As a kid I was a bit of a loner, and a nerd before the whole geek chic thing made it socially acceptable. I liked to read, and my head was always full of stories. I overcame childhood insomnia by constructing elaborate tales in my head until I fell asleep, and if they still sounded good in the morning (which they so seldom did), I would write them down. As a teen, I wrote scripts for my friends' independent, no-budget movies, usually in the style of Twilight Zone. Now I work in IT, which I enjoy, but there's not much room for creativity in what I do, so I write as an outlet for storyteller in me. There was never an author, or particular piece of fiction that drove me to write. I don't do it for money, recognition, or anything of that sort. I do it because I'm compelled to, and would continue writing even if I were the only person to ever read it.