Introduce Yourself

[Charles]

Thomas wrote: "Hello all,

I'm Tom from Northern Virginia (i.e. Virginia near DC). I read almost anything as long as it's good. SciFi and Fantasy have always been my favorites. Currently working on my first boo..."

If you've got anything similar to Yuengling "Black and Tan", send me a case. :-)

PS: Unless you trust your friend to be brutally honest, you might want to look for an independent editor for that final review. (All I know is that when a friend asked me to beta read a story, I was kind of weirded out by the idea of being really honest about some of the shortcomings I found, and probably pulled quite a few punches, so to speak.) In any case, good luck.

[Thomas]

Charles wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Hello all,

I'm Tom from Northern Virginia (i.e. Virginia near DC). I read almost anything as long as it's good. SciFi and Fantasy have always been my favorites. Currently working ..."

I understand where you're coming from. My family flatly refused. Which was ok. The friend and I are pretty comfortable together. We discuss a variety of books and shows, mostly SciFi. I will see how it goes. I may have to go elsewhere.

[Kal]

Hello all, I'm Kal Spriggs, a general Science Fiction/Fantasy reader and self-published author. I'm from the US, I am active duty military, and really enjoy both ebooks and the dead tree versions. The sheer weight of books I own has made me shift more and more towards ebooks. They're easier to move, if nothing else. If you want to know more about me, I keep a blog at kalspriggs.wordpress.com

[Mark]

Hello,

My name is Mark Hockley and I am a writer. Hope to make some friends here.

[Alicia]

Hi, I'm Alicia. I am currently a middle school math teacher in NJ. I work hard and go to school for my masters. I love to read. It's the one thing that I think I could never live without. It makes all the craziness of teaching a thing of the past. :0) I enjoy sci/fi, fantasy, young adult, and horror. I prefer books, but if I can get copies of book for my nook for free I would read it there. But there are certain books that I have to own because I enjoy collecting them. I am exciting to join this club and see what readings are going on and what other people have to say about them.

[K.]

Hi, I'm Kenny and fairly new to the world of Goodreads. In fact, I seem to be new to many things despite being around for over 45 years.

I'm new to South Australia, having migrated here from the UK a little under 2 yrs ago. Although I've been writing for a couple of decades I've found new motivation to self-publish my work. Due to this I've discovered a need for marketing - which I am new to. Social Media - pretty new to that also. The final one being 'tricks', as this old dog is now constantly being taught new ones!

Look forward meeting new people here and reading some new books on my new Kindle.

So...what's new with you?

[Alan]

Kenny wrote: "Hi, I'm Kenny ...I've found new motivation to self-publish my work. Due to this I've discovered a need for marketing ..."

You and me both! My work was self-published on Amazon a couple of years ago, and sales have been VERY slow!
However: I have recently put work out on Smashwords as well, and so far it looks much more hopeful! Remember, Amazon do no marketing for you, it is all your problem, and as a beginner it will be a BIG problem. A strong presence here or on some similar readers' site will certainly help, and Smashwords seem to have some good links, though I am not yet sure how it all works.
One word of warning - if you do go through Smashwords you will find yourself in discussion with the American Tax Authorities. So far, this is going fairly smoothly, but be prepared for some form-filling.

[K.]

Alan wrote: "Kenny wrote: "Hi, I'm Kenny ...I've found new motivation to self-publish my work. Due to this I've discovered a need for marketing ..."

You and me both! My work was self-published on Amazon a co..."

Thanks for the advice Alan, I'll look into Smashwords. Already experienced the American Tax Office and that seems to be good so far....

[Alan]

Kenny wrote: "Alan wrote: ."
Hi Kenny
Thanks for the acknowledgement. I shall be posting up a few more details on my authorpage in a couple of days (at least, that's the plan!) but I shall be a bit busy in the immediate future - updating website, etc. Self-publicising is quite a problem! You have to balance making your presence felt against spamming and inappropriate self-promotion. It is not always an easy balance to find!

