Having grown up in a small town in Indiana, my interest in small towns is natural and sincere. And I have always enjoyed reading mysteries, spy novels, and science fiction, so it was inevitable that eventually I would try my hand at writing. When self-publishing first became available, this was the obvious route to take, for me. At that time, eBooks were not yet as popular as they are now. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that eBook publishing has greatly democratized the publishing field. This is part of a general trend facilitated by the internet and affecting all of the creative arts: music, video, games and the printed word.