Influences have been my early life, and jobs that I have undertaken.  I've done a lot of audio typing over the years and the tapes were of all kinds of work, from police procedural to insurance and legal work.  I've got an overactive imagination so I've only got to hear a story and I can visualise it as if I'm there.  It's not always a good thing in life - if someone's late they've had a car crash - but for writing stories it's a real advantage.