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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 353
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If you're on Book Country as one of the closed beta users, please introduce yourself! Tell us why you wanted to become a beta user, what you write, and point us in the direction of any new projects you've uploaded!
Cheers!
Colleen
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 353
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Hi Mahesh! Welcome! This is also a great place to let us know when you've uploaded a new project, too, so don't forget!
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Wow! In beta for just an hour and already getting responses on the boards! Thanks for joining us, Mahesh!
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Joined: 3/3/2011
Posts: 15
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And I'm Eliza. I've been a little bit of everything in my life, but it's as if I'm a satellite orbiting the book business. Anything that interests me at all always comes back to having something to do with books. As a kid, I thought I wanted to be a teacher or a writer or a librarian. Settled late on in college that I wanted to work as a fiction editor.So I started out at the bottom rank and worked my way up for about 10 years. Then I went out on my own and had a couple of novels (Regency romanc
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 353
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Hi Eliza! Looks like part of your response was cut off. Was that your posting to fast or something the site did?
Thanks!
Colleen
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Joined: 2/28/2011
Posts: 6
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Thrilled to be here....I write historical romance, specially Civil War and Westerns. I'm looking forward to following AND CREATING new trends.
Cindy Nord
www.cindynord.com
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Joined: 3/3/2011
Posts: 68
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Hi, Michael R. Underwood here. I write mostly genre-mashes, from Kabuki Cyberpunk to New Weird Superheroes.
I work in publishing as a book rep and my company's social media expert as well as being a writer, so this was a great opportunity for me to make connections and see what ways we can use new tools to build communities and foster talent.
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 3
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hi! I'm Mary Strand. I write women's fiction and young adult, but I've been concentrating on YA for the last few years. I'm here because Danielle Poiesz asked, and I try to do everything she asks. Within reason. 
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 15
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Hi, I'm Lexie :waves: Ah let's see--I write mostly fantasy/paranormal (mainstream and young adult). I have a chapter of my current WIP up on the site ('Shadowed Sins'...I don't know how to link to it?) its YA paranormal.
I'm a book blog reviewer, paralegal student and nanny--plus the humdrum housekeeper/chef/maid for my house (live with my dad, brother and uncle, sister occasionally). I wanted to become a beta user because I felt going from the start onwards would work well. With fewer fol
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So excited to see you all here!
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Joined: 2/28/2011
Posts: 6
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And we're so glad to be here! ☺
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Joined: 3/3/2011
Posts: 9
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Hi, I'm Judi Fennell. I write tongue-in-cheek, light-hearted paranormal romantic comedies. My stories have been compared to the movie, Shrek. There's a surface level of humor, but there's a lot more below the surface. And I'm here because Danielle asked so nicely.
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Joined: 3/3/2011
Posts: 6
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Hello, Kirk von der Heydt here. I write urban fantasy, thriller, and whatever else catches my fancy. As for why I'm here... Well Colleen has a great pitch, but what attracted me to this was finding a sense of community that focuses on the craft of writing.
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 2
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Hi, all. I'm Kerri-Leigh Grady. I write romance, horror, and urban fantasy. I have an MFA in popular fiction my thesis was urban fantasy (so clearly I'm a UF nut). I'm here because I'm a sucker for technology and for communities of writers.
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 2
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Hello, everyone. I'm Emily. I have a dystopian zombie novel up on the site. Excited to get to know everyone.
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 1
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Hello, I'm Jae Lynne Davies. I write dark paranormal romance and urban fantasy. The prologue of my second novel, Blood Moon is currently uploaded on the site. I'm so excited to be a part of another writing community. The site looks great and I look forward to getting to know all of you!
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 25
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Hi, Kerry Schafer here. I like exploring, and so far I've written a YA fantasy, a suspense/thriller, and a genre misfit contemporary fantasy. At the moment I'm working on a Paranormal Mystery, the first chapter of which is uploaded to the site. I'm here because I was lucky enough to be asked. A writing community? A new exciting sekkrit projekt? I am definitely in! So fun to meet all of you, and I'm looking forward to discovering wonderful new books and people.
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 2
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I'm Simon. A friend of mine gave Danielle my name, so here I am. I'm awfully sarcastic.
I used to write literary fiction, but I've crossed over the the Dark Side. They lied about the cookies. (I'm still resentful.) I have an urban fantasy novel on the go, and a spec-fic novella in the opening stages.
Other than that...um...hi.
Also, should we be putting one space or two after the periods in our discussion posts...?
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Joined: 2/26/2011
Posts: 13
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Hi, I'm Jill and I'm here because Danielle is awesome and I follow her like a puppy!  I write paranormals for Pocket Books and I liek milk. And unicorns.
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Joined: 2/28/2011
Posts: 3
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Dan O'Shea here. Long-time business writer driven to write about killing people by more than two decades of writing about taxes and such. My novel UNTO CAESAR is up in the political thriller category (although the catergorization was a tough call for me. ) Looking forward to see how this whole thing shakes out.
