*taps mic* Um, hi...Is this thing on?

Hi everyone! I'm Emily, I'm a self-published sci-fi/fantasy writer from Texas, mostly just looking for a place on the internet to hang out and gab with other writers. I've been writing for over 15 years now, starting in fanfiction (which I still write, though not as often) and I've been seriously pursuing my original fiction-writing dreams since 2009 when I started participating in National Novel Writing Month (of which I'm a big advocate). I just published my first book in December, and its done much better than I expected, which I'm very excited about!

Aside from writing, I'm a fangirl of many things (Marvel, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, just to name three off the top of my head), and I craft with yarn (crochet, knitting, spinning my own yarn). I have a demon-cat named Layla, two dogs, Bear and Sugar, and an anti-social boyfriend who makes so few appearances in real life that my writing group calls him "the imaginary boyfriend"

I'll probably be a lurker for a while, until I get my bearings, but I'm excited to listen in on all the conversations happening around the Water Cooler!

The Urban Spaceman said:

I attempted NaNo once... Then something shiny rolled by and I got distracted.

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This happens to a lot of people (even me, once or twice ). Thanks for the welcome! I'll have to go lurk around the SFF forums today and see what there is to see

Enlightened said:

SFF writing can benefit with boyfriend's mannerisms.

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He's very supportive, bless his non-writerly heart ;P He knows when to leave me alone and let me work, which is super useful Thanks for the welcome!

Chase said:

I'm a transplant from the northwest mountains, and I, too, think the nearly daily morning fogisbeautiful here on the coast.

Also a beauty is the fine old name Emily. My grandmother's (born in 1898) and my younger sister's (born in 1945).

I truly believe you can see your imaginary boyfriend.

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Aw, you're so nice, thank you! I've been using "fogisbeautiful" all over the internet for years, it has served me very well

And you are not alone in your skepticism about Imaginary Boyfriend...and he feeds into it, by telling people who meet him that he's paid actor, LOL, as if I could afford to pay an actor... ;P

CameronJohnston said:

Hi Emily, welcome to AW!
Glad to hear that your novel is doing so well

This is definitely the place to pull up a chair and talk about writing and books!

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Thank you so much! I was honestly surprised I sold any copies at all...I'm even more surprised that I'm continuing to sell copies LOL

"Let the armies of Mordor know this: Never again, will the land of my people fall into enemy hands! The city of Osgiliath, has been reclaimed! For Gondor!"
"FOR GONDOR!"

I'm a Boromir gal, myself ;P The books can be a bit of a slog. I honestly didn't get into the fandom until the movies (though I did read the books first), they helped me better visualize what was happening Glad to meet another LotR fan!

Oh wow, thanks for all the great links! I've gone through some of the FAQs already, and I definitely plan to check out the Weekend Progress Report next