First and foremost a big thanks to all the members of the goodreads community and to all of you who may read Fantastik. What a great forum this is for authors and readers. I am a first time author, however feel like I've been writing a lifetime and in one way or another I have...I guess we all have.

The choice to finally put words to paper and make something of the thoughts or characters in your head is an exhilarating moment...it's just you and your work of art! To then show that piece of art to family, friends, editors, anyone who's willing to look, is an absolutely daunting task, but it's at that moment that you take the first step to realizing your dream. For those of you who love to read, bless you! For those of you who love to read and write, be sure to write a little more each day, then ask someone to look it over, at some point you may find yourself at another exhilarating moment...a published author.

Fantastik is a very special novel to me for many reasons. Number one, I wrote the first words of the novel some sixteen years ago in 1998. At that time I was living in Chicago and traveling across much of the mid-west and western United States. I had a lot of free time on my hands and writing was something I always felt a connection with. Second the characters of Charlie Boone and Jake Mott and the themes they represent; hope and redemption, are ones that I feel very strongly about. Most people (i think) can relate to the hope for a better tomorrow and/or a second chance at something...in this case life!

At its peak, Fantastik was 718 pages long and Jake Mott was not introduced to until page 150. I was then given a very good piece of advice...Less is more! The second best piece of advice, Don't spoon feed your readers. Those are two pearls of wisdom that anyone trying to become a better writer can grab and run with.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!