I've been published since high school days....and have been given encouragement from my teachers, James Dickey, and William Packard. Gene Hill has been a major influence on my prose.The realization that tens of thousands of people will share my innermost thoughts through my writing keeps me at it.There are plenty of "how to" outdoors writers, not as many good story tellers. Born in Oak Park IL like Hemingway......that gives me an edge, right?