Dan
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 353
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It's so great to see everyone jumping in so enthusiastically! Thank you all so much for agreeing to come play in our sandbox for a while! =)
Cheers!
Colleen
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 5
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@Simon -- you didn't get cookies? They were supposed to be in the Dark Side Welcome Packet with your handbook...
I'm Alana Joli Abbott, a freelance writer and editor who primarily does work in the reference industry (for my paycheck). I used to do a lot of work for the adventure game industry (D&D and similar games), which led to my writing two novels for a game setting. (The third is written, but the company ceased to exist before it could be published. I'm planning an e-book release one of
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Joined: 3/3/2011
Posts: 15
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And I'm about to miss my train to work because I'm too busy reading here. Oops.....
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 4
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testing
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 4
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Weird I couldn't get my comment to post... Then tried test nd it worked? Do the comments need to be under a certain length?
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 4
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Hmm... Still won't let me leave a comment? maybe it's too long? Anyway, short version, I write dark paranormal & UF and I wish we had a reply button with each comment so you could talk without having to go to the last page of comments... Thanks!
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 18
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Wheeee! What fun. (Looking around for Stinkyboy's sandbox so I won't step in it.) Why am I here? Being the shameless wench I am, I hinted, teased, and practically BEGGED Colleen - and am so glad I did. Would love some feedback on prologue & chapter 1 of WIP loaded (please forgive the rewrapping that occurred when loaded). BTW, Who let in that baaad boy, SimonCLarter? *giggle*
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 11
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test
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 11
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Heylo When writing fiction I'm Kelly, when writing other things and doing the day job I go by another K name which confuses the hell out the people who deal with both sides of me I found my way here via Colleen's teasing on Twitter of The Sekrit Project. I've pub'd erotic romance & erotica, but the novel I'm currently working on is neither of those. I'm calling it alternative historical romance for fans of James Bond which made choosing a primary genre for it an absolute bitch. I finally s
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 25
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Hey Snurf! I read your pages yesterday already but haven't written the review yet. I liked it though. : ) Will do the official thing today or tomorrow. Wondering if we will have to separate you and Simon. ; )
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I write paranormal fiction (not paranormal romance - straight paranormal). My stories take place in my own version of the gothic hinterlands of Harlan County, located in Kentucky. The great beauty of Harlan County contrasts sharply with abject, inherent strife. Its mountains are scarred by mining, and its people are quite often insular and distrustful. This landscape provides the backdrop for my writing and is often a character in its own right. I am a contributing editor for Apex Publications,
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Joined: 3/4/2011
Posts: 2
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Hey y'all, Beth Williamson signing in from NC. I write romance, mostly historical and contemporary western, but I also write straight erotic contemporary and dabble a bit in erotica too. I'm published with Samhain, Kensington Brava and Berkley Heat. I'm excited to be a beta user to be part of community of ALL writing genres, not just one. It seems like it's going to be a great place to share information, tips, triumphs, heartbreaks, and some fun.
Thanks to Colleen & crew for including me. I'm s
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Joined: 3/4/2011
Posts: 58
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Hey there! I'm Ellie Isis and I write science fiction and science fiction/romance. Just uploaded chapter one of my work in progress, CIRCUIT BREAKER. I'm here because I'm a former client of Colleen's, and she teased and taunted until I asked to participate. Now I'm represented by Amy Boggs over at Donald Maass Agency.
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Joined: 3/4/2011
Posts: 1
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Hi, Gretchen Jones here. Native midwesterner writer of romance, genre undecided. I figure it's like a serial killer, more than three completed MS in any single genre before you can call a genre your own. Yeah, most people don't get my humor. Geek by trade, my goal is to make developers cringe (in a good way) when they see my name.
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 13
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Hello hello, I'm Tim Johnson. I have been writing since I was a smallish child and reading since way before then. Like Gretchen above me I'm genre undecided. I read several major areas and tend to think of myself as someone who writes, not someone who writes XYZ. I love being a part of the community and plan on being as active as possible. I have a new son (5months old as of Feb 27th) so he tends to take a lot of my non-writing free time. I hope to seek & find representation soon, and ho
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 10
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*wave*
I'm Gwen Raftery, coming to you very late at night from London, England. It looks like nearly everybody else is from the US, which is cool -- gives me a chance to remember how to speak American (I'm an expat who's lived in this country for about seven years now). I was interested in joining Book Country because I'm interested in finding and being part of a writing community that will help me both hone my editing skills and get to know other people who are writing, wherever they may be in
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 1
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I'm here because I need another reason to stay up late and procrastinate. Also because I couldn't resist the opportunity to tell Colleen how to spell Secret Project properly. I'm putting the finishing touches on a thriller that is both political and romantic. Am secretly terrified that I'll break something over here and be banished before I have a chance to wreak havoc. Ahem. Not that I'd do that. Probably. Looking forward to getting to know everyone!
