NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

[morshana]

Glad your mom is okay, Martin.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Thanks, Jeanette!

[WriteToLive]

Welcome new members.

Btw, if you're wondering why I'm really late, it's because I'm in the middle of my last semester at UT while in the next round of resubmissions for most of my works. Ay ya!

PS: To Martin's Mom: Get Well Soon.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Btw, if you're wondering why I'm really late, it's because I'm in the middle of my last semester at UT while in the next round of resubmissions for most of my works. Ay ya!

Great news! Go! Go! Go!

PS: To Martin's Mom: Get Well Soon.

Thanks! She's better today.

[Kevin Ikenberry]

Hi everyone,

My name is Kevin Ikenberry and I'm a science fiction writer. I've been fortunate enough to actually sell a short story last year and I've finished my first novel and trying to find a home for it now.

In Q4 of last year I entered the contest for the first time and received an Honorable Mention for a novelette I wrote about the first team to climb Olympus Mons called "Ascent." It's taken me a while to get to the blog, but I'm glad I'm here!

Kevin

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Welcome aboard, Kevin! "Ascent" sounds like one I want to read! I hope it's available somewhere soon.

[WriteToLive]

Intriguing concept. Sounds like an excellent story.

Also, welcome to the forums.

[Alex Kane]

Hi everyone,

My name is Kevin Ikenberry and I'm a science fiction writer. I've been fortunate enough to actually sell a short story last year and I've finished my first novel and trying to find a home for it now.

In Q4 of last year I entered the contest for the first time and received an Honorable Mention for a novelette I wrote about the first team to climb Olympus Mons called "Ascent." It's taken me a while to get to the blog, but I'm glad I'm here!

Kevin

Welcome, Kevin!

[Alex Kane]

Welcome new members.

Btw, if you're wondering why I'm really late, it's because I'm in the middle of my last semester at UT while in the next round of resubmissions for most of my works. Ay ya!

PS: To Martin's Mom: Get Well Soon.

You graduate this semester too, Michael?

You ought to add me on Facebook so we groan to one another about how miserable our lives are at present and how dramatically they're going to improve in May, hehe.

[hazlett]

Hi everyone,

My name is Kevin Ikenberry and I'm a science fiction writer. I've been fortunate enough to actually sell a short story last year and I've finished my first novel and trying to find a home for it now.

In Q4 of last year I entered the contest for the first time and received an Honorable Mention for a novelette I wrote about the first team to climb Olympus Mons called "Ascent." It's taken me a while to get to the blog, but I'm glad I'm here!

Kevin

Welcome aboard, Kevin!

[morshana]

Hi, Kevin! Welcome aboard!

[s_c_baker]

Aloha, Kevin. Welcome.

[dantzel]

Hi! My name's Dantzel - I write fantasy and sci-fi. I have several short story submissions out right now, include WOTF, and am currently working on a children's fantasy novel. I've been lurking for several months now, and decided I should probably stop stalking the forums, because that's creepy.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Hi! My name's Dantzel - I write fantasy and sci-fi. I have several short story submissions out right now, include WOTF, and am currently working on a children's fantasy novel. I've been lurking for several months now, and decided I should probably stop stalking the forums, because that's creepy.

Welcome aboard, Dantzel! And we're SF/Fantasy/Horror authors. Creepy is fine with us.

[dantzel]

Ha! Yes, but then you wouldn't get to hear my sweet voice.

[morshana]

Welcome, dantzel!

[Patrick S. McGinnity]

Welcome to all the new folks I've missed!

[joshpotter]

Hullo All.

My name is Josh, and I'm a fledgling writer living in Arkansas. I've only just started writing sci fi and fantasy over the past year or so, and although I've submitted a number of pieces in that time, I haven't sold anything as of yet. My pending Q1 submission is my first WOTF submission, though, so here's hoping!

Many, many thanks to everyone here in the forums-the volumes of extremely useful information that I've found here is what convinced me to stop lurking, something I've never done in a forum before. I'm only slightly overcome with shaky nervousness.

[morshana]

Welcome, joshpotter! Great to have you! =)

[J. Evelyn Douglas]

Hello everyone!

I'm Jude, and I actually stumbled across the contest looking for scholarship opportunities online. I'm actually looking into applying for the Music Production program through Full Sail University online, and then after that, I want to look into their Creative Writing for Entertainment masters program. I'm honestly a little intimidated because it seems like everyone here has already got some literary footing, and I'm just a kid who has some ideas and a keyboard. It's worth a shot though, right? I've always been really fond of Sci-Fi and Fantasy literature, and I've got a concept already fleshed out and started, so I'm going to give it my best shot to get it done by the deadline at the end of the month.

I'm hoping to learn a thing or two around here on the forums that will help me with my submission. Not too sure where to start but I'll be scouring the sub-forums anyway for any useful information. I'm sure there's plenty. :)

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Welcome aboard, Josh and Jude! Best of luck in the contest and in all your creative endeavors!

[morshana]

Welcome, Jude!

[Patrick S. McGinnity]

Well met!

[soulmirror]

Hey, Jude.

[Patrick S. McGinnity]

Hey, Jude.

Damn! How did I miss that?

[dantzel]

Jude, no worries. That's the whole point of the contest, and the worst that can happen is that you won't win.

How I wish I had started submitting when I first read about this contest in 2002... *le sigh*

[Patrick S. McGinnity]

Jude, no worries. That's the whole point of the contest, and the worst that can happen is that you won't win.

How I wish I had started submitting when I first read about this contest in 2002... *le sigh*

Totally agree. The fact that you are here, now, is huge. I decided to "get serious" about writing in 1997 or so, when I was your age, and I'm sure I first heard of the contest 4 or 5 years later, but my first submission wasn't until 2008! The motivation to write something for every quarter is so very helpful. There is a ton of good advice on writing and the biz here on the forums, but to paraphrase what Martin is so fond of saying, the thing is really to write. Write a lot. Write often.

And my own spin on that is that you also have to read. A lot. And often. Seek out the authors that most intimidate you with their skill, and study them. For me right now that is China Mieville and Jeff Vandermeer , but everyone finds their own, and they change as your writing does.

Best of luck this quarter, and in the future! (That last bit didn't sound so Buzz Lightyear in my head.)

[DavidK]

Hi everyone,

My name is Kevin Ikenberry and I'm a science fiction writer. I've been fortunate enough to actually sell a short story last year and I've finished my first novel and trying to find a home for it now.

In Q4 of last year I entered the contest for the first time and received an Honorable Mention for a novelette I wrote about the first team to climb Olympus Mons called "Ascent." It's taken me a while to get to the blog, but I'm glad I'm here!

Kevin

Good to see you finally made it here, Kevin. You'll meet a lot of great folk!

David

[Grayson Morris]

Welcome, new folks! Great to have you here. Jump on in and post away!

[gower21]

Welcome to all the newcomers (even the creepy ones!!).