Influences

• "Jack of all trades, master of none" is not who I want to be, but it appears to be what I do best. Writing is my life, my love and if I weren't writing for animal magazines, newspapers, health care facilities, developing collateral or writing fiction, well - what's the point? I do it because I love to do it.I may not love the pay, but I damn sure love the work.

  To this point, my nonfiction success lies in animal-related stories and articles, and this has been largely influenced through the quirky, yet sarcastic temperament of Erma Bombeck. She had an amazing life. Like her, I attempt to add a humorous view on a "normal" day-to-day living. While she talked about human kids, I write about furry kids and the same types of trouble they can get into. I seek out a lighthearted look at life with family and pets, while trying to eliminate any "breakdowns in the food chain". So far, I've managed to be successful in both...

  As far as fiction goes, my most recent work has been influenced by a number of different authors and most recently, those in the paranormal genres. These include (but are not limited to):
  - Stephanie Meyer who's love story "Twilight" got me over a lifetime fear of vampires- (thanks, Steph)
  - Keri Arthur who's created a fascinating world of weres and vamps and things I've never dreamed possible
  - Laurell Hamilton for putting a family spin on a very dark topic and making it work
  - Rachel Vincent who created a pride of pack with werecats very much like their real-life counterparts (she wrote about a subject she has always feared)
  - Charlaine Harris for taking everyday life and transforming it with the addition of "TruBlood", a synthetic substitute of vamps the world over.

  These are the people who have changed the literary landscape. Or at least, the landscape as we know it... My issues is that the books are coming far too slowly and I'm more of an 'immediate gratification' person, so I have to take a stab at writing my own urban fantasy...

Favorite Books

• Their Eyes Were Watching God, Ahab's Wife, The Horse Whisperer, Kissing Sin, Twilight, The Southern Vampire Mysteries, The Seventh Scroll, Dangerous Games, and far too many others to list.

Favorite Authors

• Literary: Zora Neale Hurston, Shakespeare, Chaucer, et al.
  Mainstream: Nicholas Evans, Stephanie Meyers, Keri Arthur, Charlaine Harris, Laurel Hamilton, Wilbur Smith, Margaret George, et al.

What I'm Reading

• A LOT of urban fantasy, mystery-type books. Most include Keri Arthur, Charlaine Harris, Jeanine Frost, Stephanie Meyer, Rachel Vincent and Laurel Hamilton.

Web Links

• PetsWeekly
• GrokQuest
• AuthorsDen
• LinkedIn
• MySpace
• Facebook