Fantasy is my favorite genre. I grew up teething on André Norton, and gradually added Issac Asimov and Robert Heinlein to my library.
Eventually I discovered Anne McCaffery and C.J. Cherryh. It is only later in life that I found J.R.R. Tolkien.

Recommended sites include www.openscrolls.com, www.tolkienfanfiction.com , www.amonsul.netfirms.comand www.henneth-annun.net , and a couple of new ones, Nern Ennorath and Nevrast.
If you want resourses, www.councilofelrond.com is good.

Most of my non-LOTR poems are at www.allpoetry.com under the name NotAllowedAVoice for currently defiant reasons.

To date, almost everything I have written LOTR is posted at www.openscrolls.com under the name Rous.

The one story not allowed here or at Open Scrolls is at adultfanfiction under the same name.

I am also a musician and find that most of my writing is done around songs. Sometimes it is the words that inspire me, othertimes it is the
music. I owe a lot to Enya and various anonymous pieces I find on the web.

Since I am not interested in posting this everytime, I am placing a disclaimer here. I own nothing remotely trademarked or copywrited concerning LOTR. I only play on the playground. I do claim Elrénia Dorlandadiel as mine, along with various invented characters. Any resemblence to another story floating around on the web with my name on it is intentional: Butterfly is a re-write of it. Much better, in my estimation. So, thank you to the person who ripped my heart out over it and forced me to re-evaluate the story. You were wrong, but in the end, it worked out. So, that being said, when I am finished, I promise to return Prof. Tolkien's toys back to the toybox, albeit slightly used. And for all the canatics out there, if you have issues, take them up with him. He is the one who left plotholes big enough to drive a Mack through. And remember,

"Taking LACE seriously is like asking Volaitre to write an appendix to the Bible."

Likewise, I am branching out with a new story, so I will also need to cover that disclaimer. I own nothing remotely trademarked or copywrited concerning Star Wars or the Dragonriders of Pern. I elect to delve into their created worlds, but I know my ticket is stamped VISA only and there is no allowances for resident aliens (pun emphatically intended). So, while I choose to sojourn there, I will not touch the flowers, or do any harm. I am only borrowing the premise and promise to return it in good shape when finished.

One other note: I have taken great pains to insure that this is as grammatically correct as I can make it. If you find a problem with it in that aspect, then, please let me know. I also have used very few elvish words in my fiction. This is due to the fact that I am not conversant in that language, and the story is from their POV, so using a lot of it would be redundant. It has been pointed out to me that some of the names used are not correct. I am well aware of that and I am able to live with it. Name generators being what they are, there are very few reliable ones, and even they are questionable. And, the dictionaries only give roots and few forms of some words. So, I have muddled through. As the story is over thirty chapters long, this is not a good time to change names, especially as I am quite fond of the characters and would not be able to see them the same with different names. I mean no disrespect to those who may be more knowledgable and bothered by my choice of names. However, the way I look at it, the story is mine and I can write it as I see fit. It is A/U, so canon or name issues are allowed, just do not expect me to change things. Canatics are really not welcome, as they have little imagination. Glaring errors in grammar or misspelled canon names will be corrected. Everything else is subjective. Anything else, you can either read the story or not. If you choose to read the story and comment in a unwarranted negative way, then bear in mind that I will read something of yours to see if

1) you know what you are talking about

2) you are literate

If neither of the above fits you, then please do not leave a review. If you still choose to do so, then do not complain to me when I leave one on your story. I welcome constructive criticism. I can even handle the "this is sooooooo kewl" and "I 'heart' ur story". But, useless suggestions will benefit no one. If you still choose to comment in a less that intelligent way, then e-mail me. It will keep things private, and at least that way, one of us will not be embarassed.

Rous