Who are you? Where are you from? What are you working on these days?

I was born in North London, U.K, but have lived in Japan for most of my adult life.

I write poetry and prose primarily in the noir and dirty realism genres and I am also co-editor of the art and culture magazine Punk Noir.

I enjoy spending time with my daughters, reading books, traveling the world, boxing and listening to old Soul LPs. I have a few novels and poetry collections out now. They are  Say Goodbye When I’m Gone, I’ll Pray When I’m Dying, Always the Dead, Poems for Ghosts in Empty Tenement Windows I Thought I Saw Once and the story and poetry collection Love Like Bleeding Out With an Empty Gun in Your Hand.

I can be reached on Twitter  @SteveGone58

What do you hope to accomplish as a writer?

Just to be able to write something that lingers in the mind of the reader for a while.

Who are some of your influences? How have they influenced your work?

Some of my writing influences are Charles Bukowski, John Fante, James M. Cain, Tobias Wolff and Jim Thompson.

They inspired me to try and write something moving but to try and do it using simple words.

What are some writing tips you’ve received over the years you feel have helped you improve your writing?

Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut out all unnecessary words that just big down the narrative flow.

What are you currently reading? How’s it going—recommend, or no?

Currently rereading SLOW BEAR by Anthony Neil Smith. It’s a modern noir classic and should be read by all.

If you had the chance to see one musician/group live in concert, living or dead, who would it be and at what point in their career would it be?

I think probably it would have to be Kurt Cobain/Nirvana at the MTV Live Lounge or Sam Cooke when he played Harlem.

What should we look for from you in the near future?

I’m currently trying to keep writing as much as possible. Poetry and prose so if I’m lucky enough there should be a few more releases over the coming years. I’m not going away.