Blog Re-Launch

Well, it's certainly been quite some time since I last blogged. Over two years, in fact.

I originally started this blog to keep up with friends and family while I was in Japan, teaching English. You can read about my adventures there in the "Lost in Japan" blog that's still available.

I don't really know what my intentions are for this blog. Perhaps I shall wow you all with my wisdom and wit. Or perhaps I shall purge the angst in my soul to the faceless masses of the interwebs so that my wasted life will seem a little less bleak.

Or I'll just use this blog to entertain myself, talk about books, games, movies, and post silly videos. Yes, I think that will work.

Let's start with my main passion: Books. I am a book worm. A bibliophile. A nerd. Whatever label you want to slap on it, that's what I am. I'm addicted to the written word and love nothing more than to walk into a bookstore or library and inhale deeply the sent of fresh paper and binding. I actually get laughed at by the people who are foolish enough to join me on these trips.

I can spend hours in a bookstore; longer in the library. My tastes range from fiction to sci-fi and fantasy to drama and horror. The only things that I don't really enjoy are non-fiction works. I read to escape. While I don't really appreciate them, I have been known to pick up a romance novel occasionally. If it's well-written and not too cheesy, I can enjoy it.

Of course, I have a few favorite authors. My number one is Terry Brooks, the creative force behind the Shannara series, the Word and Void series, and the Magic Kingdom of Landover series. The Sword of Shannara was the first fantasy novel I ever picked up. I had been playing Zelda: The Ocarina of Time and decided fantasy could be a cool genre to read. This was back in, I believe, late junior high or early high school. Sword was the one I chose to start my investigation. Now, about 12 years later, I'm hooked.

I actually had the honor of meeting Terry Brooks in October of 2008. He and his sister, Laurie Brooks, did a double-signing at the Changing Hands bookstore. I had him autograph a few of my books, including my original Sword of Shannara and I got to have my picture taken with him. When I handed him my book, he looked at it and exclaimed "What happened to my book?!" My poor copy is missing it's front cover, is dog-eared, and obviously has seen a few years. I told him it was my first fantasy novel; the one that got me into the genre. He smiled and signed it.

Nothing beats meeting an author who is truly happy to be talking to his/her fans. Among the authors I've been able to meet are James A. Owen (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) and Frank Beddor (The Looking Glass Wars). I have their books signed, and in James's case, decorated. It's kinda cool to look at my autographed books that never leave the house.

Alright, I guess I'll stop here for now. I'll leave off with a few links to some good stores, the Phoenix Public Library, and some of my favorite authors. Thanks for reading. Y'all come back now, y'hear.

http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/index.jsp

http://www.terrybrooks.net/

http://www.heretherebedragons.net/

http://www.lookingglasswars.com/

http://www.changinghands.com/

http://www.bookmans.com/