Biography of P.W. Cross, author of The Idea Miners fantasy trilogy.
Background and musings of P.W. Cross, the author of
The Idea Miners children's middle reader action fantasy books.
Background of fantasy author P.W. Cross
Welcome to my fantasy author page. I truly appreciate your visit. The following is a bit about me, and the road that led me to become a fantasy author.
I live with my wife in the mountains, and love spending time in the woods. We have two wonderful children—grown and off on their own.
I enjoy creating: writing, computer programming. I’ve had a long and productive career designing and building computer software systems.
The software I’ve written touches a lot of our world: transportation, communication, space exploration (NASA), energy distribution (gas & electric), water distribution . . .
Poking my finger into so many areas, has left me excited and upbeat about our world and the future. I bring this passion to my writing, as a middle grade fantasy author. Creating a good fantasy story is challenging, but can be extremely rewarding if done right. For me, doing it right means creating a vibrant fantasy world while at the same time planting seeds of excitement and appreciation about the world around us.
I wrote my first book, The Computer Revolution Survival Guide—or Martha Cuts Loose, over twenty years ago, followed by the first of The Idea Miners trilogy, The Lost Lake Dig. The second in the Idea Miners trilogy, The Twisted Tree Dig, is complete and will be released soon. The final book in the trilogy, The One, is in development.
On writing
I believe writing is a window into the writer. One's experiences, beliefs and talents are reflected through their writing.
For me that includes a love of the outdoors—fresh air, sunshine, and beauty; a passion for learning and new experiences; an unshakable belief in human creativity and resourcefulness; and a talent for creating and organizing many moving parts into a well-oiled whole.
A good story has many parts, and they need to fit together in a logical, well organized manner.
So personally, organiza-tional talent is what I believe to be my greatest skill as an author (a skill born out of 40+ years of building complex computer systems and writing books).
Writing, like anything done well, is hard work. But if you have a passion for it, it’s a joy.
Passion is like a good friend!
A good friend that continually pushes you to do better: Keep striving to get it right. Keep working to get to the end of the story line. Make everything fit together and “sing.” Listen to your characters, let them help you along the way. Listen to feedback. Work with a good editor. Take your time. Rework it, and rework it some more. Don't rush.
Enjoy the journey.