Major influences: Philip Wylie, Charles Dickens, Erskine Caldwell, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, Zen literature, James Joyce. Countless others. My favorite writings are A Christmas Carol; Marat/Sade; Opus 21 by Philip Wylie; An Essay on Morals by Philip Wylie; The Tropics Trilogy by Henry Miller; Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac; Ulysses; Faust part one; Dr. Faustus by Marlowe; Zen Flesh, Zen Bones; Walden and Civil Disobedience. I've had a lifelong dream, of being a writer, a compulsion recognized long before the motive could be assigned. Yet, it was not until about ten years ago my dream began to materialize. I often write of situations that intrigue me, often just for fun, but, beneath it, always, is crying for humanity, the frailties, the potentials for progress and brotherhood, even in my darker tales. If on my readers I leave a mark, I hope they may reflect, "It's because he cared." http://edgarplanet.blogspot.com/