I remember the first story I ever wrote. I was 8 years old and sitting in my grandparents' living room when the idea struck. Like a lightning bolt out of nowhere, inspiration crawled into my consciousness and soon I had pen to paper. I loved it.

They say lightning never strikes twice but, in my case, it's struck all my life – at 14 when I wrote my first poem, at 26 when I became a newspaper reporter, at 34 when I wrote my first screenplay, and at 49 when I began writing my first novel. Writing has served as my best friend and my therapist, the antidote to a dark's winter's day, and a window into my greatest aspirations - and fears.

Today, I spend my days working for a large consulting firm earning my living as a proposal writer. But in the hours and days in between, I still wait for lighting to strike and the world to become so tantalizingly lucid – even just for a few moments.

We all have a story to tell. In my case, I've had many. My goal is to keep writing my stories in the hope that someday one will shake the world like a thunder clap – the loud crescendo of a life spent embracing the power of lightning.