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 2
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Hi everyone! I asked to be a part of the sekrit projekt because I can't stand not to know something. Drives me nuts. That being said, I think Book Country looks awesome this far. What a wonderful networking opportunity.
I write in mulitple genres. Though, at the moment I am seeking representation for the first book in my urban fantasy series.
I also posted the first chapter of my romantic scifi Enemy Hearts this evening if anyone wants to check it out.
Thanks and I can't wait to meet everyone
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 15
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I am Samantha Jane(but PLEASE call me Sam). I write whatever comes out of my brain and most of it ends up involving a LOT of sex. Yay! Like Kathleen, I cannot stand to not know something, so I wanted to be involved. Also, I am steps away from having a FINAL draft ready...but for whom, for where?
I am LOST, so I'm hoping that I will find what I need here...
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 15
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Also, until I can get my hair dyed and some decent clothes, I will be using a theatrical headshot that is 15 years old. I mean, it's the gist of me...sort of. There's a lot more life experience behind me that shows in my eyes.
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 3
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Hi, everyone. I write mystery/suspense and am working toward publication. I also write a horse blog designed for horseless horse-lovers, although horse owners tell me they enjoy reading it, too. I'm here in Book Country because I'm always intrigued by any new way we writers can utilize the power of the Internet. Online activities, IMO, offer opportunities available to all of us willing to join in. Thank you, Colleen and cohorts, for setting up this site.
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Joined: 3/2/2011
Posts: 2
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Hi everyone - I'm a full time working mother of three young girls and I am here because I wanted something to do in my spare time. I have worked in publishing for 14 years and have been an avid reader my whole life. I am a newbie when it comes to writing (started in 2007) and was thrilled to be given the opportunity to be a beta and get some feedback from some of you more professional types. I like to write light romance, relationship driven stories. Thank-you Molly, Colleen and team for brin
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 2
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~waves~ Hi, I'm Adrien, and I'm so late to the party. Work likes to eat my brain. I'm a business writer working diligently on breaking into fiction; I also work as a book editor for a couple of small publishers. Currently slave to a couple of YA manuscripts; YA fiction tends to be my main focus, ranging across genres but sticking to a unifying theme of LGBT and racial diversity portrayed in mainstream fiction. Aaand...I have no idea what else to say, so I'll just say I'm glad to be here and look
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 1
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Hello there! I've been here a couple of days, but I have a 3 month old baby who sometimes prevents me from actually typing anything on the computer. I can *look,* but can't really touch.
Anyhoozle, my name is Andrea and I'm a middle-aged would-be fantasy writer currently living in North Carolina. I'm hoping that this experience will shame me into getting some of these words out of my head and onto the hard drive. Meanwhile, I'm having a great time looking around and reading what others have writ
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 1
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Hi! I'm Ellise and I joined up because I'd like a little more of a fire under me when it comes my projects. I excited to be able to discuss aspects of writing and publishing. Which I miss now that I'm no longer a bookseller.
Most of my longer work at the moment is YA with supernatural or scifi elements to it. My other love is scifi(slipstream!) and I aspire to someday stretching one of my short stories into a novel. Thank you so much for the opportunity to beta. I'm really looking forward to bei
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Joined: 3/3/2011
Posts: 21
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I'm Jason. I write stories of disputable worth. Scifi/thriller/fantasy/etc. I like to help other writers reach their full potential. (Whether they want to or not!!)
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Joined: 3/10/2011
Posts: 6
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Hello gang, I'm Cid and I'm currently writing contemporary romance. I've written paranormal romance and fantasy as well. And I joined because I really enjoy the critiquing process and working with people to communicate the story in their head!
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Joined: 3/10/2011
Posts: 5
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I'm Kari and after a foray into SEO writing (yuck!), I'm focusing on what I really want to write, not just what is /easy/ for me to write. Genres: horror, suspense/thrillers/mysteries, anything that leaves a mark on my brain and a "HAVE TO FINISH" mindset. I'm here because I want some good discussion with people about stories and literature and writing. I want to not be afraid to write anymore and to discuss HOW stories are created, what works and what doesn't, with others to better my own work in hopes of the elusive publishing contract
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Joined: 3/7/2011
Posts: 38
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I'm Ava. It's cliche, but I was in the right place at the right time, and I wasn't supposed to be there. After an event was canceled, I happened to be on Twitter when Colleen tweeted, looking for beta users. She said I could, so here I am! My writing background has been as a journalist, and my current WIP is my first novel. I write Sci-Fi/ Fantasy and Mystery/Thriller, often combined. My goals here are to learn and improve. I will be lurking, absorbing your wisdom like a sponge. I have a wacky sense of humor.
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Joined: 2/28/2011
Posts: 1
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I'm Jennette, and I write time-travel, science fiction, and paranormal romance. I was happy to accept Danielle's invitation to beta BookCountry because it sounded like a great place to find new beta readers, discover new books, and do some networking outside of my usual circles. I'm a software developer in my day job, so hopefully I can offer useful feedback on its technical aspects too!
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