Hello to the Steemit-verse!
My name is Greg and I’ve been on Steemit for about a week now. I write fiction under the name G.A.Shepard (Gregory Alexander Shepard). But that’s me now, so, let me back up a little bit.
By G.A.Shepard
The Origin Story
It was said, that on my ultra sound, the nurses found petroglyph-like drawings on the inner wall of my mother's uterus. I had apparently chronicled my early journey from embryo, to fetus, to baby, emerging from the birth canal with quill and parchment clutched in my infant hands.
Just jokes.
The truth is, I wish that I had found writing earlier in life. I was always jealous of friends that knew what they wanted to do at a young age. A mechanical engineer, a lawyer, career Army, Everyone I know seemed to know exactly where the were going and how to get there. As opposed to me, Mr. Flakey. I had a different idea of what I wanted to do every morning, and it changed like the scenery on a long road trip.
I jumped around from job, to trade school, to other job, another trade, all the while trying to figure out what my passion was. I was interested in everything, but nothing held my attention for very long.
When writing finally came to me, I was 32 years old installing security and fire alarm systems out of a van. My commute was at least an hour and a half one way, and I worked by myself. So I spent 12 hours a day in my head daydreaming about the paths I should have taken, or just about doing something else at that moment. Like crashing a small plane in the deep woods and having to live off of chipmunks, and june bugs. Or being abducted by aliens. Sucked through the roof of my van because I had been chosen to lead an alien army in defending our galaxy. Then being thrown back into my van that’s upside down in a ditch because the aliens were actually aiming for the semi that was behind me.
The daydreaming was nothing new. I had been a space cadet all my life. You'd think it would have been obvious. That writing those daydreams down would have been the natural thing to do. But no. It was after driving that commute for two years that one of my daydreams took story form and wanted out of my head. I couldn't drive fast enough. I got home that night and pulled out a legal pad and pencil. I scribbled out about 15 pages of crap (I didn't think so at the time of course). The feeling was incredible. Both the excitement of getting the story out of my head and on to paper, and then the after glow of having written. I was hooked. No matter what job I had, I knew that writing was going to be a part of my life.
It’s been 9 years since then and I still feel that writing is my passion. So that’s good. I’m currently living in Fort Smith, Arkansas with my beautiful wife and two kids (both boys 5yrs and 8yrs). My wife works as an executive for the local indian casino, while I stay home with the kids and write when I can. I hope to start posting some flash fiction and making blog entries about my WIP’s (work in progress).
So thats all for now…
Thanks for reading!
-Greg