[Kira]

Hiya, my name is Kira and I come from Sydney, Australia. I recently managed to convince work to let me take six months unpaid leave to move to Canada and do a ski season. I'm really looking forward to having some free time to read the long list of books I have in my to-read list as well!

I've been a long time fantasy fan (since I was a kid) and am always looking for a good series to read. I've also recently started to have an interest in the sci-fi genre and am looking forward to reading about the books you guys love and recommend.

I've been feeling a bit lost as to what to read next - I just finished Orwell's 1984 and finding a book to follow something so thought-provoking is difficult. I got the notification that the club would be reading Taliesin, and it sounds right up my alley, so I'll probably be reading that for the rest of November :)

Anyway, nice to meet you all and I look forward to being a part of this group :)

[[deleted user]]

Sorry--I forgot to introduce myself before I started posting in the group. I'm Joshua Grasso, a life-long student of all literature, though I've always been pulled toward science fiction ever since I read Asimov and Herbert as an early teenager, and fantasy when I first picked up Edith Hamilton's Mythology (didn't the Greeks really start the genre?). After making reading my profession and getting a PhD, I became an English professor at a small university in Oklahoma, where I have found numerous ways to teach science fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels to a new generation of students. However, all those years lost in academia pulled me away from the latest developments/authors in the sci-fi field, so I hope to learn from this group and become a student once more.

[roundbrackets]

Hi, I'm Tina. I know, you can tell from my profile.

I prefer sci-fi/fantasy over general fiction because even when it's emotionally challenging it's still clearly fiction, that is, a story that may be evocative but still doesn't effect my outlook.

OK, Octavia Butler and Doris Lessing are exceptions, but I know to avoid them now lest they launch me into major depression. I'm looking for escape, not social commentary.

[[deleted user]]

Tina wrote: "OK, Octavia Butler and Doris Lessing are exceptions, but I know to avoid them now lest they launch me into major depression. I'm looking for escape, not social commentary. "

I love Octavia Butler's writing and I wish she was around to produce more wonderful novels .... and you're right that she's not the most upbeat writer in the genre and I can't read her when I just want a nice comfort read. :)

[[deleted user]]

Hi, the first book in my Tales of Finndragon series, is being serialised on Wattpad for a short time only.

http://www.wattpad.com/28150164?utm_s...

If there are any fantasy (or sci-fi) authors looking for some great exposure, see what One Thousand Worlds can do for you!

http://onethousandworlds.blogspot.co.uk/

[Kenny]

Tina wrote: "Hi, I'm Tina. I know, you can tell from my profile.

I prefer sci-fi/fantasy over general fiction because even when it's emotionally challenging it's still clearly fiction, that is, a story that ma..."

Welcome! To each his own eh? I love Octavia Butler! But I see how some might not...

Enjoy!

[T.C.]

Hi there. I'm from Wales, and a lifelong reader of Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror, amongst other things. I'm a particular fan of the clever and interesting use of words - sometimes more so that than of the stories themselves, if you see what I mean!

[Garry]

Hey everybody! I'm new to Goodreads and this is my first group. I'm mostly here to discuss books I've read, and to give/get book suggestions. I've only been reading fantasy off and on for the last few years. I'm into the Sword of Truth series, the Kingkiller Chronicles, Demonata, and Ender's game (I like a little sci-fi too). I'm currently reading The Talisman by Stephen King. I look forward to discussing books with you all!

[Andreas]

Hi All,

I live in England although I am Swedish. I am married and live in a small cottage in the outskirts of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

I have been a huge fan of Fantasy for virtually all my life. The hobbit was the first book I read when I was about 6-7 or so and I have kept going ever since. I have probably read over 200 fantasy books, I have a massive bookcase at home where I have a large portion of them, however I recently (last year) converted to use a Kindle and now only have them digitally which has worked out a bit better than I had thought. I do like being able to keep my book that is in progress with me at all time (kindle app in my phone!) that way when the wife is doing some seriously boring shopping and I have to stand around and wait I can always read a few pages... :-)

I also read quite a bit of sci-fi just to keep a bit of variety in the reading. There is just so much out there to read!

