My name is Mark O'Neal, and I'm an author who loves to interact and connect with my readers. I mainly write about the experience of growing up in inner-city Chicago and mold my storyline and characters from that experience. I started writing after reaching a crossroad in my life; I was unfulfilled at my job, and after some deep soul-searching and prayer, God showed me the way to go. I've been writing since 2006, and the ability to be able to translate my life experiences into fiction novels has been very rewarding and therapeutic.I decided to self publish because I like the idea of being my own boss and translating my own vision and creativity into a novel. I didn't want to wait months or even years to get published, and the Internet has provided an opportunity for indie authors like me to get noticed. I've tried several professions throughout my adult life such as banking, retail management, and shipping/receiving; but nothing has come close to satisfying me the way that writing does. I don't do it for the money because if I did, I would have given up a long time ago.I once read that in order to become an expert at something, a person has to put at least 10,000 hours into honing his or her craft. I've worked at least four hours a day writing and marketing my work for roughly eight years, and after doing the math, I've put in well over 10,000 hours as an indie author. With that being said, readers can trust that I take my vocation very seriously and wouldn't cheat them by writing stories that lack substance. Look for more releases soon.