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Public Beta Users, please introduce yourselves!
Zia Ahmad
Posted: Saturday, April 30, 2011 3:05 PM
Joined: 4/29/2011
Posts: 17


My name is Zia. I am from Chicago, Il. I found out about BC through LinkedIn and it sounded like a great idea. I am a new author who just finished his manuscript. I started writing about five years ago, inspired by a true story that deeply touched me.
English not being my first language, being a writer was not part of my future plans. But, after testing the water, encouragement from family and friends, and the willingness to learn and observe constantly, I put my thoughts into writing-and now it is has turned into a wonderful story. I have a career in finance with one of the major corporations.
I am looking forward to making lots of connections and friends through Book Country.

Steve Yudewitz
Posted: Sunday, May 1, 2011 3:18 PM
Joined: 4/28/2011
Posts: 24


Hi,
I'm Steve and I found out about Book Country from a news article online. I'm currently working on a mystery novel and write short stories in a few different genres. When I read, I prefer character driven fiction.
I look forward to interacting with other writers and am anxious to see how this site evolves.
Vikram Karve
Posted: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 7:44 AM
Joined: 5/3/2011
Posts: 3


Hi, I am truly delighted to be a member of Book Country which I discovered while surfing the internet.
My name is Vikram Karve and I live in Pune India. I have been a Naval Officer, a Professor, and now I want to be a full time writer. I love writing fiction short stories and I also write on food, books, self help and academics. At present I am writing my first fiction novel.
I am an avid blogger. Before the advent of blogging I used to publish my short fiction and writings in magazines and journals, now I post them on my Academic and Creative Writing Blogs. Please do read my blogs and get to know me better - I look forward to your feedback too.
I have published two books: COCKTAIL (2011) - a collection of my short stories about relationships and APPETITE FOR A STROLL (200 - my foodie adventures.
At Book Country, I look forward to reading interesting fiction and making friends in the world of creative writing, and, most importantly, I wish to learn more about writing and publishing books and the art of full time writing.
Regards
Vikram Karve
Elaine Turner
Posted: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 8:20 PM
Joined: 5/3/2011
Posts: 5


I am a writer and blogger from North Central Texas. I have had several poems published in a University literary magazine, but really I prefer to write fiction novels.

I was so excited, giddy actually, when I saw this link on my Twitter feed. I've singed up to be apart of 2 other writing communities, but they always seemed to lack just a little something, even if I could not put my finger on it.

Now I know what it was...they were not BookCountry! I like the idea of agents being capable of coming TO the slush pile. This site is creating a completely new and fresh dynamic in the publishing community.

I have high hopes for everyone here, ready and willing to participate in growing ideas

A few more tidbits about me: I love Steampunk, traveling and culture. I enjoy going dancing with my husband and I've made my own top hat!

Samuel Tyree
Posted: Thursday, May 5, 2011 7:33 PM
Joined: 5/3/2011
Posts: 4


Hello,

My name is Samuel Tyree, and I heard about this site from someone on facebook.com. I was curious, so I came over to look. It seems a really great resource for aspiring writers, so I threw a couple of chapters of an urban fantasy book set in the Roaring Twenties I'm working on right now, Max Cole: Dark Genesis. I've finished a rough draft of a Shadow Run novel, which I am revising, and I'm now working on my Max Cole book.

I look forward to working on our books together everyone!

Pax,
Samuel
Jamie Lowe
Posted: Saturday, May 7, 2011 12:34 AM
Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 1


Hello,

My name is Jamie Lowe. I heard about this site on Twitter and was thrilled to find it... writing communities make me happy, especially those with more than four members

I write mostly post apocalyptic fiction but I'll try anything once. I stay home with my one-year-old, so I write in between the playground and laundry, but I'm slowly getting my act together.




Joanna Stephen Ward
Posted: Saturday, May 7, 2011 12:48 PM
Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 6


Hello, I'm Joanna. I heard about Book Country on Authonomy.

Two of my books are on Kindle and I'm getting ready to load my third.

I was born in the Australian Outback, and grew up in Melbourne. After leaving school I spent three years at the National Theatre Opera School in Melbourne.


D J Lutz
Posted: Monday, May 9, 2011 1:22 AM
Hello everyone, I'm D.J. and I am not new to storytelling but relatively new to writing them down. I usually focus on mysteries, ranging from cozy to hard boiled, but am also investigating the world of steampunk. I heard about Book Country from a fellow blogger, both of us being expats from Writers Cafe.

