I love studying history, and my niche is finding unusual, real people in history, and giving them a voice. My favorite literature includes Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings; Naguib Mafouz's Cairo Trilogy; and a broad range of historical fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. Most recent discovery: Cormac McCarthy. I was given The Road as a gift, and in a short time, that style of writing has been a great inspiration and influence on me.