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I'm in my mid-twenties and married to a mad scientist. I live in the Twin Cities (St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN). I grew up in Africa, India...and Kansas. My three main interests are writing, photography, and martial arts. I keep a website at http://www.aswiebe.com and a blog at http://cloudscudding.livejournal.com.


Writing
My first novel, Serenade of Blood & Silver, is a fantasy about a drifter who rescues an abused horse that is not what it seems. When they flee into the Far Desert to escape pursuit, they sign their death warrants, and the only way they can survive is if they learn to rely on each other. The setting of Serenade of Blood & Silver is influenced by the American Old West and by sub-Saharan West Africa, where I lived for three years. This is at the "I stuck a fork in it and called it done until somebody pays me to make changes" stage, and I'm busy courting publishers and agents for it. An excerpt can be found on my website here.


My second novel, Vicesteed, is a neo-Victorian science fiction novel that is equal proportions locked-room murder mystery, exploration of how society forms identity, and high-octane quest for vengeance. The style it is written in can be compared in parts to Stephenson's Diamond Age. Think of it as the bastard love-child of Bladerunner and Sense & Sensibility. A rough-draft chapter excerpt can be found here. Vicesteed is currently in the editing phase.


Before I got caught up in writing my novels, I did publish a couple of short stories. I'm paying more attention to short story writing again now, until I figure out what my next major project will be.
* "Waiting," Alienskin Magazine, April 2003 Issue
* "The Perfect Costume," Dark Krypt Horror Zine, Oct/Nov 2003 Issue
* "Blood for Oil," Allegory - formerly Peridot Books - September 2006 Issue


Photography
You can see some more of my photography on my website (although I desperately need to update and redesign it) and my blog (http://cloudscudding.livejournal.com).


Martial Arts
I'm a student at the Minneapolis Hwa Rang Do Academy of Healing and Martial Arts. Hwa Rang Do is a Korean martial art that incorporates both hard-style punching and kicking and soft-style grappling, groundfighting, joint manipulation, pressure points, weapons, healing, and meditation.