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Zoe Lionheart Fan Page - 'Bout me, Valerie J. LongI was born in Germany in the sixties of the last century. I am working as an IT Project Manager for an international company, and I live in Wiesbaden. I’ve chosen a pen name for two reasons. First I know my real name is too difficult to pronounce for most of the world. Second—as an IT person I know about the dangers of too much internet exposure. As a writer, I need a lot of exposure, and the pen name will retain a little privacy for me. So, what else could you want to know? Just ask, and if it's not too private, I'll answer. (Hmm - I'd rather exclude politics and religion, too.) For now, let me guess some questions you might have. My favourites...
Oooh I'm sure I forgot someone very important to me. About my writing Why do I write, or how did it start?Some stories I’ve written during school don’t count. My student works won’t help. So basically my history as a writer starts with my history as a fantasy role playing game master. Writing fantasy stories for role playing is a very good training for story plotting—players will inevitably spot any hole in your story logic. How do I write?First there are some sketches on the storyline, sometimes I envision a certain scene and put it down. In case of Lioness' Skin, the final showdown came quite early. But then I start from the beginning and work my way through the story in sequence. If there's a flashback situation, I try to write the entire past plot before distributing it to the respective chapters, like the briefing in Lioness' Claws (third part of the book Lioness' Heart). Sometimes I have to go back a few chapters and amend logical flaws. When I'm done, I change to edit mode and review the entire story. Where do I get my ideas?The best ideas come up when I need them least - while on the wheel or in the shower, or in the opera. Music is very inspiring, while movies and books rather distract me. Fantasy roleplaying really helped me to think like my protagonists. What tools do I use?For the English books, I stick to Word. Otherwise I prefer StarOffice or OpenOffice for writing, but pen and paper do the trick, too. I rarely leave home without my little black book or a similar tool, and if, I usually have to borrow a pen somewhere. On vacation, a subnotebook is my best friend. About Lilith RoseLilith Rose was just released as my very first English e-Book. It’s not my first write though, rather my last-but-one. When my Editor In Chief told me about eXtasy books’ Fantasy Games series, that immediately triggered my imagination—I simply had to write the story that came to my mind. It is a Sex&Crime-Drama about one woman and her very special fate—I can’t give away more without spoiling the story, read yourself and tell me what you think about it. About Zoe LionheartZoe Lionheart (born Zoe Laforge) is my first protagonist and the reason my writing went beyond a private hobby. Zoe grew up as a quite ordinary, if talented, girl who didn’t expect anything special of her life. Her parents both died in a car accident when she was fourteen. She went on, finished school, finished M.I.T. and got a job. She was working as system administrator for a small print shop in Phoenix, AZ. In fact she was the girl Friday, the one who got blamed for everything. The happy side of her life was her friend Rick, and she was looking forward for her «Decisive Date» with him—he wasn’t clear about it, but did he plan a proposal? About Wiesbaden, GermanyWiesbaden is located about 20 km west of Frankfurt where the rivers Rhine and Main meet, at the east end of the Rheingau wine region, known for its famous Riesling. It is a spa, known for its hot springs, and an American garrison — soldiers go from here to Afghanistan with their helicopters. The city has 276.742 inhabitants [2008]. It is the birthplace of tennis player John McEnroe. And now it will become famous as the place where my books were written ;-) About my readersWell—this is rather about what I will do with you. Contact me |