Finding Inspiration at Every Turn

I have never fixed on one particular genre because creative writing for me is an adventure that leads me into many different kinds of worlds. My first adventure began in 1996 when I wrote 'Surprise Party', a one-act play about a multiple murder that I set in a New York City apartment. My interest in music took me into the world of Dame Nellie Melba at the end of her operatic career. 'The Last Farewell' is a biographical play about her last days and her last of many concerts that took place nearly a hundred years ago. Many years later, in 2009, I decided to try my hand at YA. 'Death Canyon' is about a teenager who makes up his mind to run away from home and discover new worlds, which his does and in unexpected places. By writing about magic and time travel I discovered places I'd never dreamed of but as a writer, had total control over. From magical lands to the Australian Outback was somewhat of a culture shock at first. 'Jack's Promises' is based on my grand-mother's memoirs and stories my mother told me of her life as a child in Western Queensland. As I delved into that world, my creative side took over and what I ended up with was a a melange of literary/historical fiction and memoir. Commuting to and from work in Paris was time consuming as I had to travers the city from one end to the other, so I decided to spend that time writing 'Gray Day in Paris', a hilarious romcom about a man searching for his creative talents but ends up with more than he'd bargained for. I actually wrote that novel in an exercise book and with a pencil—all of it. The novel I've just finished working on is 'Fabulous Ramses'. It sounds like a non-fiction book about an Egyptian pharaoh, but it's really a story about an autistic man and his dog, a genre mash of pop culture and crime—think Marley and Me with a good dose of The Talented Mister Ripley. I don't have any particular favourite novel, but if pushed, I'd have to say, 'Gray Day in Paris' because I can't resist a good laugh. I'm currently querying 'Fabulous Ramses' and 'Gray Day in Paris', but in the meantime, I'm enjoying creating covers for them just for fun.