How did you first decide to become a writer?
I don't think I ever made a decision to be a writer. I have been driven by visions, images and stories since a young age and my biggest challenge has always been finding ways to express them all. I actually started out as a poet and painter but found that by writing prose, I could reach a larger audience. My struggle has been in keeping the vision in the writing; not watering down the images by using too many words.
If, as you say, you have always been a writer, why have you waited so long to publish?
Twice in my life, I have lost my entire life's work to water. First in my parents' flooded basement while I was traveling in Europe. Then in a friends' flooded cabin in the Slocan Valley in BC while I was traveling in Asia. These drownings took place when writing was done by hand with pen and paper, or with ink from a typewriter.
Read more of this interview.