SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club discussion
General Topics
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Introduce Yourself
I'm Tracey - though I prefer Trace. I come from Queensland's sunny south-east in Oz, married with a dog and two cats and soon to turn 40.
Love my family, my pets, my kindle, travel, yoga, boxing, horse riding, reading and studying ancient languages and civilizations.
I have two degrees, one in Ancient History where I specialised in Egyptology, and one in Comparative Religion where I specialised in ancient pagan religions.
My 'day' job is in Admin for the government, boring but it allows me plenty of time to write. I've been writing for about as long as I can remember but only writing good fiction for the past couple of years - hence the publication of my novel Erich's Plea.
Erich's Plea
Like Geoffrey I'm also a bit of a Star Trek geek, love my old comics and am a HUGE fan of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams.
Other than that I'm pretty boring but I've set myself the task this coming birth year to learn photography and scuba diving - both of which should come in handy when Robbie [the husband:] and I visit Thailand and Cambodia early next year.
Cheers all,
Trace
I like to read fantasy/sci-fi books that take me to original worlds unlike any i have read before. I also like to know very little about the plot when I go into the book. I like surprises.
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php...
http://phpbuilder.com/board/showthrea...
You know... I never looked into that before. I just might do that next year. $50 and you get electronic copies of all the nominees? Looks like you get about three months to get through the material as well. Easily doable, even with all these reading games :)
Oh, and my introduction? My name's Eric. My love of reading fiction got a kickstart after Christmas this past year when I received my kindle. I used to read voraciously, but had gotten away from it over the last 10 or 15 years. I'd been reading mostly military history and the like, and my reading volume dropped way off.
I didn't really get into science fiction much until college in the late 80s. I was working in the Tacoma Tower Books, and our manager was a huge SF fan. He'd constantly recommend things to me, and most I liked. As a result, the large bulk of what I've read was published between 1980 and 1995 or so.
I've got a lot of catching up to do.
My reading goals for the year revolve around the Mind Voyages Reading Challenge. It's a way to go back and catch up on some of the Hugo and Nebula winners and nominees that you may have missed or forgotten. I'm using it to catch up on authors I've never read, and it's been a great way to do it.
I used to live about a half mile from 73 in Berlin, now I'm further north in Cinnaminson, but still about a half mile from 73. :-)
I've always loved to read, a little bit of everything, but especially SciFi and Fantasy. (I've been on an Urban Fantasy kick for the last couple of years.) I love my Kindle, I received it as a birthday gift last year.
I am also a big Media SF fan, I go to a couple of SciFi conventions every year. I'm a huge baseball fan (New York Yankees), and also an avid photographer and gardener.
Oh, if I did it, I'd certainly vote. Did you get only the novels, or all the short fiction as well?
I'm Kae Cheatham,
living and working in the Treasure State--Montana.
I currently have only a Kindle for PC, but that will soon change. I read Science, Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction. Not into Fantasy.
I have eleven published titles, of which two are SF:
Daughter of the Stone
and Child of the Mist
. (Oh, yuk, this is an old cover for Mist. I'll have to get the librarians to change it).
These both take place on the same non-earth very original world (just like you like, Joseph), but are stand-alone as to plot and characters.
WIP: one Speculative Fiction and one Science Fiction.
I also have a semi-geeky web page where I'm cataloging interesting science and SF words. Input is welcome!
living and working in the Treasure State--Montana.
I currently have only a Kindle for PC, but that will soon change. I read Science, Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction. Not into Fantasy.
I have eleven published titles, of which two are SF:
Daughter of the Stone
These both take place on the same non-earth very original world (just like you like, Joseph), but are stand-alone as to plot and characters.
WIP: one Speculative Fiction and one Science Fiction.
I also have a semi-geeky web page where I'm cataloging interesting science and SF words. Input is welcome!
Sue, that's interesting to do a glossary for your book. I should probably consider that for the Gem of the Galaxy series.
Nice Web site!
Nice Web site!
may I introduce myself? My (pen) name is Valerie J. Long, and I am a writer of erotic science fiction/fantasy action thrillers.
