I always meant to be a writer. It was my childhood aspiration. Well, first I aspired to be an astronaut. Then Challenger blew. I discovered that there was a minimum height requirement for space suits. The barriers seemed insurmountable. But after that, I threw myself into the world of publishing. I had a newsletter that I put out when I was in elementary school. I immersed myself in all the great books I could find. I recited Tolkien poems in Elvish. I competed in quiz bowl a
