Hooray, he final edits are now complete and, if I am allowed to say so, I enjoyed reading my draft again, especially the moments of humor. The end-twist was a nice surprise and I hope you agree. Who doesn’t love a good novel – one that comes from the challenges of life? My first novel – 3 WISE MEN – was less polished than I would have liked but, at least with self-publishing, I had the chance to reprint and improve it. My father (pictured here) was an avid writer and taught creative writing. I can still hear the tap, tap,tap of his golf-ball typewriter as he plowed into another short story (with no Word docs in those days). He survived WWII and had lots of stories. I am sure his writing became cathartic for him. His library was full of interesting books and these gave me plenty to devour in my spare time. Now, back to finding my cover designer!
creative writing
Experience Counts
Many an author is grateful for their world experiences, whether through career or travel. When I was at university I landed a rather unusual job working with a crew who ran the dry dock at Devonport, across the harbour from Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. My job was to help work the pumps, grease the gears and help shore up the boats as they settled on the floor of the dry dock as the water was pumped out. I was about nineteen years of age at the time and never thought I would be able to use the experience in a novel. One day, while working on a chapter in my latest thriller, I realised how valuable my time in the dry dock was. It helped bring a chapter to life and give it authenticity—a measure of detail that few people would have.
I guess that writing is the sum of experience and observation? I am forever grateful for this part 
time, and very humble, work in the naval dockyard. The crew I worked with gave me rich memories that came back to life when I was struggling for ideas for my latest novel. All experience, whether a struggle or triumph, does count. It acts like building blocks for your mind, allowing original and creative writing to flow.