I've been writing as long as I can remember.  Before I knew how to write, this was called "lying".  Writing is better. My favorite writers include Jonathan Carroll, Richard Matheson, Stephen King, Poppy Z. Brite, and Kurt Vonnegut.  Yes, I have eclectic taste. Why do I write?  The better question is why wouldn't I write?  It's like breathing, like food.  If I'm not writing a story, I'm thinking about a story, trying to figure out how to make an idea work in a new, interesting way that excites me. My favorite stories are the ones that surprise me.  Not cheap twist endings -- those are usually easy to see coming a mile away -- but stories where you discover the story you thought you were reading isn't the story you're reading at all. I love adventure and big ideas.  I love characters who have a mind of their own.  I love strong, independent female characters -- writing them as well as reading them.  And I love stories that stay with you long after you've finished reading them; scary or delightful worlds you want to revisit as soon as the story's over.