I began writing in 1998 when I felt I had free time to spend on my laptop, typically on vacation or a business trip. My initial attempt was an industrial espionage thriller that I started and stopped for about two years. I had the beginning but it had no direction and definitely did not have an ending. Conceptual only and frustrating. In the process of avoiding the book, I started writing short stories about my childhood. That was more fun and the words came easy since details were already in place.Circa 2000, I read Three Weeks With My Brother, by Nicholas Sparks. It was a true gift to me as an inspiring writer. His story was based on, like the title indicates, a trip with his brother that was peppered with his childhood stories. At that point, I sat my yet unnamed book aside and began my own version of my childhood story wrapped in, coincidentally, a story with my brother on a trip down the Colorado River. The story was so ridiculous that if made into a movie, people would walk out thinking that it was too bizarre to be believed, but it was the perfect backdrop to the telling of my history. A telling that was designed for kids only and a series of lessons on why their dad was crazy. So began the process of writing A Short Story of a Long Childhood.Life continued to have its challenges, including running a business and navigating economic nightmares, coaching basketball, baseball and football for 18 consecutive years for my kids, the loss of a child, the loss of a career, multiple joint replacements, other not so fun surgeries, divorce, remarriage and finally a heart issues that landed me in the hospital with a 99% blockage in the "widow-maker" artery. While in bed at the hospital, I vowed to finish the river-trip book as soon as possible. I wanted to present it to my boys before another ER event occurred that may prevent me from ever finishing the book. A little less than one year from leaving the hospital, I pressed the "Publish" button. I was done. Ifigure it was okay since Gone With The Wind also took 20 years to write.Interestingly however, in the 20 plus years it took me to complete my first novel, the process kick started my love of writing, so much so that three months prior to publishing A Short Story of a Long Childhood, a book I originally called, The Ultimate Edgar Story. It arrived in my head and scratched at my brain day and night, almost to the point of not being able to finish my first book. I wrote down a two page storyline, presented it to a wide demographic as a test to see if it were intriguing enough to attack, and I received overwhelmingly positive feedback. I thrive on positivity, so that sealed my doom and I began writing whenever I had free time. I still worked. My wife and I still lived in a 1901 money-pit that requires endless upkeep and more importantly, I didn't want to make my wife a writing widow by locking myself in a room when I returned home from a long day at the office, just so I could get the story out of my head.Fast-forward to the the starting of my second novel, currently named The Glass Box: The Quantum Gradient. My writing went into overdrive, as did my creativity. Maybe it was due to finally having good blood flow through my now upgraded heart or just the opening of the writing floodgate, I finished that book in just six months. However, three month before completing The Quantum Gradient, another book woke me at 3:30 am and demanded my attention. Following the same pattern, I wrote down two pages of notes and set it aside until The Quantum Gradient was completed. When the "publish" button was pushed, I opened my notes and began working on The Cure. Which was a complete departure from my first two books, as readers will see.The Cure was spawned from the ongoing tragedy that lives on the streets a mile from my home. I didn't want to write about the ugly part of our community that we are faced with every day, but the story wouldn't leave me alone. While writing The Cure, which again only took six months to complete, and again at the three month mark, the sequel to The Quantum Gradient woke me, this time at 2:45 am. Sitting on the edge of my bed, the entire story, like before, played out like a movie in my mind. This book is called The Glass Box: DEUS (book 2) and it flowed from me like the others. At three months, or halfway through DEUS, the book I just completed and published (How to Build the Glass Box), came rushing in demanding my attention. As you might have guessed, How to Build The Glass Box (a prequel to the series) and of course, back at the 3:30 am, the next chapter of the series opened itself to me. The two pages of notes were done and set aside and as of May 30, 2023 I began working on The Glass Box: Long Forgotten. A this pace, I should have Long Forgotten (book 3) completed by Christmas 2023. I can't decide if I want a break from the stories, but as long as I keep getting the positive reviews and as long as they are effortlessly showing up on my keyboard, I may end up with sleepless nights for the rest of my days. I'll update this page when I am halfway through my current novel to let you know if I was slapped to alertness in the wee hours of the night with another story.Remember, Be Gentle, Be Kind.B L CraftRead more about this authorRead less about this author