Hi everybody!
Name: I use my full name, "Robert Black," in print, but I'm Bob in person.
Age: 48
About Me: In the mid-1980s, while still an Engineering student at Vanderbilt University, I wrote for the Nickelodeon cable TV series, You Can't Do That On Television. I did nine episodes in all, and worked on several others as the on-set "script doctor" during the summer of 1985. Eventually, I made my way to Southern California with the intention of getting into Hollywood, but I learned that Hollywood and I weren't interested in each other. In the late 90s, I wrote several popular Buffy the Vampire fanfics in the course of learning how to write prose. In 2001, I had a "take this job and shove it" moment and quit my job as an Engineering Director for Dacor, a manufacturer of fancy kitchen appliances (that's where the "OvenGuy" user name comes from). I had enough money saved up to try writing full-time for a full year before I had to look for another day job. Today, I've published four middle-grade novels.
I also work as the Quality Systems Manager for Raypak, Inc., a manufacturer of pool heaters and commercial boilers, and I sing in the Canterbury Choir at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena.
About My Journal: I've been on LiveJournal for ten years now, and have used it for various things. These days, it seems like all the action is over on Facebook, but I'm trying to keep my journal alive over here as well. It's part "author blog" and part personal blog.
What I Write: Middle-grade fiction seems to be my natural audience, although my four-year-old nephew recently gave me a children's book idea that I might try to do. I've spent a good bit of the last 3-1/2 years developing a new style that uses storytelling to teach math concepts. Last year, I pitched it to my publisher and they gave me the go-ahead, so now I'm finishing a complete draft of the first book in what I hope will become an entire line.
What I Don't Write: Anything that focuses on what I refer to as "The Big Four" topics in books written for grownups - sex, drugs, guns and money.
How Did I Get Into Writing?: I started making up my own stories for TV shows I liked at a very young age. In 1984, when it started to look like engineering wasn't as appealing to me as I'd hoped, I decided to try writing my own TV script for real. It's been a long, strange trip from there.
What I Read: My books almost always involve doing research, and a lot of the books I read are both fiction and non-fiction that deal with whatever subjects I'm writing about, or that I think I might like to write about in the future. I also feed my spiritual side with the writings of Thomas Merton.
What I Don't Read: See "What I Don't Write."
Could I Edit Someone Else's Work?: I don't have time to edit for anyone, but I'd be happy to talk ideas and share my experiences with people in a mentor-type capacity.
What I'm Looking For: I don't want my LiveJournal to wither away! If the friends of mine who used to post here are all going to run off to Facebook, then I'd like to find some new friends who are still around.
Age: 48
About Me: In the mid-1980s, while still an Engineering student at Vanderbilt University, I wrote for the Nickelodeon cable TV series, You Can't Do That On Television. I did nine episodes in all, and worked on several others as the on-set "script doctor" during the summer of 1985. Eventually, I made my way to Southern California with the intention of getting into Hollywood, but I learned that Hollywood and I weren't interested in each other. In the late 90s, I wrote several popular Buffy the Vampire fanfics in the course of learning how to write prose. In 2001, I had a "take this job and shove it" moment and quit my job as an Engineering Director for Dacor, a manufacturer of fancy kitchen appliances (that's where the "OvenGuy" user name comes from). I had enough money saved up to try writing full-time for a full year before I had to look for another day job. Today, I've published four middle-grade novels.
I also work as the Quality Systems Manager for Raypak, Inc., a manufacturer of pool heaters and commercial boilers, and I sing in the Canterbury Choir at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena.
About My Journal: I've been on LiveJournal for ten years now, and have used it for various things. These days, it seems like all the action is over on Facebook, but I'm trying to keep my journal alive over here as well. It's part "author blog" and part personal blog.
What I Write: Middle-grade fiction seems to be my natural audience, although my four-year-old nephew recently gave me a children's book idea that I might try to do. I've spent a good bit of the last 3-1/2 years developing a new style that uses storytelling to teach math concepts. Last year, I pitched it to my publisher and they gave me the go-ahead, so now I'm finishing a complete draft of the first book in what I hope will become an entire line.
What I Don't Write: Anything that focuses on what I refer to as "The Big Four" topics in books written for grownups - sex, drugs, guns and money.
How Did I Get Into Writing?: I started making up my own stories for TV shows I liked at a very young age. In 1984, when it started to look like engineering wasn't as appealing to me as I'd hoped, I decided to try writing my own TV script for real. It's been a long, strange trip from there.
What I Read: My books almost always involve doing research, and a lot of the books I read are both fiction and non-fiction that deal with whatever subjects I'm writing about, or that I think I might like to write about in the future. I also feed my spiritual side with the writings of Thomas Merton.
What I Don't Read: See "What I Don't Write."
Could I Edit Someone Else's Work?: I don't have time to edit for anyone, but I'd be happy to talk ideas and share my experiences with people in a mentor-type capacity.
What I'm Looking For: I don't want my LiveJournal to wither away! If the friends of mine who used to post here are all going to run off to Facebook, then I'd like to find some new friends who are still around.
