I?ve done a lot of things, but the thing that was most helpful in terms of my writing themes was the six years I worked as a bartender/bouncer in one of the roughest bars in the area. I met people at their best, at their worst, and at all those picky areas between. In terms of the mechanics of writing: definitely the three years of copywriting for a radio station ? getting as much as possible into thirty seconds without making it sound rushed.

D. L. White has written several short stories, but Cassiopeia?s Tears is his first published work. Daniel White grew up in Connecticut and now lives in upstate New York with his wife, daughter and three needy cats. A professional architect who designs primarily medical facilities, he admits his priorities need to include more writing time than the odd hour or two stolen during-well, better not say. There are eyes everywhere. In 1995 he discovered the online writing community of Compuserve?s old Writers Forum. In a critiquing circle he met a prolific and talented novelist named Peter Prellwitz. They are now longtime friends and occasional collaborators, and DL White?s doppelganger can be found in Peter?s Shards Universe tales.

Eugen M. Bacon, MSc, studied at the University of Greenwich, UK and graduated with distinction. She now lives in Australia. A Computer Science graduate mentally re-engineered into creative writing, she is the author of several published books and award-winning short stories that touch anything under the sun. Sex, murder, drugs, humour, fear, love, fantasy... Eugen also reviews fiction. Her model writer is Toni Morrison.

 Well, hello to you and welcome. I?m J. Richard Jacobs, but you can call me "J" and dispense with all the rest of it. I?ve been an avid and active amateur astronomer since my "first light" through a telescope in 1947 (is he that old?) and began writing professional level in 1956. Technical writing, copy writing and technical illustration were the income generators until 1965, when I turned my attention to naval architecture. There was a brief (28 year) hiatus in my writing while I spent my time doing the science and engineering involved in the largest moving structures on Earth, although I continued to write papers and articles on applied math, science, engineering, design, and astronomy.

These days, now that I?m "retired," I write Science Fiction in both the hard and soft varieties. But, honestly, I tend to cross genre a lot because of the way I feel about populating a story with reachable, touchable characters with all their strengths, weaknesses, successes, failures and foibles. I write Fantasy, too, but I?ve never managed to do it successfully in novel lengths--just can?t seem to hurdle that short story wall, but I have a lot of fun with the short stories I write. I?ve tried my hand at Horror, but, for some reason, I?ve had trouble with that, too. Someday, when I?m in a particularly nasty mood, I may be able to do it. In the meantime, my horror pieces tend to be very short...and funny. Oh, well...I guess I?m stuck with Humorous Horror.

The first review of this book is on its way. When it arrives it will be included here (good or bad)...

First review of XENOGENESIS is now in and I am delighted...

"Xenogenesis is one of those rare books that manages to catch even the most jaded of sci-fi readers off-guard. Somewhere between the description of cities in stratified levels of wealth and the injection of nano-machines, we realize we are somewhere between the world we inhabit and the world we only dream about, which makes the entire book something beyond a simple novel of escape. This combination of biotechnology and space travel with a hefty dose of hard-boiled detective fiction in the character of Patrick Dalworthy allows Jacobs to create a work that is both fantastic and close to home, one that tackles the subject of what it truly means to be human in a rapidly advancing world and answer it with aplomb.

Jamie A. Hughes"

What makes this review doubly important to me is that it comes from the very person who did the editing. That means she had looked at the book with a hypercritical eye before she did the review.

Jamie A. Hughes is an author who likes to think she has perfected the art of dreaming she is somewhere else. This desire to escape from undesirable places like doctor?s waiting rooms, long car rides, and staff meetings compelled her to try her hand at fantasy and science fiction writing, and she has never regretted taking that first step. Not even once. Currently, she is working as a professor of literature and composition at a small Florida college and as a freelance editor working through www.editavenue.com. She recently received the 2006 Douglas Freels Poetry Award and has been accepted for publication in several fantasy anthologies. Happily, she has been able to find good homes for her academic work as well, including Peake Studies, The Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, and The Journal of Popular Culture. In addition to writing, her passions include St. Louis Cardinals baseball, comic books, and getting lost in foreign countries. Her future plans include publishing a non-fiction testimonial about her first year with Multiple Sclerosis and earning a Ph.D. in English from the University of Florida.

Jeremy Davies is a discriminate writer, indiscriminate scribbler and sometime-poet from Melbourne, Australia. His professional background is in the military and security fields, but he?s trying to forget all about that now, as are they. He and his wife live quietly, when at all possible, with three children (he is writing this bio while having to stop every twelve words to wind up a merry-go-round?) and two cats. If he didn?t have cats, he would have lied and said he did anyway. (Apparently, an author must claim some kind of cat ownership in their bio. It?s the law. Go look it up.) He has had short stories and articles published in print and e-print, and enjoys reading anything from Alexandre Solzhenitsyn to Terry Pratchett. His first novel with DDP, ?Missing, Presumed Undead?, leans more to the latter than the former, but might have at least given Ivan Denisovich a chuckle or two before the end came.

For more information on ?Missing, Presumed Undead?, and all things ?City?, check out: www.casablantasy.bravevhost.com. Oh, and Rhys says to buy the fharkin? book, or else he?ll get all the steak knives in your drawers to?what? No, I?m not writing that. Really.

K.L. Nappier is an award winning author who began writing professionally 20 years ago. Regardless of how light or dark her plots may be (though she confesses they?re usually dark), she?s exploring how the human experience can lift us up, give us hope, teach us how.

