What to say...?
Well, I can't get too specific, lest the really creepy
stalker-types come sniffing around. Nevertheless, here's a few odds and
ends.
Bio: Rebecca 'Becca' Morn
Writer, poet, photographer, dreamer, Technowitch...
(That's me and Matilda, a horse I had the honor of riding recently. She
belongs to my cousin-in-law, Sue.)
After growing up in western Pennsylvania, I started a career in technical
writing in the mid-80s, but always dreaming of the day when I'd be able to write
fiction full-time.
Eventually, I relocated to the eastern half of the state, where I spent the
next twelve years, often alternating between salaried positions, contract/temp
work, and freelance contracting. In the evenings, I worked on various
stories, including a concept for a lengthy fantasy epic, "Prophecy's Door" (an
excerpt from the first completed volume is available here.)
Unfortunately, the writing was marked by fairly lengthy gaps, particularly
whenever my life became... complicated.
Eventually, in 1997, I moved to the Santa
Cruz mountains—the only other place on this planet
that's felt like home to me. Seriously, upon my first visit to the area
on a business trip in 1996, the thought flashed unbidden through my brain, I
could live here...
As time went by since moving here, I've discovered that writing isn't the only
"creative" thing I enjoy doing. Over the last few years, I've
cultivated interests in poetry (both writing and performing), photography, and
music (the Roland digital piano in my office continues to mock me, however).
In the meantime, from 2000 on, I threw myself headfirst into my newly
reestablished technical writing consulting business, Morn Enterprises, LLC.
Made a ton of money, even in the aftermath of the Dot-com bust, but it was at
the expense of what eventually became a whole constellation of repetitive stress
injuries to my arms and hands during the summer of '03.
After a three month strict regimen of physical therapy and ergonomic
retraining, I recovered, and returned almost immediately to a level of effort in
the tech writing biz that was only slightly less than before.
Still, the shock of the experience and even the last couple years of tech
writing itself (the relative pointlessness of it, aside from earning a living)
has convinced me to quit and pursue the dream I'd put off for far too long.
Namely, it was time to get that novel-writing career off the ground.
Despite having completed the first manuscript in the the Prophecy's Door series,
there's lots more to do there, five volumes in all. Plus I have "The
Gandhi Gene" in progress, not to mention two other concepts for which I've
written fairly extensive notes and initial opening chapters.
Maybe some authors can keep their day jobs, but after twenty years of trying,
I've decided that approach wasn't working for me. It's time to take a
bigger leap of faith.
Wish me luck. Or toss a nice juicy book contract my way, okay?
-
Leap, and believe the wings will be
there when you need them.
-
Life's too short to be unhappy.
-
Nothing's writ in stone.
-
He who is without fear can never be brave.
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True friends are utterly priceless.
-
Dreams can come true
-
I enjoy hiking, gardening (veggies, not flowers),
building things (this year's project has been a huge treehouse), and reading
and writing fantasy and science fiction.
-
My favorite authors include (but are not limited to)
Dan Simmons, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Deborah Ross, Elizabeth Moon, James
Hogan, Robert L. Forward, Stephen King, JRR Tolkein, Stephen Donaldson, and
Dante Algieri.
-
My favorite TV shows: Battlestar
Galactica, The West Wing, Babylon 5, Farscape, Firefly, Deadwood, Lost, Twin Peaks, and most of the
various Star Trek series.
-
My favorite movies: Just about anything by James Cameron or
Ron Howard.
-
The single classiest lady ever to grace the silver screen:
Katharine Hepburn.
-
My favorite ice cream: Haagen Dazs vanilla chocolate chip (a
shame I can find it only rarely).
-
I am thoroughly addicted to my morning coffee—especially
if it's a double espresso or cafe latte.
-
The four basic food groups: Chocolate, caffeine, greasy
stuff, and salt. Oh, and chocolate. Might as well toss in Lapsang
Souchong tea, as well as the occasional single-malt scotch (especially
Laphroaig) or a really bitchin' hand-mixed margarita (El Patron ańejo
or other top-shelf
tequila is a must). And chocolate, especially Godiva.
-
I'm not a vegetarian, although lately
I've given up beef and pork; on the other hand, I am allergic to
cigarette smoke.
-
My politics: Defies categorization,
but progressive liberal is probably the best choice. I'm a
registered Democrat, if that means anything. And I'm not afraid to use
the word "Liberal" in reference to myself (right-wingers, please wipe that
smirk off your face, thanks; it makes you look sinister and stupid).
-
My religion: I don't talk about that, except with my close
friends. Suffice it to say that I don't follow any of the mainstream
religions, but I respect them all...well, except for the ones that invoke
divine permission to kill, maim, or otherwise oppress other people.
That's just wrong.
-
I spend way too much time on my computer.
-
I'm a night owl, without a doubt—never a morning person.
-
I'm a shameless romantic, and have been known to tear up
while watching sentimental old movies.
Here you'll find the various places I've found to be
interesting, informative, useful, or just plain damned funny.
- Salon—The award-winning news website, specializing in the intriguing
and compelling news events of the current day. (Premium subscription
required for full text of the most interesting stuff, but I think
it's worth it.
- Talking Points Memo—Josh
Marshall's terrific and informative blog.
- Escaton—The
web blog by a fellow who goes by the name Atrios. He's often
managed to scoop the big media on major issues.
-
Altercation—The
only place left on MSNBC that I read anymore, given their rather
slanted reporting in most other places on their website.
-
Democratic Underground—The
fact I list this website among my favorites pretty much says all there
needs to be said about my personal political views.
- The
Smirking Chimp—And if you had any doubt remaining as to my
politics, this one pretty much makes it a slam-dunk.
- Zonelabs ZoneAlarm
personal firewall software—If you have a broadband internet connection (cable, DSL, ISDN)
and you're not running some kind of personal firewall software,
you're at risk. ZoneAlarm is one of the easiest to use, and
Zonelabs' personal edition of their product is free for personal
use. (BlackIce Defender and Norton Personal Firewall are also good
products.)
- Spybot Search &
Destroy—Got spyware and trojans
clogging your system? This is a great product not only for
getting rid of 'bots and spyware, but there's a resident program that
can help prevent future infections.
- Space
Telescope Science Institute—This is the Hubble telescope website, and the link here points
to their latest press releases and images. You can browse
elsewhere to find other really pretty pictures in their archives.
- Sinfest—A
hilarious daily comic strip by Tatsuya Ishida. This fellow
hasn't been syndicated, but he ought to be. Be prepared for
the totally irreverent. Hey, how could any comic strip that
regularly features God and the Devil not be irreverent?
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