My name is Brian Cagayat, and I am a writer almost ready to turn 30. Born & raised in San Diego, Calif., I was influenced at an early age by Jack Kerouac and Jack London. Later on, I was influenced by the writing of Sam Shepard, Kurt Vonnegut, Salinger, and Hunter S. Thompson. Authoritative influences include my high school mentor, Robert Lunsford, of Morse High School (Calif.), who taught me so much in a three-year English program and assured me I would become a published novelist one day; my college film/literature professor, Dr. Thomas A. Nelson (San Diego State), whose brilliance compelled more...