My first taste of reading came in the 6th grade with the wonderful world of Scholastic Books. Even in a little farming community (population just over 1000), I could look through the two or three page catalog of books that were age appropriate – and dream. Then I had to ask my parents for the money to give to the teacher so she could place the order for my and my classmate's choice of books. Seeing the box from Scholastic sitting on the teacher's desk was as thrilling as Christmas. I knew there were books in that box just for me. I sat on the edge of my seat, waiting for the teacher to pull out that special bundle and call my name.
I grew up on an Arkansas delta cotton farm. We worked hard and played hard. We could roam the fields, imagining we were somewhere else – anywhere else. But I wouldn't have wanted to grow up anywhere else. The sky was so dark at night I could see all the stars unimpeded. The air was clean. The summers were hot, but the water pumped straight of the ground was cold. The winters were cold, but a gas wall heater kept the house toasty.
I liked farming and I developed a love of nature and for growing things from it. I was the first of my family to go to college and I earned a degree in Computer Science. Computer programming is my paying job, but being with my family and writing are my true passions.
I began writing in my teens, but I didn't sell anything in the national market. I did get recognition from my university and I co-wrote and produced a small Star Trek spoof film. As a result, I was privileged to meet Gene Roddenberry. I married a wonderful woman and raised two great daughters before returning to my love of writing.
I am pleased with the advent of electronic publishing. It gives more people a way of releasing his or her voice. My first e-publishing endeavors are a science fiction short story Currents of Thunder and my debut novel, A Shade of Mind.
Pantalla :