For the past few months I had been writing a collection of short stories, flash fiction mostly, in the mystery genre but am now focusing on completing my first novel. I am also working on developing a hard boiled, almost noir Internet cartoon.

I look forward to interacting with everyone weekly! Once I figure out how to do it, I'll post a page or two of the novel and see what happens.


Eric Satchwill
Posted: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 7:36 PM
Joined: 5/6/2011
Posts: 1


The first time I heard about Book Country was when Colleen Lindsey was on Twitter recruiting genre writers for some 'Sekrit Projekt'. I didn't know what it was, but by God I wanted in! Unfortunately, not being a US citizen meant I couldn't be part of the closed beta, so I sat longingly outside waiting to be let in.

I must have gotten distracted though, because as far as I can tell, Book Country has been in open beta for a while already before I signed up. Oh well, I'm here now!

I'm still a little bewildered, to be honest. I feel like a kid at his first school dance: so excited, but not sure what to do with himself once he's there, and what if all the cool kids laugh? But enough about my insecurities. I'm looking forward to being a part of what promises to be an incredible writing community. Given the creators, how can it not be?

I'm a fantasy writer for the most part. I'm working on an ongoing series which has taken over my bloody mind. Whether I write anything longer than a short story that is outside of this series remains to be seen. I'm not sure these characters will give me up or share me that easily
Charles Dove
Posted: Friday, May 20, 2011 11:01 PM
Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 10


Hello BC community! Charles here. I heard about Book Country from a very good friend who joined shortly before I did and recommended the site to me. As I mentioned in another discussion, this is EXACTLY the kind of place I've been looking for! Far too often I'm given pat responses by family and friends when I ask for feedback on my writing. And I just don't think there's any real interest in reviewing works in progress on traditional blogs where people mostly tune in to be entertained. Anyway, I'm glad to be here.
Toni Wyatt
Posted: Monday, May 23, 2011 7:36 PM
Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 52


Hi, I'm Toni Wyatt. I was an independent bookseller for seven years. I love to read anything and everything under the sun. After selling and reading for so long, I decided to try my hand at writing. I'm a book nerd and I'm proud of it. I'm currently working on a mystery novel. I've just started. Haven't finished the second chapter yet, but it is coming. All of my stories take place in the south. I'm not from the south, but my mother was born and bred in Arkansas and my stories all end up there one way or another. I'm loving book country. It is a good feeling to know I have something good to read day or night!
InkMuse
Posted: Monday, May 23, 2011 10:47 PM
Joined: 5/8/2011
Posts: 52


I'm Becca. I write Paranormal/Contemporary Fantasy, Horror, and Mainstream Fiction. I lives in Florida with my husband and three kids, and enjoy everything from morbid to literary to a marriage of the two.

I love dancing with her kids to television show theme songs and would love the beach if it weren't for the sand. Having a child diagnosed with autism has inspired me to illuminate the world through the eyes of characters who see things differently.

I was referred to this place by Noelle (another member here who's writing I adore) and decided it would be nice to check it out. I've been giving out reviews and am patiently waiting for reviews on my own submission. I may wait to see who reviews for me and review for them from now on, as I'm noticing a lot of people don't return reviews on this site (which is fine, but if I'm being honest I was hoping to get some support with my own novel as well!)

I'm currently waiting back to hear from the agents considering my novel as well as Harper Collins, who requested my full MS after reading the partial and making some suggestions.
R N Koller
Posted: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 9:12 PM
Joined: 5/21/2011
Posts: 3


Hello, I'm R.N. Koller (Raz Nadel Koller is the full name). I live in Israel and I discovered this website when a link for it was published in an article in the Israeli news site Ynet.co.il.

I have published two horror novels in Israel, but had little success (although the reviews were flattering, the sales were disappointing to say the least). I published them in a publishing house me and my wife started. It was called Orev (meaning Raven in Hebrew), and the vision was to bring the Horror and Dark Fantasy genres to Israel, genres which do not really exist in the local literature. We had high hopes and big plans (like publishing classics of the genre like Edger Allan Poe and Mary Shelley and so on...) but ran out of money and the publishing house is closed at the moment. We still hope to get funds and reopen it ...

