I’d like to welcome author Daemon Manx to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Favorite summer treat: Key Lime Pie, of which I am always on the look out to find the best slice available.

A summer treat that makes you gag: Ambrosia, there is only one thing a marshmallow should be used for and that involves a fire.

Best summer memory: When I was a child, my parents, my sister and I would spend a week at the Jersey shore every summer. I recall searching for sand crabs with my kid sister at the water’s edge as the planes flew overhead dragging their advertising banners. Our parents watched from their beach chairs with something like Fleetwood Mac or The Steve Miller band playing on a small transistor radio beside them on the blanket. When we finally had our fill of sand and surf we would return to our small rental and fire up the grill: cheeseburgers in paradise!

Something you’d rather forget: When I became a teenager and discovered all that came with that wonderful stage of life. My family and I continued to visit the shore, but my choice of activities had changed. The night before we were scheduled to leave, I went out with a few friends and drank a bit more than my foolish determination could handle. My father woke me up, an hour or so after I had fallen asleep. He marched me to the car, and we proceeded to make the early morning trip down the Parkway, and I proceeded to toss my cookies close to every other mile marker on the GSP. It was a proud moment for all of us.

Best thing you ever grilled in summer: Ribeye Steaks on an open flame, medium rare with grilled asparagus and zucchini.

Your worst kitchen or grilling disaster: It was salvageable, but … I was preparing to deep fry a turkey and one of the O-rings blew on the hose. There was no way to get the gas going and the guests were getting hungry. Not sure how we finally got it figured out. I think we used a piece of a balloon and a little MacGyver spit and polish, but we got the deep fryer working. I never have too many food disasters as I am a bit of a foodie, and I love to cook.

Your favorite thing to get from the ice cream truck: The Snow Cone! Flavored Ice, what is not to love about that. Of course, once you have sucked all the flavor out and all that is left is just ice, well that can be a bummer.

Some dessert that you wish you’d never bought: Really? That is a hard one. Honestly, I don’t think I ever met a dessert I didn’t like.

Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer: I write and edit in a room with the door closed and the curtains drawn. I need this to block out all distractions and usually turn off the phone and the social media as well. This is my zone, and I can spend a good eight hours a day in my little writer’s den. I can’t even have a radio or music playing.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions: Anywhere other than in my writer’s cave. I have tried, it doesn’t work. I need total silence with zero distractions. The worst place would be anywhere there are other people asking me questions. I wouldn’t try this at the beach … ever.

Favorite thing to do on a summer evening: I love to watch the sunset, and it is even better when I get to do that with my special someone. A slow walk around the lake as the crickets begin their nightly ritual. The fireflies take to the air and there is a sense of magic on the breeze. That right there is something else.

Least favorite thing about summer: Definitely the mosquitoes. For some reason they love me.

The thing you like most about being a writer: Being able to work as much or as little as I like and to set my own hours. Because there are not enough of them in the day.

The thing you like least about being a writer: Being able to work as much or as little as I like and to set my own hours. Because there are not enough of them in the day.

Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night: Absolutely nothing at all.

Things you never put on your shopping list: Beets!

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life: Every kind word a reader has said to me. I can never hear it enough when someone tells me that one of my stories touched them on an emotional level. I mean, that’s the reason we do it, isn’t it? At least that’s why I do it.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over: Actually, I have no regrets. I would only do things over so that I could experience them again for the first time. I might not have signed my first publishing contract, but that being said, it was a great learning experience and it helped shape me into the writer I am today. So, I wouldn’t change a thing, I would just love to experience the same first time accomplishments over again.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I am an avid scuba diver and learned how in the chilly waters of New Jersey. It is where I found a passion for shipwreck diving, of which Jersey is famous for. There is a wreck called the Bonanza approximately 22 miles out. It is nothing more than a scattering of an old ship and looks like a picket fence laying 120 feet below the surface. This is very deep and considered a decompression dive and should only be attempted by the most experienced and trained. Well, we made the dive, and spent no more than 15 minutes on the bottom, but we each came up with 13 lobsters. And that is why they call it the Bonanza. Mmmm Mmmm Good!

Something you chickened out from doing: Sky Diving. I actually had a free pass and the plane was ready to take off. But I just couldn’t do it. Not my kind of thrill. Too many things that could go wrong, that I would have no control over.

The funniest thing to happen to you: I was working in New York as a roadie and was in charge of working some rather interesting shows. I moved more than my share of pianos which involved driving a large truck on the narrow city streets. One day while driving I noticed three limos stopped in front of me with no room to pass. Suddenly, a secret service man exited one of the vehicles and instructed me to stop. A second later, Ronald and Nancy Reagan stepped out of the middle limo and made their way across the street. I honked the horn; they waved and so did I. Then once they were inside the building, the service man instructed me to drive through. I told him there was no room to do so, but he wasn’t having it. He insisted that I drive … so I did. I scraped the side of Ronald Reagan’s limo and took the mirror off in the process. I assure you; I can laugh about it now … quite a bit.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: I used to play bass guitar in a band, let’s just say, quite a few years ago. The members of the group felt the need to add theatrics to our shows, consisting of smoke machines, pyrotechnics, and even choreography. Well at one particular show, in a very seedy club, on a very tiny stage, I was executing one of our choreographed spins and smacked into a steel pole situated directly in the middle of the stage. (I have no idea why anyone would put a pole there). I broke 2 strings on my bass, knocked my hat off, and hit my nose so hard, I drew blood. Oh yes, this was about ten seconds into the very first song of the night. Geesh!!! So I no longer feel the need to Rock and Roll all Night and Party Every Day!