When I was about eight, in second grade or so. My first recurring characters were a family of anthropomorphic Papillons, and I'd squeeze them into school assignments whenever possible. I even included them in a picture book I drew for my fourth grade teacher as a wedding present (yes, I was "that kid").

Douglas Adams is my hero, and if I ever amount to a quarter of what he did, I will be the happiest person ever.

I also read a lot of comic books, so in terms of that, my favorite authors include Marv Wolfman, George Perez, Kurt Busiek, Denny O'Neil, and Darwyn Cooke.