Tamarin ButcherI am an author of middle grade and young adult fantasy, with some short stories on a variety of topics thrown in. Much of my work is also suitable for adult audiences. I live in Massachusetts where I have a pesky little day job at a university which akes up a lot of my time. In fact, older posts on this website hint at my regular occupation as this site was once my professional portfolio. However, despite this I manage to do a fair bit of scribbling, the results of which are highlighted here on my blog.Ever since I grasped the concept that books had to be written (as opposed to appearing magically, fully formed, on a shelf through the what I still think of as Library Magic), I knew that I wanted to be one of the people who wrote them. I tried, many times, over the years. The first book I started was about my brother and his red toy car, reminiscent of the Dick and Jane books we read in primary school (in South Africa).I already understood the concept of artistic license, even then, because my brother's toy car was actually blue, but I couldn't remember how to spell that. I was 6. Other 'books' I toyed with in my childhood features witches, dragons, sprites, werewolves, vampires, and Mickey Mouse (I didn't get anywhere with it, Disney lawyers, so you can relax). Although I seldom got further than a few chapters, I count all of these excursions into creative writing as invaluable practice that led to where I am now.When I was 22, I gave up on writing altogether. I figured that if I couldn't put a coherent story together then, in the prime of life when I knew absolutely everything about everything, then I never would. I had heard that many writers (and people in general) only really started perfecting their chosen arts in their 30s, that that was the decade for success, but I disagreed. 30 was halfway dead, after all, and I was too impatient to wait another eight years (or more) to figure it all out.In the end, I only had to wait seven years. When I was 29 I had An Idea. It was a little idea, and ended up only being the beginning of what became The Reality Warper, but three years later I finally self-published my very first book and it is a source of enormous pride.I know write an enormous amount, so much in fact that it is difficult to actually finish anything. However, I intend to continue making progress, and I am excited that you are here to share in my journey. Read More Read Less