I suppose a book about atheism and my own perspective on the big debate issues would have been the furthest topic choice from my mind up until a few years ago. I have always wanted to write a book however, and self-published my first one just last week. Christopher Hitchens and professor Richard Dawkins were the two people who influenced me the most in this regard. It was their erudite debating personalities and general positions of non-belief in organized religion (and the god's from which they arose) that prompted me to do the research and, ultimately, the finished product.

          I have always been the creative sort, however the avenues I have opened up recently have astonished even me. I have numerous acrylic canvases on my walls, with styles that I can only say I invented. Part 'paint-by-numbers' and a little Romero Britto thrown in for good measure, they are at least some bright color for the walls of my house, and I only had to fork over the cost of the canvas, paint, brushes plus my time to-boot.

          I have a small composing studio where I create music tracks, primarily for sale at various music library sites around the world. It is not as big as you think. Mainly, my problem is my total lack of ability in the area of self-promotion. My biggest pleasure in life is to be annonymous, quite the opposite state one would associate with being a successful author. I suppose that is why I am not one.... successful, that is. True, I have only been sending out press releases and letters to appropriate organizations for a week-and-a-half now, but the anxiety that I have only sold two books (one to my brother and one to my cousin in England) is settling in nicely. Still, being safely tucked away behind my computer, seeing a list of hundreds (even thousands) of places still left un-emailed, leaves me with a sense of purpose, and the hope that one day I will realize my goal of selling 5,000 books by this time next year. Unrealistic? Perhaps. But I love to try.

           I am taking up a new musical instrument next year as well as finishing my second book, due out by around July of 2011. It will be a busy year indeed. I must not forget that I also plan to buy a cheap forclosed home from a bank and cash it out, renovating as I go. I hope I have not miscalculated my time, vis-a-vis all that I have on my plate, but I plan on tackling all with the fun and passion I have for this life, and all that it has to offer.