Although I love horror and it is my "home genre" I do write stories and books in other genres as well (although I do seem attracted to the fantastic in my writing... I mean, as long as we are imagining things, why not go all the way?...).

Seeing that the Israeli market is very small and doesn't have a lot of room for non-mainstream creativity, I am hoping to find a way to the English-speaking public of the world with my writing.

I am working now on translating two novels (unpublished, one of them a fantasy novel intended for young people) in the hope of attracting an agent. I thought this website would be a good opportunity for me to receive some feedback from native-English speaking people.

I am also a classically trained musician (I am a bass player, a guitar player and a keyboard player) but have to make a living from translating and web programming (HTML and PHP).

Both me and my wife are students of philosophy (nearly graduating).

Oh, and just to get this little thing out of the way (since the only time you hear of Israel in the media is in relation to the conflict): I did not serve in the army, I am very left-wing in my political views, and I am an activist (when I can) of the peace movement and the two states solution.

So that's me. Nice to meet you all.
Stef Thompson
Posted: Thursday, May 26, 2011 11:13 PM
Joined: 4/29/2011
Posts: 7


Hello! I'm slowly getting started here after finding Book Country through the Penguin FaceBook page. I usually write for children and young adults though I like to play with different genres and styles. I look forward to being part of this online writing community as it's been a very long time since I've been part of any sort of writing group, which I've missed in recent years.
Tom Wolosz
Posted: Friday, May 27, 2011 2:37 PM
Joined: 5/25/2011
Posts: 121


Hello All! Discovered Book Country through nice article in New York Times Arts section on April 26. Always looking for feedback on writing. I'm a college teacher who's been a life-long SF fan and always wanted to write, but never had time. Finally found the time and completed a novel, but need some serioue feedback. Mainly interested in character driven stories - what makes people tick? SF is especially good field for this type of exploration. I'm trying to return the favor (and all the enjoyment) I've gotten over the years while at the same time exploring characters. Just uploaded part of novel to Book Country, so any an all who are interested please let me know what you think! Thanks in advance, and especially to the crew who put this site together! It's great.
Caroline R Curran
Posted: Tuesday, May 31, 2011 2:47 AM
Joined: 5/31/2011
Posts: 1


Hi. I found this site through a fellow writer at the Backspace Writers Conference, this past weekend in NYC.

I write YA and mainstream fiction, so I am a little confused by the genre options listed on the profile page. They don't seem to cover most of what I read (mainstream fiction, YA, literary fiction, and non fiction). So, for the moment, I've left that part of my profile blank.

I 'm not really sure if I'm a good match for this site. Is it aimed more towards specific genres? I will check it out and try to see. I like the idea of giving constructive feedback, though. I have a newspaper writing and editing background and have done critiques before on the Backspace site.
Colleen Lindsay
Posted: Tuesday, May 31, 2011 8:09 PM
Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 353


Hi Caroline -

As it says on the main page and in the Community Guidelines, Book Country is a site intended for genre fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery and thriller.

Young adult is welcome, as long as you can comfortably fit in onto the genre map and then tag it as young adult with our tagging system.

We are not the right community, however, for literary or mainstream fiction, or for non-fiction of any kind.

Cheers!

Colleen Lindsay
Community Manager
PurpleValkyrie
Posted: Sunday, June 5, 2011 5:57 PM
Joined: 6/3/2011
Posts: 9


Hello people of BC! My name is Ashley, and I herd of this site on the Kresley Cole website. I'm writing my first romance novel so what i hope to get from here is ALOT of critiquing. I have an accent, and that is my cross to bare. If you read some of my book please tell me anything that sticks out to you. Other then that I love to play video games and eat Reese's (usually when I write). I'm a geek so I could probably do SF or Fantasy, but romance (ironically) is my passion.
Emma Michaels
Posted: Monday, June 6, 2011 2:15 AM
Joined: 6/6/2011
Posts: 15


Hello everyone!

My name is Emma Michaels and I am a read/review/write-a-holic. I am a book blogger turned published author. I found this site thanks to Colleen Lindsay's twitter feed and an article. I apologize because I don't remember where it was.

I am somewhat picky so signed up then started reading and reviewing before I made up my mind. Reading reviews on books currently posted is what made me sure that this was a good fit for me. The constructive comments and critiques are wonderful. So I finally made up my mind and decided to post here and make it official.

