Lorata

Author bio:

2011 is my 8th NaNoWriMo excursion, and as of this year, I'll have done NaNoWriMo more times in Japan than in any other country. Not gonna lie, I find this fact a little bit amazing.

I like to read and I like to write; recently I made the decision only to read books I enjoy, and write books I'd like to read. No more slogging through books from Top 100 Lists because I "should", and no worrying about viable market or whether people will think I'm "literary" enough. Last NaNoWriMo I wrote a novel about two girls who are friends and have action-adventures and don't argue over a boy and who are in a relationship with a living spaceship -- and I had a fantastic time. I'm continuing the trend this year, with a novel about 4 people in 1806 transported to the far future.

I'm a high school English teacher in Japan, where I have lived longer, consecutively, than in any other place since leaving my parents' house for university. Here in Japan I teach, travel, talk, read, write, learn, struggle not to lose my English skills, and get stared at by small children. I'm also clinically OCD, but I maintain it now to the point where it's a lovable character quirk (or so I like to think) rather than a crippling debilitation. I no longer need to check my keys 19 times before leaving the house; just don't touch my stationery drawer.

When I'm not reading fiction, I like to play around with quantum physics, astronomy, developmental linguistics, gender theory, and social justice. I'm currently seeking treatment for my "reading inflammatory comments on the Internet" addiction.

If you want to chat with me elsewhere, you can find me on Twitter (lorata), or help me beta the actual story on my LiveJournal (lorataprose).