Announcement: BlueEyedAuthor and I have joined up, under the name of The Aquarians, and we aim to bring you some more SMacked soon :), so feel free to check us out.

There isn't really anything that you need to know about me, but anyway ...

I'm a half-bred expatriate, literally living outside my father's country, the USA; I currently live in the most beautiful town of my mother's country. But my heart beats for Wales and listening to "We'll keep a welcome" tends to bring tears to my eyes. Although I've only been there twice I feel connected to New York, my grandmother was born in Brooklyn, my grandfather in Hell's Kitchen, and my great aunt had a confectioner's shop in Queens.

Apart from writing - which I started to save myself from being bored to death during chemistry lessons - my hobbies are walking with my dogs, reading, and of course watching CSI:NY and other series (far too many, I must admit). I am also a science-geek, I've been reading science-magazines ever since I was six. That's a long time ago - and I do wish I could remember more about them :)

I actually started fanfiction very early, making up extra scenes for my favorite Muppet Show characters Animal and Beaker. A love for drums and a certain tendency towards letting things go wrong has never quite left me :)

My favorite books include Cervantes' Don Quijote, Dante's Divina commedia (though I haven't finished it yet, reading the original version does take me quite long, and I love to take in the details), Gioconda Belli's Sofia de los presagios, Angeles Mastretta's Arráncame la vida and Andrés Ibáñez' La sombra del pájaro lira. Sorry I can't give you the English titles. I do like English literature too, Jane Austen of course, and the Brontë sisters, Frances Hodgson Burnett, etc. I am also very fond of SciFi stories and anything that has a magic touch.

Some favorite movies and series: Starman, Donnie Darko, Dead Again, Shadow of a Vampire, Being John Malkovich, Empire of the sun, The Mighty, As good as it gets, Wild Wild West, Ice Age, Dark Star, Tess and her bodyguard, most movies by Pedro Almodovar or Hayao Miyazaki... ; CSI:NY, Farscape, Babylon 5, Providence, Bones, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Andromeda, StarTrek TNG, StarTrek Voyager, CSI, Charmed, The X-Files, Scrubs, Boston Legal, ...

Favorite music, that's a tough one, I've got over 500 CDs, LPs etc. So here's just a small selection: almost anything that includes good drumming (s.a.), a very wide selection of jazz (from dixie and swing all through to today's), Celtic and Latinamerican; some artists: Toyah, Loreena McKennitt, Anna Ternheim, Maria Mena, Gloria Estefan, Runrig, Juan Luis Guerra, Mecano, Kim Carnes, Carole King, Kate Bush, Transvision Vamp, ...

Stella is my favorite character so probably I shouldn't put her through the things I have in mind. If she gets together with anyone from the team I think it should be Mac, but I'm actually quite happy with the relationship they have already - don't beat me, please! - as long as we get to see some SMacked moments, or rather lots of them! Oi, you heard that, writers, I said: LOTS OF THEM!

Plant a kiss on her cheek, it might grow! Oops, that's contradictory to what I said above, oh well. Anyway, I think that Stella and Mac have a relationship that is much deeper and more meaningful than any they might have with somebody else.

I have never in my life smoked anything, I'm only addicted to tea, and I get high on reviews. New ones are hoped for, late ones are a pleasant surprise. Feel free to let me know what you think any time, comments are always appreciated and replied to where possible.

As for my own reviewing habits, as I said above, I like to pick out the details ... and that makes me rather a slow reader. Sorry about that, there's also a lot going on in real life, but I do try to catch up with things on here, please have a little patience with me.

Writing I wanted to save my soul ... given up it floats and sings. (Marie Luise Kaschnitz)

There's only one thing worse than being talked about, and that's not being talked about. (Oscar Wilde)

If you can read this message, you are blessed because over two billion people in the world cannot read at all.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death..you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75 percent of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace...you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder...you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful...you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.