Geezer Clubhouse

Welcome back everyone. I see some of you have already lined up outside waiting for the new site to roll out. Pop back in and re-introduce yourself here before we start spreading out and filling up the rest of this shiny-new forum.

I'm Samantha, one of the MLs for the Spokane, Washington Region and this will be my 9th year participating in (and hopefully winning) NaNoWriMo.

By day I'm a Paralegal at a small law firm, and I share my home with my son and granddaughter, who will be participating in the Young Writer's Program for her 3rd year this November. Here's a tidbit to firmly enmesh myself into geezerhood: I lived in Berlin during the Cold War, had a top-secret security clearance and spoke Russian as part of my job. I'm not saying I was a spy, but ...

This year I think I'll be writing a psychological thriller, but it's not unusual for me to get a brainstorm at 11:00 pm on Halloween and change the story I'm writing entirely. I'll keep working on plot points for the thriller I presently have in mind, but don't be surprised if you see an excerpt appear on my profile mid-month for a Space Opera instead.

Samantha
Spokane, WA - Municipal Liaison (2003-2011)
Age Group: 50-Plus - Moderator
ML Mentor (2009-2011)

Woot! We're back!

I am not a geezer yet - but I will turn 50 during NaNo and since my hubby is well into geezerhood, I wouldn't feel the least bit uncomfortable here - If I'm welcome.

I'm down the road from Spokane - I live in Moses Lake and have family in Deer Park. We have 3 people in our house who will be participating. I hope to surpass my wordcount from last year and since it looks like my hours at work are being cut back some, I hope to put that extra time to good writing use!

I'm about 2500 miles southeast of you guys, in SC. But I grew up about 125 miles west through dense forests in MT. And I do miss those mountains and forests.

I'm a newbie here, hoping to get my typing abilities up enough to handle 2000 words each day. Whew!

WooHoo! The changes are interesting; will take some getting used to. I already love being able to see the posts as comments are typed.

Rohahnya, we don't practice age discrimination here, so no worries!

Welcome Houston.

*Waves to Phoenix and Dichotomy*

And that will probable be the last post where I can mention everyone who's posted before me!

Kat

[signature feature still in the moving van, along with my photo]

I'm Jack, 54 years old from Baltimore, MD. My first time doing this. Hello and good luck to all.

Hi y'all, I'm Helen, 54, living in Port Orchard, Washington on the Kitsap peninsula. This is my second year, and I was NOT going to do it this year! But I find myself needing the wrimo spurs so here I am, a glutton for punishment. Very happy that there's other old farts out there. :-)

Hello, I'm Laura from Espoo, Finland (Espoo is the area just west of Helsinki, forming its own administrative unit), age 51 (secong year in this group) and third year of Nano.

I have a family consisting of a husband and two children, living in a suburban block of flats nowadays very close to a metro building site, and working as a computer linguist.

I'm writing speculative fiction, my non-Nano stories are mainly put in a world thatn I started to create at about the age of fifteen, but for Nano I've so far chosen something else - my first one was SciFi, and last year I tried to write mainstream but it turned into urban fantasy! This year it shall be "classic" fantasy, a bit humoristic story featuring a dwarf whose pet is a badger.

I'm Ree, age 63, and a retired prof who still teaches one online class per semester. I'm in the southernmost tip of the Triad area of NC, smack in the middle of a national forest, but I was born and mostly raised in New jersey. Still have my Jersey accent even after 30+ years in NC.

I've got 8 cats...all strays and rescues, the eldest one 17 yo and the youngest 18 months old...and one dog, also a stray. I'm also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Both my sons are grown (whew!), the youngest married with one son of his own, my darling (on good days) grandson, age 4.

I've been writing and publishing poetry and short fiction for many years, but I finished my first novel over the summer and am currently shopping for an agent. I write mostly science fiction/fantasy, but I also love to read historical novels, especially if there's a mystery involved, forensic and murder mysteries, and supernatural novels. I'm an artist as well, mostly illustrations for small press 'zines, but I have some work in a local gallery.

I was also a potter for 5 years before I became allergic to my glazes, and I'm a metal engraver (done with hand tools, not machines) when called upon to do it. So, if anyone has any questions about the details of pottery or metal engraving...or wildlife care...I'll be happy to help out.

I'm Laurie - 54 -- this is my 3rd nano (with much thanks to my baby brother who talked me into doing this, year 1).
I'm looking for The Smoking Pen!!! (newbies... just you wait... The Pen is like no other place you've ever been to! I daresay it's perhaps the best thing about being a geezer. When The Pen DOES show up.. make sure you poke your head in and say hi.)

