About Me - The Man Behind BestScienceFictionStories.com
Who Am I?
My name is Rusty. Yes, that’s my real name - my parents had an aversion to common names and so gave all of us “unique” names.
I currently live in the state of Utah (USA), although I spent several years living in Sin City - that capital of gambling otherwise known as Las Vegas, Nevada. That was fun, and I enjoyed the hot, sunny weather there, but the city got old after a while. Now I live near beautiful mountains with lots of hiking and skiing trails!
I have been married for several years to my awesome wife. We have three great little kids - two boys and girl.
Right now I’m working as a web programmer for a car company just four miles from my house - talk about a wonderful commute! I mostly program in PHP, XHTML and CSS, but I have also used JavaScript, Java, C and C++. I have loved programming ever since my first computer: a Commodore 64 way back in the early 1980’s! I still own a Commodore 128 and I’m an avid user of VICE - the Virtual Commodore Emulator. I’m also a huge Linux fan and I try to promote open source software as much as I can.
What have I done in life?
I have spent many years taking university level courses. While some may see that as a sad and torturous life, I have quite enjoyed all the things I have learned. I am a certified ESL teacher and I’m currently pursuing a BA in Computer Science. Loads of fun!
I also enjoy studying languages. I have taken serious stabs at Spanish, Chamorro, Pohnpeian, Japanese and Arabic - though I really only mastered one fluently: Pohnpeian. French is next on my list because I’m planning a trip to Paris next year - Woo Hoo!
I spent two years living on some tiny islands in Micronesia - in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. That was an eye-opening experience that I believe has made me a more tolerent and knowledgeable person… hopefully!
I do have one claim to fame, even though it is small: When I was 16 I won a state wide talent contest with my dazzling talent for juggling!
Why this site?
I have been reading science fiction for 20 years, and I still love it. My favorite authors are Isaac Asimov, Gene Wolfe and Dan Simmons - I absolutely love the Foundation Series, the Hyperion Cantos and The Book of The New Sun.
I am also a collector of comic books. Mostly I like Marvel and DC stuff, but I’ve read lots of stuff from other companies too. I grew up reading Harvey Comics - mostly Richie Rich, Casper and Hot Stuff - and I still have several of those old 35 cent comics! My favorite series, however, is Alan Moore’s masterpiece Watchmen.
I started this blog for a few reasons. First, I really do love science fiction short stories. I have been reading them for many years, and I finally decided to share my thoughts with others. I started BestScienceFictionStories in December 2007 and I’ve had loads of positive feedback from readers, other bloggers, magazine editors and even some authors! All of that is plenty of validation and motivation for me to keep going.
Second, I enjoy trying my hand at writing short stories and the more I read great short stories the more ideas I get for writing my own. I figured blogging about the stories I read would keep them fresh in my mind and motivate me to read more. It has succeeded on both counts.
Third, I wanted to connect with other online science fiction readers and bloggers. In my short time I have found some great websites and made some cool friends. Here are the ones I currently check out on a daily basis:
So there you go. Probably a lot more than you really wanted to know about me - but you are the one who clicked on the link! Feel free to leave a comment on any of my posts (I try to respond to all of them) or contact me via email.
Thanks - and enjoy!
-Rusty
