My third grade teacher was a big influence on my love of writing.  She encouraged each of s to write short stories and then she would hang them above the blackboard for everyone to see, especially when the parents came.  She praised our work and made us feel enabled.      My family has always supported my desire to write and would read anything and everything I wrote, even the not-so-great stuff.  In fact, they are my biggest fans today.      I was an avid fan of the James Bond book and bought every single one as soon as a new one was released.  They put a burning desire in me to write like Ian Fleming.      Another great author that I admire and respect is Patricia Cornwell.  Her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series has kept me intrigued for years.      So, the more time I have to spend on my writing now, the more I realize that writing a series of books with a main character that I can develop over the years is my passion.  And, that's what I'm doing.      One more great influencer has been Stephen King.  I love his book "On Writing" and have read it more than once.  His personal story is pure inspiration.

I remember the first long story I ever wrote. I was in the third grade and my teacher asked each of us to write a story about something in history.

I chose to write about the Donner party and the tragedies that befell them as they tried to make it to the Wild West.

It was a lot of fun and made up stories about the people and their life on the wagon train. It was like a game to me. It didn't occur to me that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. I wasn't even old enough to understand what it meant to be grown up.

Throughout school, whenever I had to write something, I always enjoyed my assignments. I wrote about the Salem Witches when I was in high school and it was exciting to make up "real" people who lived then and, unfortunately, died.

So what did I do when I became a 'grown up'? I worked as an accountant, secretary, draftsman of pre-fab metal buildings. I studied Criminal Justice and worked at the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department for a time. I ended up with a career as a paralegal.

Well, that wasn't too bad. It encompassed a lot of research and writing and, in the meantime, I had actually written short stories, poetry, and two unpublished novels.

Finally, I said "enough", quit everything, took early retirement, and followed my dream.

Now, I'm a writer. I love my life, and I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them. I have a lot of fun with my characters and stories. To me, they're real people and my joy is to share them with you and the rest of the world.