Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
In Canada...almost everywhere in Canada. My Father had a job that required him to make many moves during my youth. I was Born in New Brunswick but lived in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia. By the time I was in grade nine I had been in nine different schools.
This fiddle footed existence opened a lot of doors to life for me, having to meet and make new friends at every turn gave me a confidence that I think is required to not only to write books, but to follow through with publishing. I sometimes wonder how many great unpublished novels are sitting in someone's dresser drawer.
When did you first start writing?
I started writing in midlife during my midlife crisis. My first writing was poetry, which was a method of releasing my pent up emotions, and it was one of those poems 'The Alberta Outlaw' that got me thinking of expanding it into a book. I would think about it before going to sleep (as a sleep aid) at night and you might say that I dreamed my way to becoming and author.
A fortunate decision in high school to enroll in typing class as a half credit (mainly because it was a good place to meet girls) left me with the ability to type fairly fast. I sometimes wonder if I did not have this ability would I have the patience to hunt and peck for the time it takes to write a novel.
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