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Greetings 7/25/2007 2:40:36 AM
Greetings from a Young Adult Fantasy Author!
Greetings, fellow readers, writers and fans of literature! My name is MJ Allaire and I am a young adult fantasy author. I currently live in Connecticut with my three children, Nick, Mic & Toni. For the record, we also have 2 cats (Ragu and Fluffy [who we lovingly refer to as "the fluffinator" because she's just a sweet, rolly polly Maine Coon Cat]) and one dog (Rascal, but you don't want to know what we lovingly refer to him as, besides "Knucklehead"!)
I've lived in Connecticut now for 10 years and love it! I'm originally from West Palm Beach, Florida and joined the Navy in 1985. I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where I met and married a submariner. We ended up staying on the island of Oahu for 10 years before we finally got stationed in Washington, DC for 5 months, then we got stationed in Groton, CT. I'm now happily divorced and trying to raise my children as best as I can, striving to provide them with a safe environment and the important tools they will need when they (finally) fly from the nest.
I've always loved books but never considered myself a writer. I grew up reading Nancy Drew, Stephen King, and one little book called "Frosty - A Racoon to Remember", which was my absolute favorite.
I decided to write my first book, "Dragon's Blood: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book One" for my oldest son, Nick. I'll admit that when I first began writing, I had absolutely NO idea what I was getting myself into, but as I look back now, I can see that I've come a long way and learned a heck of alot! Being a writer is definitely a challenge, and there have been many, many days that I've thought about quitting, but I've never really considered myself a quitter. I also firmly believe in raising my children by example and I'm bound and determined to keep plugging away, no matter how discouraging it may seem!
I wrote and published "Dragon's Blood" and its sequel, "The Prisoner" in 10 months (each), but I've found that between raising three teenagers, marketing two books via book signings or appearances, playing volleyball when I can, working a full-time job (graveshift, no less) and trying my best to maintain some form of sanity in our household, I don't have much time (or energy) to write. I'm currently working on Book 3 in the series, but the going is slow. I'm expecting to release it in the Spring 2008 .. hopefully!
If you want to find out more about me or my books, please visit my website at www.mjallaire.com. If you're a middle school teacher or someone who knows of a group of young adults who might enjoy having me come talk to them, please contact me! I have found it's very fulfilling to talk to young adults and watch their faces light up as they tell me about the books they've wanted to write, are trying to write, or have read! Reading is so very important to everyone, but especially to our future generations.
