made easier by the splendid systems and online help from Smaswords.
I started it in Spain whilst on vacation. I learned early on about writers block but soon realised that blockages lead to amazing creativity.

It starts with an idea. Usually allied to a personal passion. Then research, which, if you're lucky opens up even greater imaginings. I then check facts on at least three different Internet sources before I accept them as true facts. The Internet is not as accurate as you may think. Above all be inspired by reading the best writers. Figure out what makes them so good and don't forget to check out the older classics.

John Buchan's The 39 Steps as a youth and David Baldaci's Absolute Power.

I did the first one myself and got lucky. Many of my friends thought it was excellent so I kept it. The clincher was my grand daughter. I asked her at age 8 to view my kindle book carousel which displayed several professional published book covers including my sample that I'd uploaded directly to my kindle. As I ran through and came to my cover she moved to select it then stopped. No, she said, not that one, it's too good for you to have drawn and continued cycling through the carousel.

The 39 Steps
Absolute Power
The girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.
They are all spell binding, brilliantly written in plain flowing English with complex stories and unforgettable characters that linger in your mind like long lost friends. The ultimate test is when you wonder about the characters several days after you have finished the book.

Which one? My work, even in retirement, results in my having at least 4 desks. One is devoted to computer programming and sports a special computer for writing code. Another, in my den, is a hotchpotch of electronic circuits, raspberry pi computers and hobbyist paraphenalia. My filing system is a giant pile that I organise periodically and quite methodically.

On a council estate (social housing) in North West England. A stable normal upbringing, a father with a strong sense of justice and compassion; a nice man. Both parents working class, decent and honest. Very little money - but freedom unheard of in today's over protective world that via the media, fools us into thinking there's danger everywhere. My best results in life were driven whilst my back was against the proverbial wall. Humans were engineered to do well under pressure, provided they are healthy and enjoy a loving and secure upbringing.
My writing is the result of encouragement as a youngster to work hard and enjoy challenges. Self actualisation!

It apealed to my business sense and the brilliant use of modern technology. I might be retired but I love change. Old style publishers have had a long run and whilst I mourn the potential loss of a good book store, I love the convenience of modern technology and the instant access to thousands of books. Quality, though, is now hidden in a forrest of books - seeing the wood for the trees is indeed a challenge, for authors and readers alike.