My goal in life is to continue to become a better author with each and every book I write (and I plan on writing until the day I die) so I have been searching for a website that can help me learn from peers. Thank you for having such a wonderful and constructive website! It has made my day and I love it!

Sincerely,
Emma Michaels
http://EmmaMichaels.Blogspot.com

Author of:
The Thirteenth Chime (2010)
Anasazi (2011)
and more coming soon!
Erik Martin
Posted: Thursday, June 9, 2011 3:47 AM
Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 4


Hello,
My name is Erik Martin. I wrote as a hobby for years, but only with the serious intent to publish and be read for the last two years or so. I've had some limited success with some shorts, but have been working on novels primarily. I have one finished fantasy novel that I have been submitting and querying. Before that I finished another fantasy novel but could not generate much interest in it-it is the book that I posted the (so far) first chapter for here. I am also working on a crime drama.

I joined book country about a month ago, but have only had time to read some of the work, review, and explore over the last week or so.
Ivory Harris
Posted: Thursday, June 9, 2011 6:54 PM
Joined: 5/30/2011
Posts: 2


Hey, y'all!

My name is Ivory Harris and I'm a college student from New York (Brooklyn born and raised, baby!). I've been writing since I was just a sprout, however, my works were inconsistent. What started off as a sporadic hobby soon became my main driving force in the last two years of my life with the change of direction in my higher educational pursuits.

Recently I've geared myself toward short story writing and collections. In my youth I would often draft snippits for novelizations but I rarely pursued them. Primarily I still draft long form prose--currently I'm working on a novel--however, the freedom in writing shorter works has inspired me to invest energy in their construction. Fantasy, Supernatural, and War Fiction are my most frequently visited genres but I plan on branching out as much as possible to see what fits me best.

While I lack any professonal background, I'm very interested in learning about the publishing process and to get what little work I have finished out into public hands. This summer I started a project called "Crows," a collection of short and flash fiction which I plan to publish in chapbooks as a work sampler.

Book Country was recommended to me by a friend of mine who knew of my desire to find a writing community. I've never particularly been an outgoing individual, so finding a collective of peers had always been difficult for me. So far I've only had time to read a handful of posted works (I'm gettin' crackin' on some reviews, don't worry!). So far, I'm happy with the level of participation and feedback I've seen. So thank y'all for the opportunity to meet fellow members of my community!

All the best,
Ivory Harris

iharris.wc@gmail.com
www.deftthought.wordpress.com (First blog, in dev.)
E D Johnson
Posted: Saturday, June 11, 2011 11:46 AM
Joined: 6/11/2011
Posts: 17


Hello, my name is E. D. Johnson, and I am an author.

(Hi E. D.!)

Thanks. I am here because Colleen told me to come here. She says I can get feedback on my writing here in a relatively safe fashion. I think that is pretty cool. I've already written a couple of reviews, so perhaps some of mine will be up for review soon.

I write science fiction and fantasy. Some times, limiting that to a specific genre is difficult. For example, my current work has elements of mystery, thriller, fantasy, and science fiction. The romance in it is more of a component. There is no genre for "mutt fiction," or the term I have assigned it: Cyber Fantasy. Though now that I think about that, it sounds like a NSFW website.

The novel that I have at least gotten a full rough draft of is a high/epic fantasy tale. It is going to take at least four more books to get that world where I want it though, so I took a break from it.

I am pretty picky about what I read, which seems normal for readers. I like magic and guns, but very few genres outside Urban Fantasy feature those together. Even Urban Fantasy does not quite get me where I want to be most of the time. I tried to read some of the paranormal stuff, but vampires are not sexy in my world, nor do they sparkle. They explode and burn when you stab them with stakes!

Anyway, I am glad to be here, and feel free to hit me up if you want a 100% honest review of something in my genres.
Celia Hayes
Posted: Monday, June 13, 2011 7:14 PM
Joined: 6/13/2011
Posts: 2


I'm Celia Hayes, and I'm an author ... I write HF, mostly about the American frontier - which, if you bend down and squint at them sideways can also be called westerns, although in one of them, I went for 500 pages of describing the early cattle drives and ranch business in post-Civil War Texas without once using the term 'cowboy'. Five of them out now, and a sixth out in late November.