Looking forward to discussing books with you all!

[Yaron]

Hello Fans of the SciFi ebooks!

My name is Yaron Glazer and I'm a Goodreads reader and author. My current project, Statisticity, is a dystopian sci-fi thriller set in Shanghai in the year 2084.

Noble Beast, an amazing new publisher of enhanced sci-fi ebooks, is going to publish Statisticity. But they're a bootstrapped startup, and our campaign to raise funds for the project's artwork and other amazing features has less than 10 hours left to reach its funding goal.

Please check out the project Kickstarter and consider backing the project: http://kck.st/GGF9w5

Help us write the future of science fiction!

Yaron

[Eric]

Hi,

My name is Eric Lahti and I'm new to Goodreads as a reader and author. I'm a huge fan of Ken Mcleod and was hoping someone could recommend some books that are similar to his.

Thanks!
Eric

[Eric]

Whoops. Sorry. Ken MacLeod. It's far too early for me to spell correctly. Although, now that I looked up Ken Mcleod, he might have some interesting stuff, too.

[Eric]

Yay! More IT people!

[Ken]

mmm fellow technology specialists. welcome

[Alicia]

Michael wrote: "Greetings and salivations!
My name is Michael (duh). I am a 42YO father of two and I am the Director of IT for a small Alabama municipality.

I have been a SW fanatic since the movies came out in 1..."

I actually saw the Xanth books in Barnes and Noble the other day but wasn't sure how good they were. So if you are looking, they do have them. :0)

[Alan]

Michael wrote: "Greetings and salivations!
I read Anthony's World of Xanth books when I was in high school in the mid-80s, and would love to find those books again ..."
Just my own opinion, but I loved those too - at least, I loved the early ones. Later, they went off - as such series often do, but these went seriously off!

[Alan]

Kenneth wrote: "mmm fellow technology specialists. welcome"
Now when I was young and just discovering F/SF, computers were rare (only to be found in university labs and the basements of a few large companies) but the people who read these genres were very much drawn from the Science rather than the Arts faculties. I wonder why?

[Geoffrey]

Hi. My name is E. H. (Hack) Hackney. I recently self-published my first fantasy as Geoffrey Ganges.

I like to read, write, hike, listen to (sometimes play) jazz. I live, read, write, hike and play on the eastern foothills of the Sandia mountains in New Mexico where I live with my wife and two opionated cats.

I hope to connect with readers/writers of fantasty here.

Best regards and happy holidays, everyone.

[Justin]

hey there everyone, my names Justin, a massive fan of both sci-fi and fantasy novels, and have to say more of a fan of ebooks now, which i never thought i would say. Only found out about goodreads, recently and am already hooked.
Right now i have just finished World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and am currently trying to avoid the movie:)

[Sally]

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... has my bio and info about my book/series. I am a long-time educator/writer just branching out into sci-fi/romance/paranormal/multiverse fiction with my first ebook this fall. Love to meet and talk with readers. Author chat 12/19, release date for TCE, 9 AM - 12 noon PST on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/...

[S.]

Hi Everyone,

I'm Sebastian. It's nice to meet you and the rest of the club. My wife and I are documentary junkies. We're super geeks that love information, technology, and environmental conservation. We're also debut authors looking to build a fan base. I love stories with strong characters and lots of sub plots. We like fun stories that are not too experimental, or littered with flat characters or substance that goes no where. Verne and Wells are my literary heroes.

[Johnnie]

Greetings all:

I'm the father of four, a software engineer that loves to read sci-fi and fantasy, and writes a bit on the side. I was a kid in the late 80's, early 90's, so I was in love with Piers Anthony, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Mercedes Lackey, Octavia Butler, and even the oldies like Andre Norton and Ray Bradbury. I used to get my books from flee markets and library sells and now I usually read on my Kindle.

