I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. That may not seem particularly special because a lot of people are from Brooklyn, but Brooklyn isn't like anywhere else. There is a dynamism and sense of community here. It's vibrant and diverse and the epitome of what people think of when they imagine the great things about the city. These qualities in your landscape help to develop a writer. Then, I had the good sense to grow up poor, with parents who had an unhappy marriage. That's like author's gold, a writer's Nirvana! Growing up happy might allow one in a hundred thousand to write well, if they even try to write, in between soccer practice and the prom. But growing up poor and in chaos, ensures that your artistic impulses are built on a strong foundation of anger and misery. A writer couldn't ask for much more than that! While it's true I actually started writing years ago, it wasn't on stone tablets, we didn't use a quill and inkwell, and when I wrote at night I didn't need to use candles. But, when I started, computers were called "Typewriters"and my word processing programs were called "Wite Out" and "Ko-rec-type" Besides writing fiction, I write about improving healthcare and am a health care advocate; speaking, writing and acting on behalf of those challenged by mental illness and other chronic disease. My writing on those subjects has been published in print and on blogs. My fiction and OpEd pieces have been published on some popular websites since 2011. Some of my fiction has been featured content. I've had thousands of readers and scores of fans online, which prompted me to take the plunge and come out with my first book. Not From Around Here is that book, my first collection of short fiction.