Why did I launch WriteWords Press? Simply put, I was ready. I have been writing for decades, since I was eight and read The Boxcar Children. .I had studied the great works of English and American literature as an undergraduate and graduate English major and revere the art of fiction writing as a way of seeing beyond ourselves, into the meaning of our lives. I'm addicted to good stories. What's more, I was sick and tired of hoping I’d write the perfect query letter to the understanding agent with a penchant for taking a chance. The truth is I HAD that agent decades ago, a famous agent from New York City who backed off after awhile. No, I was not going to wait any more.

My five favorite books are those I have yet to read which will inspire me to be the writer I love to be, books that will open me up to the magic, mystery and wonder of life. Examples of books that inspired me include: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, both of which I adored as a teenager; Dear Life by Alice Munro which I just taught in my From Heart to Paper Writing Workshop, Mercy by Tony Morrison, Atonement by Ian McEwan and Where the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald.

My greatest joy is to see the pleasure I felt writing the story reflected in the eyes of my readers who share their experience with me.

I need them more than they can ever know.

My desk is a mess right now: cords and wires from the printer, the mouse, and my phone; a chipped cup full of pens and pencil; dental floss; a copy of Pillow Prayers; two empty coffee and tea cops; a brochure about the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley a table lamp with extending cord; earphones; a cloth table napkin; several used paper napkins; open notebook with scribbled notes about this Smashwords Interview!

I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and this definitely influenced my writing. The descriptions of Pittsburgh in my second novel, Dreamers, exemplify my own experience. Annie's father's love of Pittsburgh echoes my own father's feelings about our home.

I'm revisiting an old manuscript I "thought" was finished back in 1999! It is called "Deer Xing" and takes place over a twenty-year period in Northern California. I have already deleted much of the beginning; about 320 pages to go and who knows what I will end up with. It's an adventure that any creative person (that's you) will appreciate—reaching for the unknown! Searching for that story no one else can tell but me.