My primary literary influences have been Gabriel Marquez, John Steinbeck, Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins, and Barbara Kingsolver. Although I've written 3 screenplays, numerous short stories, and a few plays, my focus now is on crafting novels and publishing them myself. My fourth novel THE FARMER is about a small farming family in current times struggling to survive a transition from dairy farming to agritourism. I consider this my first true success as a writer. I'm about to sell the 350th copy, and the feedback from readers has been universally positive. I travel to farmers markets within a 100 mile radius of my house and sell books. THE COMMODITY OF LOVE, about a poet-turned-heart-surgeon, came out recently and has sold 92 copies in 2 months. These experiences with putting out my own work has been extremely rewarding yet frustrating at the same time, as I can only sell my books in person, and must work menial jobs to raise the money to print them.