Above all else a book must be believable. When I write I generally use characters from my past, acquaintances, a recalcitrant border guard, or people that I know intimately. Sometimes a character is a composite of many that I have known. But always, I endeavour to make that character real to the reader.
I have had a great fortune to meet wonderfully diverse and interesting people as I have ridden the razors edge of life, from refugee camps in Ethiopia to the profoundly beautiful wilderness of the Antarctic.
All of my life I have been a listener, absorbing people and their stories. I am grateful to have been that way as it has left me filled with inspiration for what I love doing best.