I got into writing HF through being a blogger for a military blog, which I am given to understand is sort of a backwards way to do it. I've also contributed to a couple of review and news blogs, and helped start an on-line support group for HF writers who were indy and small-press published, which started as a discussion in an Amazon forum some years ago. (The Independent Author's Guild, www.independentauthorsguild.com) Learned a lot from it, hope that Book Country can do the same.

I found out about this place though a post in the Yahoo discussion group for the Historical Novel Society.
Kimberly Jones
Posted: Sunday, June 19, 2011 8:53 PM
Joined: 4/28/2011
Posts: 9


Hi my name is Kimberly Jones and I learned about Book Country from author Roni Loren's blog, Fiction Groupie. I'm from Atlanta, Ga.

I'm a writer of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. I'm currently posting my Urban Fanstasy series, The Phantom Chronicles.

I'm hoping to give and receive feedback and constructive criticism, to read some great books, and to do some networking with you wonderful people!


Bill Gleason
Posted: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 5:39 PM
Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 18


Since I've been participating in a few of the discussions here over the past couple weeks, I thought it time to belatedly introduce myself. I have a background in editing and writing in the educational publishing market, and I sold my first story under my own byline a few years back. Since then I've published a few more, all of them science fiction and all of them to Analog magazine. My first published poem will appear in the December 2011 issue of that same magazine.

I can't recall exactly how I stumbled onto this site, but it was probably related to online research I've been doing as I near completion of a young adult sf/fantasy novel I've been working on. I really appreciate the sense of writerly community I've found here, and hope to continue learning and helping others going forward.
Melissa Bebout
Posted: Friday, June 24, 2011 12:43 AM
Joined: 6/21/2011
Posts: 5


Hello, new addiction!

I saw this site on the Wow! website that recommends all sorts of things, and was instantly hooked. I've always been an avid reader and writer, and have started probably a dozen books, but always have trouble finishing them. I hope this site gives me the impetus to finish a project or two and become a "real" writer. I have had a few nonfiction pieces published, but my true passion is fiction-- of all kinds. I look forward to becoming an involved member of this community and getting feedback from all of the fabulous people here.

Christina Ruth
Posted: Friday, June 24, 2011 5:38 PM
Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 6


Hello! A good friend of mine interested in the publishing industry sent me the link to this place a few months ago. I am so glad she did! It has been the best encouragement I've ever had to actually sit down and WRITE all of those stories floating around in my head. I am (as yet!) unpublished, but I've written short stories for contests and am currently working on a novel. I write mainly fantasy, especially with fairy-tale or mythological bases, but I love mysteries and historical fictions as well. I am looking forward to being even more involved here!

Slainte
Chasuk
Posted: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 2:39 PM
Joined: 6/24/2011
Posts: 2


My name is Chas. I'm 50 years old, married to the same wonderful woman for 30 years, and we share an interest in many of the same books. I'm the book scout of the family; I enjoy scouring blogs for new authors and new titles more than she does. We both read ebooks almost exclusively. She has an iPad, and I have a Kindle.

Anyway, about two years ago, we decided to try to write what we like to read, so we are working on an erotic romance together. Hopefully, I'll soon be able to post a portion of it here.

I forget where I first saw the link for Book Country; probably on one of those blogs that I scour.
Chris Rivers
Posted: Friday, July 8, 2011 1:05 AM
Joined: 7/8/2011
Posts: 1


Hey everyone! I'm Chris. I enjoy reading almost anything, but my favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction.
I heard about Book Country from my wife, who found it on a blog. Lately I've felt that fire to write burning inside of me. It's been about 3 years since I last wrote for something other than an assignment. I feel like this website is a great place to get started again! I'm looking forward to interacting, learning, reading, and writing with all of you!


KTHanna
Posted: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 9:45 PM
Joined: 7/15/2011
Posts: 1


Hello there!

My name is KT. I've been following Book Country on twitter for a bit and finally decided to join and take a look around. I'm originally from Australia, but moved to Kansas after meeting my husband in an MMORPG.

I read almost anything, but prefer science fiction, fantasy and horror elements. As for what I write - I pretty much write what I love to read, usually with a dark dystopian twist. At this point in time, I'm working on the first drafts of a trilogy, and brewing another series in the back of my mind. Eventually I hope to have my blog up and running and only crosspost to my LJ when I post to the actual blog.

