As far back as I can remember, my Dad drew. Everything from caricatures on little scraps of paper to political cartoons for a local newspaper.

I was always amazed at how he could express his humor in a few clever strokes of a pen. One summer, my mother broke her foot and was off work while it healed. My father drew his impression of her world. In it, I saw every single thing that mattered to her represented in his drawing. It was the first time I realized how well he understood us all.

There's a little of my father in the Detective in Dealy lies; Alex Shannon, not just his skill with a pencil or brush, but the way he internalizes his problems until he reaches a solution; or at least a conclusion.

Me? Well, I write.

What forms of expression do you use?