Writing has always fascinated me and I love books. I have an undergraduate degree in English, and for a brief period tried to own and manage a used bookstore. Although I have been told I have a modicum of talent for writing, I found it is often difficult, almost excruciatingly so. But I love those times when it comes easily and really flows. I am less thrilled by those times when I am compelled to wite and endlessly revise something. Some people call that "inspiration." Fortunately, those times are rare, but they have probably been responsible for some of my best writing. None of those pieces were ever published. I never felt any compulsion to publish, maybe because when I go back to something I've written I usually find fault with it, and want to revise it or throw it out  - even when other people thought it was pretty good. Offhand, I can't really think of any writers or particular books or novels that were a great influence on my writing style. I can think of numerous books that I admired, and a few that influenced my thinking at various times in my life, especially when I was younger, but none that had a pronounced influence on my own writing.