Thursday, July 07, 2005

First , for a bit about me. I fancy myself as a fiction writer but will try to post my thoughts on several issues including fiction writing, plus my thoughts on politics, religion, and whatever else might be on my mind.

I live in Utah and work as an environmental biologist. Over the years, I’ve completed a novel-length manuscript titled THE BRIDGE BECKONS. While I’m trying to market it, I’ve begun another titled GRETA!

I grew up in a small town in the California Bay Area called Port Costa, and even though I now live in Utah, I still claim “Prune Picker” status (native Californian’s should know what that means). We liked to joke that Port Costa has a population of 150 if you count the dogs and cats. It’s a picturesque old town with a colorful history and picturesque countryside.

One day, I came across a wonderful site http://www.claytonbailey.com/skycam.htm. The owner of the site, Clayton Bailey, is a resident of Port Costa and seems to share my love of the town and it’s environs. He’s posted pictures of the countryside, the town, and occasionally some of the townsfolk, many of whom I still recall from my childhood. I refer to his site often as I write about the town in which I once lived.

The rustic San Francisco Bay Area countryside, the quaint small town in which I grew up, the colorful people, all have teamed to fertilize my mind with stories that are screaming to be told. From my high school days, my English teachers saw some sort of raw writing ability, both for fiction and non-fiction. In college, my professors seemed to see the same ability and encouraged me to mold that ability into a talent. I like to flatter myself into thinking I have done that.

After settling on my career, the stories swarming through my head kept crying to get out. So about 18 years ago I began writing fiction, but only as a hobby at first. But now, it’s becoming an obsession and I hope to get THE BRIDGE BECKONS published soon. I just know it will be a best-seller and make me millions of dollars (joke).

In addition to my writing, my wife and I enjoy spending time with our four children and two grandchildren. I also love gardening, researching my family history, and reading good books.