I was born in the Soviet Union and had spent most of my life in Russia before relocating to Vancouver, British Columbia. I have been writing - and discarding - little bits for almost as long as I can remember myself. "Firebird" (2013) is just out. It's an attempt in the retro spy-action genre, set in the 1980s Hong Kong. There's a bunch of bad guys, a slightly less bad guy, a muted love interest, - and a black box that everyone thinks is so important. I started drafting it as a low-budget film script back in 2007-2008 and then abandoned it until late last year. "Fifty Below" (2012) is a short novel, a winter action thriller in Siberia, and an obvious attempt in the Die Hard I, II tradition. "The Colonists" (2012) is the first novella I have completed to a somewhat publishable state. I was vaguely planning to get back to and fix the bugs. "Barbershop Otto and Other Mysteries" - in progress, sort of. The first story is already available to download as a free sample. A few more stories are coming soon, and the collection will be uploaded when I have about 10-12 short stories. They're going to be mostly dark, Twilight Zone kind of stories. At the rate I am writing it could take a couple of years. A few more ideas are in the pipeline. I like hiking, drawing sketches, exercising, punching the bag, eating well (but not a foodie). I don't really enjoy running long distances but that's another thing that I do.