I knew I was destined to be a fiction writer the day I received an A+ from my 11th grade English teacher for a short story I wrote when I was a clerk at my parents' cigar store. That was nearly 40 years ago, and was a prime motivation to be a writer; first as a journalist for the Ottawa Citizen and United Press International, and then later as a speechwriter to high government officials. It was only after I didn't have to 'chase the legal tender' (as Jackson Browne would say) that I was able to turn my full attentions to fiction. Upon my 'reti more...