About myself
I was born in Germany in the sixties of the last century. I am working as an IT Project Manager for an international company, and I live in Wiesbaden.
I read a lot. My bookshelves are overloaded with surely more than 2’000 books, mostly fantasy and science fiction. Among my favorites are J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Heinlein, Alan Dean Foster and David Weber, only to mention a few. You bet I’ve grown up with Captain Kirk and Luke Skywalker, but I’ve also digested “Barbarella” and “Logan’s run”…
I am a fan of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, I like Alien, Sin City or Kill Bill, but I also enjoy watching Notting Hill.
I also travel a lot. If you read my stories and think—oops, she must know that place well—maybe you’re right, I’ve been there before.
About my writing
Basically my history as a writer starts with my history as a fantasy role playing game master. Writing fantasy stories for role playing is a very good training for story plotting—players will inevitably spot any hole in your story logic.
I’ve written some very short shorts—some not more than one or two pages—until one day I joined a story contest in a German online community. Result was the beginning of “Lioness’ Heart” (in German, of course). It was a big success, but it quickly became clear that the story could not simply end with a murder. It had to continue.
One chapter a day the story grew. I’m in the fifth year now, and I’m still posting one chapter each day to my small demanding online community. Meanwhile I’m two books and about two thirds of a year ahead of my readers, and my ideas cover one more books that I yet have to write. My readers also demanded a printed version of my stories, and they got it.
Somewhere on my shelf you'll find my books, but those don't belong in my intro.
Cheers,
Valerie
http://zoe-lionheart.net
I live in Western Australia. My husband & I share our house with a slightly mad cat named Lenny.
I work for a large Telco, I'm a Project Coordinator for 3 states ( which actually cover 2/3 of the whole country lol)
I love to read... SciFi & Fantasy are my favourite genres although I do enjoy other books as well. I got my Kindle for Christmas and it's my most favourite gift ever. My husband just gave me an iPad the other day for my birthday so Kindle may have some competition soon.
Sci-Fi is my favorite genre, although I'm also quite into graphic novels. My favorite sci-fi author probably is Ray Bradbury, but I'm also influenced by Orwell.
I actually don't have an eReader YET, but I'm going to get one soon. Trying to decide between a Kindle and a Nook...
Philadelphia area style greeting. My name is Bill and I'm hooked on SciFi and fantasy. I do two book blogs, Pick of the Literate, general fiction and Azure Dwarf's Horde of Science Fiction and Fantasy. I also do a tech blog called Money Saving Tech Tips and Philosophic Musings. I just posted a review on Augen's The Book a very inexpensive eReader. I don't sell them and I didn't get paid to write the review. I bought it at Kmart for $89.00. It works great. I do have problems with verbosity so I will stop here. If you want to read the review. http://money-saving-tech-tips.blogspo...
Bill
I have been a reader all my life - devoured books as a kid and teenager, not always the best - read my fair share and more of Bobbsey Twins and later what I like to call Nurse Henry romance novels (slightly better than Harlequin, but not a lot) - sorry, this did not turn into an interest in erotica Valerie, quite the opposite! Was introduced to my first science fiction short story in high school, By the Waters of Babylon (anyone read it? I have never understood the Babylon reference - presumed it was biblical but my minister father could not help me), and around the same time my grade 12 teacher introduced me to "better" books, including On the Beach, which I guess classified as near future science fiction, but as I had recently lived through the Bay of Pigs on a Canadian military base it was rather a little too realistic! My first fantasy novel was Lord of the Rings, read while I was bored studying for the Ontario bar admission exams. But I have only really gotten into science fiction and, to a lesser extent, fantasy in the last 10 years or so; I am hooked and reading as avidly as I ever did in high school! My other reading love is historical mysteries.
Welcome, I am going to be so bold as to recommend an author you may not have heard of yet. Kristin Cashore is outstanding and wrote two of my all time favorites. I did review them. If you are interested here are the links.
http://bookrevues.blogspot.com/2009/0...
http://bookrevues.blogspot.com/2009/0...