"After my stepsons Matthew and Nicholas flew the nest, my husband Richard and I left Indianapolis, Indiana, for a four year sabbatical. We bought a sailing sloop and collected terrific friends, wonderful memories and great book material as we toured parts of the Caribbean. We?re now permanently settled in Florida, where I?ve set up my computer and haven?t stopped writing since."

Kathy writes in multiple genres. Her supernatural thriller, "Full Wolf Moon" placed in the Draco Awards? Final Three in the Horror Division, placed in the Kay Snow Awards and was a finalist in the New Century Awards, along with another of her novels. Her latest release, "Voyagers", is a paranormal mystery/adventure with DDP?s Dragon?s Heart Imprint. Presently, Kathy is working on Full Wolf Moon?s sequel, "Bitten".

Her work has been reviewed by the Gothic Journal as "stunning" and "fresh", with suspense that "is razor sharp." The Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror website calls her work "original and totally addictive." Kathy is a founding member of the Indiana Writers? Workshop, a sterling critique group of fiction and nonfiction authors. Even though she now lives in Florida, she remains active in IWW via cyber space.

Kathy?s novels are available in both paperback and ebook formats. Check on her updates in the Meet The Authors BBS under "Meet K.L.Nappier" via DDP?s Bulletin Board at http://www.double-dragon-books.com/phpBB2/index.php. You can write Kathy at klnappierddp@yahoo.com or check out her blog at htttp://www.lulu.com/fullwolfvoyage.

Margaret ?Meg? Whitley has been an elevator operator, newspaper carrier, postal worker, preschool/first grade teacher, and full-time mother. She holds a Master?s Degree and has done post-graduate work in gifted education. She is currently a teacher of gifted children but also loves writing, weaving on a handloom, and star-gazing. Ms. Whitley has three children, two wonderful grandchildren, and lives in the desert southwest.

About the Author

Marilyn Peake grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, spending many afternoons climbing trees and exploring the woods in her three-acre backyard. Always interested in writing, she experimented as a young child with writing short stories. In high school, she wrote newspaper articles for two local newspapers.

In college, the author graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She later obtained a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. She has worked as both a Social Worker and Staff Psychologist in a variety of settings. In 1985, she completed a Masters Thesis, later presenting her research data at a meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association.

At the present time, the author lives with her husband and two children. Her hobbies include photography and traveling. She has traveled with her family to Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean islands. In Mexico, the author photographed fish while snorkeling under water.

Marilyn Peake is the author of a published series of children?s fantasy adventure novels: The Fisherman?s Son, The City of the Golden Sun, and Return of the Golden Age. All three books have received excellent reviews. More recently, Marilyn has had an adult dark fantasy short story published in Double Dragon Publishing?s Illuminated Manuscripts anthology.

Peter Prellwitz is the IT Director for a precious metals refining company located in Philadelphia. Peter has been writing stories, plays and skits since the fifth grade. 

Born in Arizona, Peter has lived in Wisconsin, California, Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, where he now lives with his wife, Bethlynne, and five sons. He is active in his church, and in addition to writing, enjoys history, backpacking, and languages.

Since 2004, Double Dragon Publishing has published seven of Peter?s novels and will publish another seven to ten in 2006 and 2007, along with many individual short stories. Horizons, his second novel but first published, was chosen by Mike Resnick as the winner the 2003 Draco Award for Best Science Fiction. Horizons was a finalist for the 2005 Eppie Award for Best Science Fiction, as was another of Peter?s novels, The Science of Magic. The first two books of his latest novel, SHARDS, are now competing against each other, both nominated as Finalists for 2006 Eppie Award for Best Science Fiction.

Who am I? Glad you asked.

Apparently I?m a masochist. You have to be to participate in this crazy industry. I?m a masochist with a dream. In my experience, there is nothing more dangerous. I?m an egotist. You have to be that too, to believe with all the words in the world today, you have something new to add.

I?m an American man, a New Yorker, living abroad in Tasmania. That?s something you don?t see every day, but I guess I do. I?m an animal lover. Not just dogs and cats but all the animals we share this wondrous planet with, including my fellow human beings. I?m fascinated by insects, awestruck by coral reefs and amazed by the myriad relationships found throughout the web of life. I?m a writer. I?m a poet. I?m a husband. I?m a father... well a stepfather at least, but I treat my stepsons as my own flesh and blood. I?m a gamer. I love games, the more convoluted, the better. I?m actor and artist too, but for various reasons, choose not to elucidate that statement at this time.

What do I write? Stories, poetry, essays, articles, bios, blurbs. I wrote what you?re reading now. Amazing isn?t it. These very words emerged from what?s left of my mind. Absolutely amazing. If you want to learn more about me, consider professional help. If you STILL want to know more about me, check out some of my ebooks. You just might find yourself entertained.

Terence West lives in Elko, Nevada with his wife Shannon, and three dogs, Duncan, Connor, and Barkley (6, 5, and 2 respectively), and soon-to-be-born baby girl. He lives less than six hours from the most well know secret base in the world, Area 51.

He grew up near the small skiing town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Living there gave him a lot of time to work on his writing because of the elements. He jokes "back in Colorado we had one month of summer, and eleven months of winter". He relocated to Elko, Nevada with his family when he was in 6th grade, so his father could work at the Gold Mines.

Terence was a very artistic student. His goal in life was to be an illustrator. In his spare time he hunched over a makeshift-drafting table working on his own comic books. He would write and draw all of his stories. It was then that he learned he enjoyed writing the stories more than drawing them.

He credits a lot of his talent as a writer to his mother and father, Donna and Herman West. He says they never pressured him to follow in his father?s footsteps, rather to find his own path in life. He also owes much to his wife, Shannon. She has always been very supportive of his work, and his often bizarre logic.