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I don't believe i have posted a pic of myself yet

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This used to be a nice thread, although i did have a part in ruining it...

I wonder if anyone else has something to share.

As for me, unfortunately my second book still is not published, recently i got a negative answer from a house i really would have wanted to be associated with. So i am stuck currently, although i am expecting more replies, and am on the look out for opportunity.

But i am hopeful, i wrote a lot of new work these months, some of it surely is part of my best ever.

At times i think that it is sad that probably more people have downloaded my Byzantine Empire map, than those who read my first book. Wish it was the other way around.

Kyriakos said:

This used to be a nice thread, although i did have a part in ruining it...

I wonder if anyone else has something to share.

As for me, unfortunately my second book still is not published, recently i got a negative answer from a house i really would have wanted to be associated with. So i am stuck currently, although i am expecting more replies, and am on the look out for opportunity.

But i am hopeful, i wrote a lot of new work these months, some of it surely is part of my best ever.

At times i think that it is sad that probably more people have downloaded my Byzantine Empire map, than those who read my first book. Wish it was the other way around.

Click to expand...

Is the book available in English, or only in Greek?

Just Greek. Being translated to English is one of my dreams.

Some good news, the longest-standing literary magazine of this city accepted one of my stories a few days ago. I guess it is highly probable it will publish it in its next issue, but with first publications in a new place one never knows. Still i think it is a very good development for me

Well done!

Thank you Plotinus.

As a short-story writer it probably is very useful to form some ties to at least one such magazine, so i can hope to get some of my work published there as well.

Gojira54 said:

The Family

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Not seeing any images at the link. Just a name.

Kyriakos said:

Some good news, the longest-standing literary magazine of this city accepted one of my stories a few days ago. I guess it is highly probable it will publish it in its next issue, but with first publications in a new place one never knows. Still i think it is a very good development for me

Click to expand...

It is normally a lot easier to get a collection of short stories published as a book if you have first had them published as individual pieces in a magazine, so congratulations, Kyriakos.

Thank you Timerover
Yes, also being published in a magazine can open other doors to book publishing, if for no other reason then due to the author becoming more known/read.
Online magazines (where i have been published) do not help as much.

I believe that many publishers are keen on authors who have their own websites where they regularly post short pieces and build up a following. This is because, if they then publish these authors, they get a ready-made core readership.

Sounds utterly reasonable, but i am not sure if Greek publishers have caught up in great numbers with the internet publicity for writers.
I mostly decided to maintain some level of connection with some internet-only magazines, so that they can publish articles about my next book. They are useful with readers, but i think less so with publishers, at least in this country.
On the other hand a printed magazine usually has some people in power as subscribers, and they give it more notice.

Blue Monkey said:

Not seeing any images at the link. Just a name.

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Better?

Congrats on the publication Kyriakos - very cool!

Hello all!

I won't give out my name or exact job (it's more of a secret than Hikaro's). Just know that I am in the United States Army and returned from a year in Iraq 9 months ago. I have been modding CivIII since 2005, but I haven't really completed any of the projects I have started.

Anyway, I was born in 1986 in Cincinnati, Ohio and lived there pretty much all of my life. I did get to see much of the country during my childhood by virtue of my father's job. He is an independent courier, so if me or my brother didn't have school he would take us on his deliveries. It was fun and I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I kinda wish I could return to those days.

Fast-forward to my early adult-years. I was always a quiet and shy kid throughout high school and college. Never had a girlfriend and I never got invited to hang out with anybody, so I spent most of my time studying various subjects. I would describe myself as knowing a little bit about everything, but not really being an expert in any particular subject.

Well, I decided to quit college before I got my degree, mostly because I felt the professors were indoctrinating the students rather than giving them a real education. So I got a job working for the dreaded TSA. It was a decent job in terms of pay, but the stress from management and the travelling public just made it unbearable. This is when a co-worker who used to be in the Army convinced me I should join. Normally I would have laughed in his face for suggesting that, but he had actually become a trusted friend so I didn't think he was trying to steer me in the wrong direction.

So off I went to see the world and be all I can be. After completeing my basic training at Fort Sill and my specific job training at a location I will not disclose I was sent to Fort Lewis (Now known as Joint Base Lewis-McChord). I trained there with my unit for approximately 8 months before we got the word that we were going to Iraq 6 months ahead of schedule. I greeted this news with mixed emotions as I was happy to finally do my job for real, but the accelerated deployment meant that I would miss my brother's wedding (in which I was supposed to be the best man). There's a lot that I could say about my time in Iraq, but in the interest of keeping it short I'll just say it was simultaniously the best and most depressing time in my life. I will say that the Army has helped me with my confidence issues, and I am no longer the quiet shy guy.

While in Iraq, I did just about the craziest thing I could do. I would spend a lot of my free time browsing internet "dating" sites so I could set up "contacts" for when I got home. While doing this I started talking to this girl from Pennsylvania. We clicked immediately, and after just three days of talking to her I proposed. I know, it sounds completely insane to propose to a girl after just three days (especially one you have never seen in person), but something just felt right about it and I trusted my instincts. She accepted, and after a long internet engagement, we finally got married when I returned home. We are totally in love with each other, and we couldn't be happier. That's not the end of this story yet though. We decided to wait about 5 years to have a child, but just a month after we were married, we found out she was pregnant. It is going to be a girl, and on Monday, little Noelle Rene will be born into this world.

As for the Army, I have decided not to reenlist and I am taking the skills I learned in the Army to the private sector. I have a pretty good contracting gig set up that should take care of me and my family financially for quite a while. All in all, I am pretty satisfied with the way my life is shaping up.

Well, thanks for listening (or reading I should say) to my story. Now you have a little glimpse into the backstory of the man know as Commodore.

You survived the Iraqi hellhole, congrats!

Gojira54 said:

Congrats on the publication Kyriakos - very cool!

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Thank you It hasn't yet happened though; the editor of the magazine emailed me to say he wants to publish it, and i replied back. The next issue will be out in two months so i hope the story is in it.

Interesting bio, Commodore.

Anyone seen RedAlert lately? He doesn't seem to have been on the forum for a while. Hope he hasn't left Civ 3 modding.

Commodore said:

It is going to be a girl, and on Monday, little Noelle Rene will be born into this world.

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That's great news! Congratulations!!!

Indeed it is! I have 2 beautiful girls myself. THey can be difficult but are are also very sweet. Enjoy!