I have vague recollections of the book, By The Waters of Babylon. My first recalled scifi book was one of the Mr. Bass's Planatoid series. Anyway Welcome and if you haven't read Cashore you should and another new author is Jennifer Estep whose Gin is a butt kicking elemental assassin. Good Stuff!
Bill
Welcome, I am going to be so bold as to recommend an author you may not have heard of yet. Kristin Cashore is outstanding and wrote two of my all time favorites. I did review them. If..."
Thanks for the suggestions! By the Waters of Babylon is a short story - just searched for it on the web & it does exist, and is older than I thought, 1937. Always presumed it was post nuclear war - maybe its pre nuclear origins might help in identifying the Babylon link - will have to reread it with this in mind.
I have the sample of your book in my TBR folder on my Kindle. Now that I 'know' you, I'll move it uo the list :)
I'm a registered mental health nurse, certified Personal Trainer and an author of factual books on exercise and nutrition. My main passion is for writing fantasy and SF though. I have a fantasy novel to my name and a SF novella called "Thanatos Rising".
I'm currently working on the first two books of my fantasy trilogy, as well as putting together a short-story collection.
I've spent time living in Australia, the US and Wales, but I'm now back in the South of England where I belong (!)
I recently moved to Georgia (USA) from Arizona. The humidity has been *different* but much more tolerable than the 115-degree heat I was used to. "But it's a dry heat" doesn't negate the fact that it's freaking hot there! lol
Other than reading everything I'm a dad of two teen boys, Alpha male to a couple of rescued dogs, and otherwise unattached bachelor.
My name is Vianka Van Bokkem and I am a Fantasy author from Indiana!
I'm also into science fiction conventions as a costumer doing masquerade things at science fiction conventions around Chicago, a member of the Chicagoland Costumers' Guild and their webmaster, also the Newsletter Editor for the International Costumers' Guild, and designer of the Retro Hugo Award base for Noreascon IV in Boston, 2004.
Former professor and dean in the Electronics department at DeVry University Chicago, I'm now retired and just finished writing a trilogy called the "HaChii Concatenation" which is available on Amazon Kindle books.
I read 10-20 books a year and am just beginning Harry Turtledove's "East and West."
Cheers!
Pat O'Connor
Harry likes to develop long sagas, and this one looks like no exception. At the moment, how the divergence from our time-line affects everything is not immediately apparent except that WWII is in this case a lot more like WWI.
Patrick
A little about my writing: Since 1998, I've sold dozens of stories and poems to various publications, among them Flesh & Blood, Chizine, and Orson Scott Card's Strong Verse. Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale, published my novel Firefly Island in 2007. Flaming Dove, a dark fantasy, is my second novel.
You can learn more about me at: http://www.DanielArenson.com
I've also done a fair amount of teaching, in workshops ranging from MIT to Bread Loaf, Vermont. I have a free course for aspiring writers up at writesf.com.
As a reader, my favorites range from Willis to Bujold to Haldeman to Tolkien. I am woefully behind in my reading. I've converted largely to ebooks for reading, as I find it so much more convenient. I've also recently become a convert to library-downloads of audiobooks, which I can enjoy while walking the dog.
My website is at http://www.starrigger.net, and I post (not too frequently) to my blog, Pushing a Snake Up a Hill.
Just stumbled across this group as I was searching for places to post that one of my husband's books has just been set to free (for a limited time) by the publisher.
I LOVE e-books and in particular fantasy. Glad to find a group like this -- now I'm off to look around to what you've read before ;-)
I'm Jack. I've been teaching physics in an International Baccalaureate high school part time and doing nanomaterials science research at Stanford University the rest of the time for the past several years. I have been a mountaineering instructor, a journalist, and a roofer. When I was eighteen I rode a motorcycle across the US from California to New York because I'd just read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I should have stuck closer to Pirsig's plan and stayed on the Blue Highways. I did it in ten days because I was on a time line, and it rained every day, all day long. My claim to fame is by proxy; my grandfather is credited with inventing the Dorito. And I've just written a technothriller available at Smashwords and Amazon called Parmenidean Breach. The diversity of this group is inspiring.
