I love gardens. I love the idea of planting seeds and nurturing them until they grow into beautiful blossoms, but like so many people these days I am stretched too thin to have much of a garden of my own. On rare occasions, I have been asked by real gardeners to tend their gardens for them while they were away. What a joy it is to step into a lush, mature garden and know that as long as I'm careful not to screw it up, I can only make it better.

And so it is with writing. I have my own projects, stories that I want to tell, but I don't ever seem to have the time to do them justice. Every once in a while, I'll be reading someone else's work and an idea will come to me. Like those gardens I have tended, these stories have already been grown to maturity by their authors. So if I am careful, all I can do is add to them and hopefully make them that much more enjoyable.

As with all fan-fiction, these stories are best enjoyed if you are already familiar with the original works. I believe my stories stand well on their own, but I whole-heartedly encourage you to read or view the originals. And please, please be sure to honor the author's copyrights when you do.

I have been a fan of Japanese anime and manga for many years. Occasionally it has inspired me to tell a story and on a few rare occasions I have had the good sense to write them down.

What can I say about Anne McCaffrey except that she is an awesome storyteller and one of the primary influences on my writing. Her books and short stories have been a constant source of entertainment and inspiration for me over the years. It is with great humility that I even dare to tread upon the pathways of her lush and verdant garden.

jcarnell-writings@usa.net