That's about it.

I'm here to try and learn and contribute and look forward to meeting other writers
Charli Mac
Posted: Friday, July 29, 2011 4:11 PM
Joined: 7/24/2011
Posts: 5


Hola Book Country,

At RWA Nationals this past June/July I had the distinct pleasure of chatting it up with Danielle Poiesz. When she told me about Book Country I was stoked to check it out.

I'm a writer of mushy love stories set along the New Jersey Shore and Philadelphia. Recently I completed my first MS, Meet Me In Jersey, and its out in querlyand. On occasion I blog for Macmillan's Community Network, Heroes & Heartbreakers. My critique partner and I met in a yahoo group. We have a little blog where we chat about writing, our lives, and whatever makes us tick. I look forward to chatting it up and getting to know you all.

Sincerely,
Charli Mac

http://charlimac.com
Follow Me @charlimacs
http://ajandcharli.blogspot.com/

Kaal Kaczmarek
Posted: Saturday, July 30, 2011 10:39 AM
Joined: 7/27/2011
Posts: 1


Kia ora all - I found this site through a 3rd party in a rival website -sounds begins with "a' and ends in "y" and well.....I'm waiting in anticipation of some interaction!

I love subtlety in writing, how the simple can become delicious and also love a strong 'voice' with real personality.

I'd love some feedback on Cousin Felicity -it's been doing pretty well on the aforementioned rival website -more than happy to return reads.

Best,
Kaal Kaczmarek
Cousin Felicity and the Eels of Misty Point
Chaos man
Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2011 7:05 PM
Joined: 7/30/2011
Posts: 1


Hi, I'm Mark and have just uploaded my book, Flux, to Book county. I found it via another writers site. There are some features I like the look of on here but I must say I'm finding it a little confusing. Hopefully I'll get to grips with it though

shadowpapoose
Posted: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 1:16 PM
Joined: 8/1/2011
Posts: 4


Hi! My name is Jessica and I heard about this site while reading The Writer magazine. I am a member of another book reviewing list serve and this one just seemed to fit me a bit better. I mostly write young adult fiction but I have some a couple of ideas swirling around in my brain that would land me in other genres. I can't wait to review some books and post mine on here.
Nathan Mcgrath
Posted: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 1:55 PM
Joined: 6/20/2011
Posts: 5


Hi, I write under the name of Nathan McGrath. I'm still getting the hang of Book Country. the user interface isn't the most intuitive and needs to be made easier to use. For example having to get to the end of the comments before finding the button to add our own!
I'm looking forward to engaging in discussions here and sharing learning and development.
I just downloaded Gramatica as a free PDF from the web. It's a fantastic resource and arguably the definitive 'Story' resource.
I've got nothing to do with the book so this isn't a spammy comment at all. I'll stick a link to it in 'tools and resources if it isn't there already.
Feel free to get in touch,
Kenley Tan
Posted: Thursday, August 4, 2011 9:58 AM
Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 26


Hi, I'm Kenley Tan. I'm a rookie to writing, so I came for feedback and criticism. I hope I could learn a lot here.

I actually don't know if what I'm writing is actually Sci-fi or fantasy. But I hooe it will be a game changer.
M Tucker
Posted: Tuesday, August 9, 2011 5:38 AM
Joined: 8/9/2011
Posts: 12


Hello, My name is Marquita Tucker and I have been writing (and procrastinating about writing) since I was a kid. I was accepted to a great southern literary college in High School but ended up starting a family first. I've been struggling to get back to being a writer ever since. I studied then practiced commercial photography in the interim but now that my kids are getting older (and can help with the younger ones) I am determined to get back to writing seriously.


@Nathan McGrath: I agree about making it to the end to find the Respond button! That might be there to encourage people to read everything in a discussion but it can me very annoying when there are 11 pages!
FJ Hansen
Posted: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 7:15 AM
Joined: 8/10/2011
Posts: 6


Greetings.

I learned about Book Country through my Google Alert for Science Fiction and decided to check it out. Looks interesting.

I really started writing science fiction 14 years ago and haven't stopped since. In fact, a year ago, I got my first novel published.

