I am retired at last, after 38 years of working as a librarian (both public and school). My son is (finally) out of college, and my daughter is leaving home to begin college, so now I have the time to do lots of things that have been put off over the years.

I originally started reading fan fiction because I wanted more Georgette Heyer, and I sure wasn't going to get any from her unless I set up a seance. Then my work partner for the past three years got me to try manga and anime, and the amount of stories that I wanted to read increased exponentially. We are 20 years apart in age and joke that we are nerds from different generations. She liked to point out to our high school students that I was part of the fandom that popularized fan fiction, shipping, and cosplay. Yes, she may have met her husband while playing Dungeons and Dragons, but I had a Star Trek wedding! I am now known as the "Cool Mom" because I have chaperoned my daughter and her friends at anime conventions and don't have a conniption over her collection of over 20 multi-colored wigs.

Now that I have exhausted manga recommendations from my friend, I have been selecting reading material by viewing Pinterest postings. I minored in Art, so if I like the illustrations, I'll try the manga. Then I check out the mangaka's other works if I find it enjoyable. I enjoy classics such as Fruits Basket and Itazura na Kiss, as well as ongoing works such as Namaikizakari and Horimiya. I'm not that fond of the "slay monsters with large explosions" books, although I do check every Monday for the Fairy Tail update. Meanwhile, I still read non-illustrated works, primarily fiction; I just devoured one yesterday, as a matter of fact.

As you might guess, I am one of those who generally prefers books over their media adaptations. I find that a lot is lost in translating the format, generally because of time constraints. Sometimes I feel sorry for those who only experience a story through its movie version. There were so many details and subplots lost in the Harry Potter universe, and please don't get me started on the Percy Jackson movies!

Anyway, thinking back, I believe I wrote my first fan fiction in high school. I remember being extremely upset over the ending of a Victoria Holt book and rewrote the last two pages. I may have even left my version in the book when I returned it to the library!