I like people. Humanity. My family is a part of my work. They contribute throughout the process with critiques, advice, opinions, etc.

The approach to "building" a story with words and phrases is no different than "building" a painting with brushes and pigments.

My advice to writers is: READ! A lot. Then read some more. read, read, read, read!

Research is always a very necessary part of my process because all of my books to this point have been historical. Time spent in the library adds to one's wealth as a writer or artist.

I try to use models at least for the main characters because of the nature of my art. I tend to focus on the humanity of my subjects, the details of expression that add a certain reality to the work. Real faces = real art. That's the goal anyway.

My method is subtraction. I use erasers to make the images in my paintings. You really have to see it to fully get it, but it is basically erasing shapes from a background of paint.

I will always be an artist first. I see my writing as an extension of my illustrating.