Your first book?

Hello there! I was wondering, what was the first book you ever wrote and published? How long did it take to write it? what inspired you to write it?

The first book was titled “The Galloping Goat and Other Stories.”   It was actually nine short stories all bound together to make a book.  Each story took place in a different country.  My first novel, however, was  “What the Gulls Were Singing.” I don’ t remember how long it took to write it.  That was a long time ago.  Our family went to the ocean each year, so it was about a family at the ocean.