Greetings to the people of Earth.<br /> I've always wanted to say that!  Now that I did, I can now get on with other things.<br /> <br /> I'm a science fiction writer (not famous yet) born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  I've lived in the Czech Republic and Germany, and though I am currently back in Chicago, much of my heart remains in the Czech Republic.  Maybe it's the beer.  Or the bread.  I hope to live in Moscow soon, as a big portion of my heart already resides there.  I've had an interest in science fiction since an early age and will probably maintain that interest for the rest of my life.  I love SF, and anything else that embraces the spirit of discovery...or anything that chafes against the arbitrary boundaries of "conformity."  <br /> I discovered Renderosity a couple of years back when I was browsing the internet, looking for cool images to spark my imagination during a period of writer's block.  It wasn't a serious block, but I needed something to make me ask the sorts of questions that I always ask before settling down to craft a short story or novella.  Since that time, I've written quite a lot and I've begun to post photographs and other visual works that I created here...partially because I love the Renderosity community in general, and partially because the images and text-snippets that I have contributed here are something of an ongoing journal.  I'm incredibly lazy when it comes to journal keeping, and so posting picures of particular significance actually helps me to remember the things I want to remembe, without having to eat into my fiction writing time by writing non fiction.  Well, at least that's my excuse and I am sticking with it.<br /> <br /> I entered into the field of photography totally by accident; I'd always been interested in capturing small stories, but it wasn't until my journey to Europe that I began to consciously seek out tableaus that imply stories in progress.  As a result of that, my writing is growing in unexpected directions, and I look forward to becoming more and more active here, and in other artistic/publishing fields.<br /> For those looking at my gallery, enjoy it and feel free to leave comments and sitemail!  Good day to all!