When did you first admit that you were a writer? 

Truth be told I started writing when I was 12. I got inspired when my father, a printer at the time, gave me a typewriter he was going to chuck out. Electric typewriters were just coming in at that point in time.

What he gave me was an old Underwood Standard. I’ll never forget it. It had a sticky ‘s’ key that would periodically instigate a maul of type hammers and shredded ribbon.

My first story was titled “The Black Pearl”. I found it, or at least bits of it, years later. It contained every cliché you can imaging, all crammed into one chapter.

And so, ended my writing career until around 2005 when the urge to write grabbed my again and I started on my writing journey as a serious writer.

I would get up in the early hours of the morning long before sunup and write for a few hours. I think the defining moment when I admitted to myself that I was a writer was when I informed my wife Caroline that I was in fact writing a book. Up to then I was a closet writer. Coming out of the closet—if I may use that expression—was quite an exhilarating experience I can tell you.

What was your favourite book as a child? 

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain without a doubt. A double volume. I still have it on my bookshelf somewhere.

I can still visualise the antics that the young boys got up to. It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what sparked my imagination to write.

Do you write for yourself or for a particular audience? 

Both really. We deal with enough bad stuff in our lives, so as a writer of fiction, I want my readers to escape all of that for the time they are reading. My writing is my escape from reality, all be it for the few hours that I am able to immerse myself in my work. The same goes for my readers. If I can take them to that place in my story and make them forget about the unpaid mortgage or how they’re going to manage picking up the kids from school, or whatever. If I can make them relax like that for just a brief moment in time, then I’ve achieved what I set out to do.

What inspired you to write this book? 

Inspiration can come from anywhere. I often get asked that question by friends who have read my books. As a writer, one needs to be open to the ideas that bounce around in your head.

For COLOUR OF GREED, it was the Australian Outback. It’s possible that I may have watched a doco or something that featured the Outback and opal mining. The images of someone being chased through the mines is what sparked the imagination with that one.

I got to wondering just what got him—or as it turned out, David and his daughter Stacy—to that point. And so, I build up a story of events and obstacles that David needed to overcome.

The genesis of DOUBLE DEATH happened while I was out shopping with my wife Caroline. At the time, I literally lost her in the supermarket…down Isle 5!

It was that feeling of frustration and loss that I took home and banged out the first chapter.

As a writer, are you a plotter or a panster or somewhere in between? 

I am a Panster! There, I’ve said it. I have confessed…

Now you’d better let me explain the difference before I get unfriended by my followers. A PLOTTER as the word suggests is a person who sits down and outlines a plot of their story. Works on the story arch and follows a structured approach. In doing so they will most likely drill down to chapter headings and a rough outline of the contents of each chapter ending with the grand finale.

A PANSTER is the total opposite and quite literally means flying, or in this case, writing by the seat of your pants. I would just sit down and write, allowing my creativity to take over. There is no plan, the story develops itself on the fly as I write. My characters would pop up and interact with one another.

Any final words for potential readers or writers? 

Everyone has a story in them. Whether it be something you personally experienced and want to tell the world, or if it’s something you’ve always thought about. A fictional event. No matter what you want to write about, just start.

And if you are already writing, don’t give up on your dream. And please remember, you will never become rich writing. That’s not what drives us. We get our thrills by knowing someone else is enjoying our stories.

If you were to have a last meal, what would it be? 

Lamb chops and mash. The lamb nicely caramelised just like my wife does them.

And a glass of Merlot to round it off.

What is your motto? 

I’m a positive sort of guy, so instead of being half empty, my glass is always half full. There’s always hope on the horizon. As someone so wisely said the other day, no matter whether you glass is half empty or half full, there’s always another bottle of wine in the fridge.