Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 07:06:15 -0800 From: Chris Carrel Subject: A New Year's Intro Being the new year and all, I'm de-lurking to introduce myself (which I'd always meant to do earlier, but found myself busy writing this or doing that). I'm in my early thirties, live with my wife and 3 daughters in Federal Way, WA, a suburb of Seattle. I followed the thread on pre-teen girls with great interest. Much of it resonated with feelings I've had about my own pre-teens, or fears I experience about their coming entry into the world of teen angst. As much as I sometimes feel that I'm their training dummy for how to handle men, I enjoy the ups and downs of being their dad and have certainly learned more about myself, and life in general, in the eight years of fatherhood than I had in all the previous years combined. 1996 was the year I embarked upon a writing career, after years of "I wonder if I could....nyahh!" I've had two (soon to be three) non-fiction, environmental articles published recently in Seattle-area magazines and am working diligently to break into the national market. Aside from environmental issues, I write on health and parenting issues. I also write humorous essays and personal musings that I'm unsure what to do with at this point. The non-fiction writing and off the cuff personal stuff is pretty familiar territory for me, as my past employs (in non-profit management) have always included lots and lots of this sort of text. What I find really challenging and interesting is writing fiction - short stories and longer - and I spend a good deal of my time on that. I focus mostly on science fiction, but also write pieces that don't fit that genre (and am frankly unsure what to call them!). I hope to post a submission soon and am interested in the feedback from folks. It's good to be here, de-lurked and all! Chris Carrel ************************************************** Chris Carrel 30234 24th Ave SW Federal Way, WA 98023 ccarrel@Wolfenet.com ph/fax: (206) 874-8270 "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity." George Orwell **************************************************