I have a Master of Science in Information Systems and I would have continued on for my Doctorate, but all the studying was getting in the way of my reading time...and the kids started to grow up by leaps and spurts while I had my head buried in papers. Still, I love the possibilities that the universe may offer and while I can't spend time discovering it, I do love reading about what might be out there.

[Paul]

Hello. I'm Paul. Fifty something married man with three children.
Live in rural middle England. Been reading Sci Fi off and on since I was a schoolboy , many years ago now. Inspired no doubt by the Apollo Moon-landing project of the day, which was Sci Fi made true.
I have used a Sony reader, which was fine, but have changed to a Kindle. Enjoy it's ease, it's simplicity, it's backlight.
Looking forward to engaging in friendly with you all.
Paul

[Scott]

Hi I am Scott, I own both a Kindle and a Nook...I have been reading both Scifi and Fantasy all my life, and have at least tried the greats of both genres...
Currently reading Brent weeks Beyond shadows and Michael SUllivans Theft of Swords, while on the short version of my to read least are Aloha from Hell Richard Kadrey, Ivory Mike Resnick...

[Scott]

Scott wrote: "Hi I am Scott, I own both a Kindle and a Nook...I have been reading both Scifi and Fantasy all my life, and have at least tried the greats of both genres...
Currently reading Brent weeks Beyond sha..."

Welcome to the group Scott

I actually just finished Theft of Swords - hope you like it as much as I did.

[Ian]

Hi,
My name is LH Thomson and I'm a 43-year-old sci fi, western and mystery writer. I got heavily into the Goodreads community for about six months two years ago, then retreated into a hermit-like state to write a dozen books. Now I'm trying to get out there a little more, so I'm just stopping in here to say hello. Drop me a note or a friend request (or just a reply here!) and we can connect. In the meantime, a blog post about why I have so much trouble being a sociable dude....

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

[Willan]

Hi All, I'm Willan Ellis - living in Melbourne, Australia.
Massive Fantasy and Sci Fi nerd (actually just a plain out nerd hehe). Started writing and illustrating comics at the age of seven, growing up in the pacific islands (Fiji, Cook Islands etc). Was involved in music for a long time, and then realised I wanted to pursue my own passions for once and started turning my comics into stories. Just about to release Episode Four of my first Fantasy Novel (can't get away from the comic formats hehe). Ebooks *sigh* gotta luff em - makes a wannabe writer have an easier way to get those books out. Say HI :) I'm a Kindle gal.

[Laura]

Hello!

I'm Laura Burroughs I'm a writer and a true pantologic geek. Right now I'm studying the Phoenicians, Calabi-Yau Geometry and I'm trying to wrap my mathematically-deficient mind around some weird physics concepts. I love reading, scuba diving, kayaking and writing. Oh, I am a full-time taxi service for my fourteen-year-old, so I take my Nook everywhere. I usually read a fiction and a nonfiction at the same time, unless I'm writing, then I only read nonfiction...

[Craig]

Hey sci fi lovers!
I'm new to this site and it looks fantastic! I love reading science fiction in particular. I enjoy stories that bring me to a new understanding of life, the universe and everything. I'm reading "Damocles" by S. G. Redling, at the moment.
Cheers
Craig

[D.]

Hi all, I'm an author of young adult fantasy and horror. My fantasy ebook Saffron - The Blood Swan published by "Books to go now" publisher, Seattle, Washington, US. I love fantasy books .

[Justin]

Hi everyone! My name is Justin, I recently self-published my first fantasy novel, and I'm having a blast connecting with everyone in the writing community. Best wishes!

[Craig]

Justin wrote: "Hi everyone! My name is Justin, I recently self-published my first fantasy novel, and I'm having a blast connecting with everyone in the writing community. Best wishes!"

Hey Justin,
Good luck with your book! It looks pretty cool to me. I'm glad your enjoying the goodreads site. I'm fairly new to it myself. It must be a great sense of achievement to add to the fantasy novel pool of human experience!