Great to see fellow eBookers/sci-fi lovers out there! My name is Mark Lopez, I'm a Dad, veteran, author, & cook. My joys in life are my family, watching my family eat my food, and writing. I love science fiction & fantasy, although I've taken a hiatus from reading for the sake of developing my own original style. Films that have filled that void include V for Vendetta, District 9, Inception, Pan's Labrynth, and Vanilla Sky, the last of which is one of the greatest and easily most underrated sci-fi films ever made. I didn't like Avatar, although I'm grateful for what it did for the genre.
I'm joining this group to meet fellow sci-fi fans, and to start reading again. I'm currently between projects, so I can safely fill up on some good literature without reservation. For those of you in the tri-state area—hi! I'm up in North Jersey (Lyndhurst) dodging traffic and fist pumpers. Great to meet you!
Warmest regards,
Mark Anthony Lopez
I do like books other than fantasy and am currently hooked on Dorothy Dunnett's historical fiction, the Lymond chronicles - definitely not for the sissy reader as it is dense, difficult, but infinitely rewarding reading.
My favorite fantasy authors are Carol Berg, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Janny Wurts.
Here is my reading list for November.
I'm Keith. I heard about this site from kindleboards so I thought I would join.
Not really big on bios, so I'll just say that I write both horror fiction and heroic fantasy. I read about two books a month or so, and if it's good, just about any genre is doable.
Have a good day,
Keith
I just got my nook (yay early graduation present!!) and am looking forward to reading new stuff. I primarily read sci-fi but will read just about anything.
I think I am going to take a bash at this month's book Mistborn. It looks like that discussion starts the day that the semester ends, so I will be looking forward to reading for fun. :)
I love board games!
My name is Bill and I should (finally) be getting my Kindle reader tomorrow. I look forward to reading a lot of fantasy titles, and to using this site as a resource to locate titles that I may be interested in.
I am also promoting a fantasy e-book that I recently wrote, which has been a mixture of excitement, frustration and joy.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Bill aka B Throwsnaill
My name is Bill and I should (finally) be getting my Kindle reader tomorrow. I look forward to reading a lot of fantasy titles, and to using this site as a resource to locate titles that I ma..."
By all means, tell the folks what you wrote and who published it.
AKW Books (akwbooks.com) has a couple of fantasy books that may appeal to you, and they do publish a Kindle version with no DRM to get in the way.
Of course, Amazon has tons of fantasy, both good and bad. Smashwords deals in everything under the sun, but again, you never know what the quality is.
However, at all three of these places, you can read part of the book before you buy it (I think you have to read the Smashwords versions online).
Merry Christmas, Bill.
my name is Alberto and I'm from Sao Paulo/Brazil, but last year I moved to Montreal/Canada, where currently I work as a web developer on a dating site. Since I got here I began to read more and more, maybe it is the lack of friends and family close by, or it's just the acquisition of a new hobby. So I have been looking for a place to exchange ideas, meet new friends and get good books recommendations.
I like reading fiction in general, but fantasy and scify tend to catch my attention easily.
My ereader is a a Kindle, and I am really happy with it. No more book boxes next time I move!
Happy new year to you all! :-)
Hi, I'm Alain and I'm... a geek! It's been three days since I last watched Star Trek.
If Goodreads had a like-button, I would push yours... ;-)
If Goodreads had a like-button, I would push yours... ;-)"
Haha. It's funny how everyone made fun of the facebook "likes" and "pokes" saying they were totally useless (which they are). But now I can't tell you the number of times I have been in that same situation. Where's the like button??
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I'm a gay geek (used to be part of a group by that name so we much be a sub-culture ...) in Dallas, Texas where I live with my partner, my dog, Sister Yasmini - my kindle, and my pbook library. I'm in my mid-forties and I work for Ericsson as a software application specialist (But I'm not a real IT guy).
I'm a Star Trek geek, a movie geek, and a recovering comic-book geek. I enjoy geeking out on etymology but I'm not a proper word geek (although I was an English major, so that explains a lot)