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about me

writing interests
I write primarily speculative fiction, and don't ask me to choose between science fiction and fantasy, because I can't. (Read my article concerning the two here.) I enjoy writing and reading in both genres. Now that both my children are in school I do have more time to write, but I also have more time to procrastinate. I write both long and short fiction, non-fiction articles, personal essays, and I have made progress in finishing things before starting new ones. I've also been known to write poetry as the muse dictates. You can find my publication credits here.

Photo by John Ratchford

My goal in publishing The Scriptorium E-Zine for Writers is to help other writers, especially those just trying to find their feet in the writing world, find inspiration, information, and encouragement. It's grown considerably since I started it in 1998, and continues to give me a great deal of satisfaction. I compiled a large collection of material that had appeared in The Scriptorium and new material into a guide for new writers, which was released as an e-book in March of 2001.

You can read some of my work at various spots around this site, and of course, at The Scriptorium.

background
Five years of legal practice was long enough to tell me that I no longer wanted to be a lawyer, and thanks to an understanding husband I'm currently an at-home mom of two and devoting as much time as possible to my writing. I'm a member of the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia and SF Canada, a graduate of Writer's Digest School's Novel Writing Workshop and a local community college Creative Writing course, and a founding member of a local writer's group, The Story Forge. I also do copyediting for The Internet Review of Science Fiction and am an active member of several online writing groups.

Over the past two years I've developed an interest in colored pencil art and keep an art blog called Colored Pencil Corner.

quirks, quarks and miscellaneous trivia

Eleven* random facts about me:
1. I am the oldest of five children.
2. I have never dyed my hair.
3. I was once a caller on Open Mike with Mike Bullard.
4. I was once thrown and then run over by my horse.
5. I get intense food cravings when I write.
6. I am very shy but learned to "fake" it in social situations.
7. I love birthdays (especially mine).
8. I am adept at determining the gender of mice.
9. My favorite band is the Barenaked Ladies .
10. I usually don't "get" literary novels.
11. I have a form of arthritis that affects the spine--ankylosing spondylitis.

*Why eleven? Because everybody does ten.

Results of some online quizzes:
You are wikipedia.org. You are a know-it-all. You are trustworthy, most of the time. You are versatile and useful. You like volunteering. You are free.
Which Website are You?

Grammar God!
You are a GRAMMAR GOD!

If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!

How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

...and another one:

Which Fantasy/SciFi Character Are You?Possessing a rare combination of wisdom and humility, while serenely dominating your environment you selflessly use your powers to care for others.

Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

need to know more?
I can't think of anything else you might want to know, but please feel free to e-mail me if there's a burning question you need answered. You can also find me on MSN Messenger (sfwriter@msn.com), AOL Instant Messenger (sherrydramsey), and hanging around The Writer's Block.

I wish you great reading and writing!