I enjoy reading science fiction and some fantasy--especially with dragons portrayed as honorable creatures. I really love dragons.
Michelle Mills
Posted: Friday, August 12, 2011 4:07 AM
Joined: 7/21/2011
Posts: 40


Hello everyone,

My name is Michelle Mills and I'm pleased to have joined Book Country after a recommendation from a fellow member of my writer's group - thanks Marcie! The concept of this site is clever, and the discussions and sharing of critiques will surely help writers of all levels to sharpen and polish their craft.

I've been living and breathing my debut romantic suspense novel, Willow Lake Manor, for quite some time, and I'm targeting completion of my first draft by the end of this year. I also look forward to penning a sequel as two of my secondary characters have taken on a life of their own and made such a strong impact that I just can't let go of them.

I look forward to acquainting myself with the talented and dynamic writers onboard, as well as professionals in the publishing industry.

Cheers!

Michelle
MrSteve
Posted: Sunday, August 14, 2011 11:27 PM
Joined: 8/7/2011
Posts: 6


Hi. I'll post here as "Mr Steve." I live in America's midwest, where corn and cows are my closest neighbors. I've always written stories, mostly to amuse myself, then abandoned them because they were ... well, just bad. Now I've decided to take my writing seriously, and have completed a MG novel and am working on a YA. I used to be drawn to the SF/F section of the bookstore, and find that in the last couple decades I'm more interested in the younger sections.

I am starving for feedback. I started in a writer's group where I live, and two of us decided it didn't meet often enough, so we started a secondary group. Even then, I find I need more feedback. My friend heard about Book Country when she attended a writer's conference.

I'd love to write books that not only entertain, but that people will want to pass on to their kids.
Katherine Webber
Posted: Thursday, August 25, 2011 3:28 PM
Joined: 8/22/2011
Posts: 14


Hi All!

Katherine Webber here writing from Hong Kong!

I read about Book Country in a New York Times article and immediately thought wow- that is something I need to be a part of. I've been a member for about 3 days now and I'm already addicted!

I read absolutely anything but right now am primarily focusing on writing YA/MG Fantasy. Still in the works but I'll start posting soon. Already just from reviewing other people's work and reading other reviews has been extremely beneficial- I get a feel for what I like/don't like, see what other reviewers notice that I might not have picked up on.

I'm hoping to read some good stories, get some constructive feedback on my work once I post it, and connect with some interesting people who share a similar passion with me.

More than anything I love being a part of a online international community that is devoted to books and writing!

Happy to be here!


J Boone Dryden
Posted: Sunday, August 28, 2011 10:39 PM
Joined: 5/7/2011
Posts: 42


My name is James Boone Dryden. I am a writer, editor, and educator in Milwaukee, WI.

I was approached by Book Country's publicity agency because I run an organization in Milwaukee called the Milwaukee Writers Workshop. I have been using the site, perusing its discussions forums, and the like in order to gain a better understanding of its clientele and its focus in order to promote it to members in my group who might benefit from its use.

As I, too, write genre fiction, I have found the site very helpful (at least predominantly so). I typically write science fiction in my short works, though I stray to a wide variety of genres and sub-genres in my writing. The works posted here range from steampunk to fantasy and new weird.

Along with creating a broader network of writers in the genre world, I hope to be able to gain at least a little feedback to bolster some of my own writing, though that is not my primary focus. It has been useful thus far, and I hope to see how it continues to do so as the site grows and its membership expands.
Danielle Poiesz
Posted: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 6:12 PM
Hi, @Bob Schobernd (and everyone else, of course!)--glad to have you here!

You can find an explanation of the star rating system in the FAQ in the website footer.

I also started a discussion on the topic back in March in the How to Use Book Country section of the forum.

http://bookcountry.com/Community/Discussions/Default.aspx?id=102413

You are right that some people struggle with proper star ratings, but hopefully in time, people will start to get it! It can be a difficult thing. I've given single star ratings to a number of books that have promise but need a ton of work, but it can take practice to be comfortable doing that!

Davy
Posted: Friday, September 30, 2011 8:48 PM
Joined: 9/30/2011
Posts: 3


Hello, I'm Davy. I like writing my novel Metaman alot. I posted Chapter one here @ bookcountry, though I have more that's gone through at least a couple edits. I like returning to my characters to take closer looks at them and discover new things about them that I can use to drive the story larger. I like creating a special world for my characters to mess up. Big stories come from big desires. Wish you all fabulous success but never satisfaction!
 

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