Koke

Author bio:

Hello, everyone. I’m George Dale Akin, but I usually answer to "Koke," short for "Kokiri" (ko key ree)--Korean for elephant. I was given that nickname by a Korean friend in 1972; it stuck and, yes, alcohol was involved.

I was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1950, and spent my early life moving between California, Oregon, and Washington. I enlisted in the Air Force in 1970 because I dropped out of junior college and the army wanted to draft me (*shudders*). The AF gave me excellent training, allowing me to serve as a language specialist until 1978 when I entered a commissioning program. I earned a BS in Computer Science from The University of Oregon in June 1980 and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant 3 months later. I took a Master's in Computer Science from The Johns Hopkins University three years after that. I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2000.

I moved to Korea in 1995, currently living in Pyeongtaek, about 40 south of Seoul. I have been working as a contractor supporting U.S. Forces Korea since my retirement. Off and on since 1980, I’ve been an adjunct instructor of Computer Science and Information Systems for several colleges and universities.

I am avid reader of Science Fiction, to the exclusion of most everything else, unless the topic is string theory, which I don't totally understand, but love reading about. Because I want to write (and had my GI Bill benefits), I took a second Bachelor's degree in 2007, this time in English Literature. I am pondering a Master’s in Creative Writing, but have been un-able to find a reputable and reasonably priced on-line program.

This is my third year at NaNoWirMo.

Outside of writing and SF, my interests include D&D (where I run a 13th level Druid) and computer role playing games. I’m also a sports fan, following my favorite teams, the St.L. Rams, LA Lakers, and SF Giants. I am also trying, without much success, to reacquire the hand-eye coordination of my youth to compete successfully against the bad guys in Fallout 3 and Dragon Age on my PS3.

My wife, Sin Yong, and I, will have been married 39 years this October 31st. We have a daughter who, after five years as a chemical engineer, decided to become a vet. She recently completed a 3-year Neurology residency is currently a staff veterinary neurologist in Grand Rapids, MI.