The morning bike ride. I am an avid single-speed cyclist. I seem to get the best ideas when riding my bike. It's as much a neural exercise as a physical one.

I seem to stumble upon them on the internet. Were they magically placed there? Ha-ha.

Hmmmm .... a very, very short story ... really just a sketch ....

First, a very loose, changeable outline. I don't like to map everything out and just fill it in like a coloring book. Usually by the third or fourth chapter (or the 20th page of a novella), the story will have a life of its own, and the characters will be demanding certain things to happen.
Second, as I write the chapters (or sections), at first it is almost all narrative. Then I go back and insert/expand the dialogue. Next, I add the thoughts of the characters (in italics).
Third, revising and revising, and more revising for at least a month or three.
Fourth, the cover graphic, which i will create myself in a free photo-editing program.

'His Enemy, His Friend' by John R. Tunis still sticks in my mind. It really gripped my adolescent mind. And I loved the unexpected (to me) ending.

As a visual artist, I relish this aspect of the e-book creation process. I usually take a stock, royalty-free, public domain pic and spice it up in a photo-editing program.

1. His Enemy, His Friend (the madness, insane cruelty, and haunting tragedy of war)
2. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Nurse Ratched, a walking metaphor of conformity)
3. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (sure wish I was on that bus - was way too young)
4. Still Life With Woodpecker (no need to be afraid to write a bizarre tale)
5. Hornet's Nest (pure vanity here: my artwork is mentioned in it - m. van tryke)

To be honest, a lot of articles on The Guardian website. I even comment frequently.

An older black-and-white kindle.

Google Adwords.

A mess of papers. But, I think I know what is under each stack. Maybe.

1991. Surreal poem-stories displayed below my artwork in NoDa (North Charlotte).

Ok, 'GOLD, a summer story' is my first and only novel to date. The idea came to me back in the summer of 1995, while out in the Reed Gold Mine area of NC. I didn't find any gold in the nearby creeks/rivers that day, but I wondered what would happen to my life if I did. Not a small amount - a large nugget, or several nuggets, worth a million dollars or more. Who would I trust? Could I trust my girlfriend? How would i get the gold sold? Would I move to another city?

Doubleday wasn't returning my calls. Ha-ha.

YES! Already lots of downloads. Should've checked into this site earlier. Got caught in the amazon-only trap for two years. This feels liberating.

Concisely conveying a certain notion/idea/sensation to the reader.

The world!

Thinking of doing a very experimental 'novel' where the readers get to add to subsequent editions of it.

Inventing new games, doing artwork, hiking, cycling, and goofing around with my wife and son.

Kesey, Poe, Wolfe, Kerouac, Bukowski

Only in the bottom of a Goldschlager bottle.

Charlotte, or 'crown town' as I heard someone call it the other day.

I'm a homer; thus, I'm a Panthers (NFL) and Hornets (NBA) fan.
However, I get my biggest joy out of watching Liverpool FC - Go Reds!

It all is until it isn't.