[Justin]

Thanks Craig!

[Shannon]

Hi everyone!

My name is Shannon and I live in a small city in the tiny state of New Hampshire where I share an apartment with my fiancee, three cats, and a dog who thinks she's part cat. I'm in my early twenties and am currently employed full-time as a graphic artist and customer service rep for a car small parts store and I've also become an author of an Urban Science Fantasy series in the past month.

I'm a nook owner but I cheat and use the kindle app on it when I can't find a book for my nook and while my reading volume is low due to my crazy life, I do my best to sit down to read a good book every once in a while to let my mind and imagination wander. I'm also a small Star Wars geek and dragons make me weak in the knees.

[Losart]

Hi everyone. My name is Lorenzo and I live in Italy, not far from Milan. Sci-fi and thrillers are my favorite genres (better is they are combined). I write too. Apart from wargames rules (my job) I write sci-fi, fantasy and thrillers and my first short novel will be published in spring as an ebook by an Italian publisher, possibly in English too.

[C.J.]

Hello! I'm glad to be part of the community.

[Nigel]

Hi everyone,

My name’s Nigel and I live in the UK. I’ve been an author since last century, but have only recently discovered self-publishing (via Amazon Kindle).

I decided to join this group is because I’m in the middle of writing a series of books (The Hamish McAllister Chronicles) which are set in the near future - certainly science fiction, but still recognisably about our world. Two of these books are available on Kindle, the third is in the processing of editing (and re-editing, and re-editing etc - all you authors will understand…), and the fourth is in the early (exciting) stages of research/plot development.

These books have technological elements (I spent most of my working life as a computer consultant), as well as social, political and religious implications (think Dan Brown without the symbology!). I hope this group is an appropriate place to discuss the impact of future technology and sociological responses to it, but if it isn’t, I’m sure someone will clearly tell me to go somewhere else…

At the risk of self-publicity, please feel free to visit my profile where you’ll find some epub downloads - the nearest I can get to giveaways at present!

Best wishes,

Nigel

[C.J.]

Welcome Nigel!

[Devin]

Hello everyone!

My name is Devin, I'm primarily a fantasy reader and fantasy author, and I'm on the verge of moving permanently from Australia to Canada, although I've never seen snow so at this time of year it might be a bit of a shock...

I love Terry Pratchett, Dr Who, Final Fantasy, Death Note, and I think I must be the only person in the world who liked Episode Three of Star Wars... (don't hate me!)

I write full time while juggling two little girls, and I'm so glad I've finally made it past my fear of joining a goodreads group!

[Graham]

Hi Folks, my name is Graham and I am from Manchester, England, 6 miles away from Manchester United's ground at Old Trafford. I love to read and write. The reading started in earnest when I was very young 6/7 and due to a speech impediment (now thankfully gone) I was encouraged to read anything and everything. I love Sci-fi and fantasy with my favourite book Lord of The Rings - I think I read it first when I was 9.
I am an author but any self promotion is on the proper 'Author promotion' site (ZEIN) but this is more to say hi and introduce myself.

Just want to talk and meet other avid readers and find out what floats their boat!

Keeping a wary eye for any new ebooks as still not lost the bug for reading.

Anyway just wanted to introduce myself and look forward to any discussions.

Cheers

Graham

[Clare]

Hi folks,

I am from Dublin and I have written and published seven fiction books, which may be of interest to people who want to read about modern Ireland; one is SF.

I also review a lot and have recently reviewed 400 Billion Stars, The Woman Who Stopped Traffic and The Greenland Breach; lots of other SF & F and techno thrillers as well as factual books.
Having been on Goodreads for a while I am just starting to explore groups.

My SF title is;

Dining Out Around The Solar System - a science fiction look at the future of Ireland and the UK, mainly set in London.

I was at Octocon the SF Con in Dublin in 2013 and hope to be at London Con in 2014.