books, thrillers, apocalyptic, horror, romance, Irish, supernatural

Who hasn't had dreams about becoming a writer? The image of great writers and the vision of their success, and more so, their freedom in life, appeals to many people, and it certainly appealed to me.

Writing wasn't where I thought I would be at this point in life. I'm an MBA Grad and former CEO, but I left the executive world behind to ultimately opt for a life of adventure and writing, and I am so glad I did.

I've spent the last twenty years journeying the world and finding human stories that spark my own stories. I look beyond the standard sites and tourist traps; I look for the human side that is hidden behind them and the stories that others simply don't find. I was gifted with the ability to connect with people, no matter their background. I have friendships stretching from the Philippines to India, to the Middle East, to Central America. I have worked and lived on four continents, and wherever I have been, I've found the path less travelled.

I write quick, simple-to-read books. I don't try to complicate things; I just focus on making the reading and stories fun. I don't pretend to be the next Stephen King. I write books that I hope readers find entertaining.

I write horror primarily, but also cover Thrillers and one darn good Film Noir novel. Jhill. In all genres, I focus on quick, enthralling reads. My books are typically between 220 and 270 pages. A temporary break from reality for less than the price of a coffee.

The books are intended to draw you in and provide an escape from the world outside for a brief period of time. I do it through deep and realistic characters, complex plots with the odd twist, and a pace that makes it hard to put the book down.

I write from the heart and soul. I'm a natural storyteller. I do this because I want others to find the same joy in reading as I did when I was young. In my youth, my first book was The Lord of the Rings, a gift from my father. From the day I picked that book up, I never stopped reading. I had always hoped that one day I could inspire someone to feel the same way about reading as I did then.

I love this picture. There's a story behind it, and it's real. I spent six weeks in Africa in 2018, finding myself and finding the writer inside me. To be honest, at one point in my life, I failed English Lit in high school. The way I look at it is simple: Einstein failed grade nine math, and he seems to have done okay. So, despite what your grade nine teacher might have told you, writing isn't English Lit; it's storytelling in a written form; otherwise, he or she would have been an author, not a teacher. Yes, good writing needs structure. However, people don't read books because they're grammatically correct. No, they read them because they find themselves in them, or they find an escape or a story that pulls an emotional thread that perhaps even the reader themselves didn't realize was buried in them. All they know is that after they turned the last page, they felt something they had not felt in a long time. I write those stories.

I don't follow any standard models and have no expectations of writing the great novel. What I do is craft stories that readers find entertaining and enthralling.

Creativity is a gift. Publishers have buildings full of English Lit grads. Perfect grammatically, but imperfect at storytelling. What they don't have is creativity. Creativity isn't taught; it isn't learned. It’s a gift, and only so many of these gifts are given out, in my opinion.

Regarding this picture, it has to do with my youngest daughter, Sahara. She is half Indian and half Irish; a beautiful girl with a wonderful spirit. I knew I was going to miss her birthday that year, and I felt she deserved something reflective of her. So while in Egypt, I had two custom vases made of Egyptian porcelain. I collected sand for both of them. The first one was from the Valley of the Kings, and the second one was from the Great Pyramids; both were Sahara Desert sand. I wanted to return with something unique and respectful for my daughter. What I had to do to get the sand through six more countries in Africa and Canadian customs - well, I could write a book about that. This picture reminds me of commitment, which is what writing is also about.

What really matters is that when the heart is behind an endeavor, one can accomplish anything and life finds a way. Chase your dreams....