My major influences are the old school 'hard-boiled' founders like Hammett, Chandler and Ross Macdonald. The guys who invented the genre and created fantastic characters like Sam Spade and Lew Archer. And authors who continued the tradition, like Spillane and John D. MacDonald. My all time favorite character is Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald. I spent many years sailing, and long stretches at sea allowed countless hours absorbed in the pages of these authors and other inspirational favorites like Robert B. Parker, Le Carre, Forsyth, Deighton, Dick Francis. And among my science fiction influences, Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Wells, Verne. How these authors used words and language, and the type of characters they created, all influenced me and my writing.