Ree! Another cat person! I have six cats, most of them from shelters except for the big tabby tom who showed up on my back porch a couple of years ago. I have so far restrained myself from adopting any more. I'd love to get a dog as well, but with the cats and the joblessness, that may not be a good idea right now.

This is my seventh year doing Nano. Except for one foray into a mystery, I've written sf/f. Last year was a steampunk time travel novel. This year I'm delving into horror with a zombie novel.

When I can find work, I'm a technical writer/editor. But the last four years have been touch and go. I got some phone calls yesterday about possible jobs, but the one that looked likeliest had a glitch. I don't have a car, and commuting to this job site would take 2-3 hours by bus, with at least one hour of walking. Um, no.

I've published some short stories, and I'm trying to publish a previous novel, but so far no takers.

Hello fellow geezers! I'm also a newbie to NaNo. I live in southeastern PA with my hubby and three cats. I'm enjoying my early retirement, but struggling to enforce more structure on my day so I can be more productive. I've written some short stories, and I have some longer works rolling around in my head. I'm thinking of a romance novel for NaNoWriMo. I was going to start outlining and sketching out some characters and ideas today, but I've spent my whole morning on these forums. I tell myself I'm just gearing up. :-)

Hi, I'm Kate. I'm 50 with (only) 3 cats and I have no idea what I'm writing this year. I've done nano a few times, but never finished, and I don't remember which years.

I'm a trainer, not currently working, and I make handmade greeting cards, most of which I send overseas (through Operation Write Home) for deployed service members to write home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Here's another WA 50+ reporting in. I live in Tacoma, work in Seattle. Last year I wrote a cozy-mystery that was supposed to be in collaboration with a friend. She never did anything with the eight chapters I punched out! Eh! This year, I'm writing my own story.

I have one project to finish by Oct. 30: the final compilation of a book on Alzheimer's. My goal is to have Oct. 31 OFF from any project so Nano can begin at midnight.

Shannon

Greetings from Lesley, aka garretwriter! *53-year-old waves hi to all the other geezers* Currently I'm living in Johnson City, TN (about an hour directly north of Asheville, NC). I've lived all over the place, and still don't know whether I'll be NaNoing in JoCy (as it is lovingly called), or Asheville, or Houston, or... the moon, for all I know!

This year I'm working on a mystery/thriller. I tried this genre last year, but quickly found out that this Pantser needed to be a Planner well ahead of time. So I feel like an actual professional writer this year. I've spent a couple of months now doing research, outlining, making detailed character sketches, etc.

Hope someone will be setting up the Smoking Pen thread soon! I like reading it even if I don't partcipate.

Hi, it's Cathy from Idaho. I'm 53, I work as a ghostwriter, pet sitter, and volunteer in the community. Like Lesley, I'm also actually researching and outlining my novel this year, for the win! I've written short stories and poems, but never published. I can't wait to tackle my novel.

Well at 60 I'm well into geezerhood. I'm in Vernon BC Canada, a part time Data Entry Clerk.

This will be my eigth attempt with a historical fiction centered around a Parisian lawyer who works in Paris during the last weeks of the Great Terror. The Scarlet Pimpernel will be mentioned but is not a character.

Hello - my NaNo name is Cecilia but my real name is Sheila. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland with one of my sons and (only) three cats, and this will be my 6th NaNoWriMo - I have written sci-fi and history before but at the moment I'm on a roll with a mystery series, so am planning the next of these. During the past year I have found the nerve to publish some of my previous efforts on Kindle.
As well as the 5 previous November NaNos, I took part in Camp NaNoWriMo this summer and rather to my surprise produced a romantic suspense novel. This has caused some amusement in the family as i am the least romantic person in the world.

I'm Catana, also C.S. McClellan, since a real name seems a better choice once you're published. This is my seventh NaNo and I'm going for my third win this year. (Slow learner) I'm somewhat reclusive--just me, my cat and my keyboard. I'm 74, so I guess that makes me one of the older geezers. My two (self)published novels didn't start in a NaNo November, but they owe everything to NaNo. In fact NaNo is responsible for finally convincing me that I can write fiction.

I'm willing to buddy any newbie who thinks they might need a gentle kick in the pants now and then.

Hello, everyone. I'm a first timer currently living in W Tennessee, outside Memphis. I was born in Colorado and married a Navy guy, so I've lived all over. I'm 54, a recent widow with two kids, both married, and a wonderful grandson. I'm also a teacher but not working this semester.

My novel is historical fiction set in Philadelphia in the 1890s. I'm also taking an advanced fiction course during November, so I'll be writing short stories, too. Maybe not real smart, but I didn't think about NaNo when I signed up. And I have plenty of time to write, if I can just stay focused.

I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you, and hearing more about your projects.