So who am I? I’m KD Sarge, author, mom, office person, cat herder. I write science fiction, fantasy, sometimes contemporary, all sometimes with erotica. I’m a proud member of Turtleduck Press.
Obligatory Bio
I grew up one of the luckiest kids on the planet, on a farm in the awesome hills of Western Pennsylvania. We had horses, cows, goats, chickens, pigs, dogs, cats, cousins, and a great big Amish-built barn complete with rope swings in the hay mow. We had some thirty apple trees on the farm, as well as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, black cherries, plums, and grapes. We had a garden. We had creeks and swamps and a tiny pond, woods and fields and a river we weren’t supposed to go near. My brothers and I played everywhere and did things that really should have gotten us killed but somehow never did, and we had so much fun.
When I wasn’t rampaging across the countryside, I was reading. Little House on the Prairie, Swiss Family Robinson, The Good Master, A Swiftly Tilting Planet (yes, I loved A Wrinkle in Time. But I loved A Swiftly Tilting Planet more), Prydain, Narnia, Andre Norton.
Oh, Andre Norton. What worlds she opened for me! And then came Elfquest, and I realized, as I went from the graphic novels to the Marvel issues to the black and white WARP comics because that was what we had–it hit me that someone wrote this. Someone created the entire world I was immersed in. Someone being, of course, the marvelous Wendy Pini. (I met her a couple years ago. ZOMG! Awesome writer-person and I met her!)
Laugh if you like at my epiphany, but before that I was immersed in the stories. Not in how they came to be. But holding black and white Elfquest, having read Richard Pini’s columns in the backs of the Marvel issues–I knew what had been done, and I wanted to do it too.
Then I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark and I wanted to be an archaeologist instead. 
Eventually, though, I realized that archaeologists don’t live like Indiana Jones, and since then all I’ve wanted to do is write. One awesome thing about writing is that I have an excuse to learn everything. Especially if one writes SF, or wants to write believable fantasy–I need to know biology. Ecology. Physics. Geology. Geography comes in handy, especially when stealing a country. (What? Spain was just lying there, and I needed it!) Sociology, anthropology, history, opera, ice skating, gender issues, fertility rites, astronomy, astrology, cryptozoology…
So All This Means…
I want to earn a living at writing so I can write more. Each novel teaches me so much. I think editing is fun. I have more created friends than I’ll ever have real ones, and I like it that way. I make up scenes in my sleep; I work out plots while cooking dinner. I’ve won NaNo four times in four tries, and NaNoEdMo on my only attempt. I read all the writing books (and any other books) I can get my hands on. I ask people (honest people) to tell me what’s wrong with my stories. I want them to be better. Forging ever onward.
I like movement. Action. I want to write dialogue that sparkles and stays with you like Joss Whedon’s. I want to yoink your heartstrings like that, too. I want to suck you in and take you somewhere else like Tolkien does. I want to etch my words into your soul. When you’ve fought all day before the gates, and all you loved lies broken about you; just when that impossible victory seems within grasp after all, but dark sails dash what hope you had–I want you to think of Éomer. (come on. TOLKIEN for that one! Now for wrath, now for ruin, and a red nightfall!)
But maybe when you’re tongue-tied before someone who makes you yearn so much that you want to throw up, you could take courage from Taro. Since, let’s face it, you’re not likely to end up in a damaged escape pod after taking on a singing psycho as he did. Though if pondering that gives you strength, all the better.
I want to plot all twisty like Lois McMaster Bujold, and I want my characters to stick with you like Miles Naismith Vorkosigan does with me.
I want to write the book you reach for when you need a favorite quote at half past your bedtime, the book you read bits of to your friends till they want to kill you, the book by your bed when life just keeps kicking you and you need to ESCAPE.
And I want my book to bring you back happier and stronger.
I’m a HUGE fan of yoru Weiss fics!! ^__^
I can’t seem to find the complete Shades & Hues anywhere…. I’m trying to share the goodness with my friends, & NVNG just isn’t the same with Aya’s seppuku & Bickley & …well, everything!
PLEEEEEEASE tell me it’s posted somewhere….
(And if it’s not, I saved it a while ago to a flash drive for when i was away from the internet. is it ok if i keep that?)
Bard
Of course you can keep it! And thank you! I’m so glad you enjoy it!
I’m actually putting Shades up here; I’m a little less than halfway through. All of NVNG is on my fanfic page, and Shades is up to…well, to the second time Yohji and Schu vanish.
Thank you very much for sharing with your friends. 😉
Must say – love the new site! *hugs*
thanks!
Hey KD — Here’s what disappeared … POP!!!:shock:… It was gone! 🙁
To avoid double-posting, I didn’t want to resend it, ’til I could verify that you really didn’t get it. Thanks for the heads-up!
It wasn’t anything much — mostly just meaning to say, “Hello!” … and wishing you the best. … … 🙄 OK, maybe looking to see where you keep your fish … maybe. LOL. (These are important things to keep track of, you know.)
~~~ ~~~
[quote]”I grew up one of the luckiest kids on the planet, on a farm in the awesome hills of Western Pennsylvania.”[/quote]
I knew I liked you … and this explains a *lot*. 😉 LOL.
I grew up in Western PA, too — a few years before you, but hey, it’s still “God’s Country”, as we used say. Your description brought up some favorite memories. Few places I’ve been have ever come close to measuring up to it. My tromping-ground was the Allegheny National Forest at the top of the Seneca Highlands in the Northern Appalachians. I spent most of my childhood there and still consider it “home” — tho’ I’ve not been able to visit in years.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Take care!
P.S.: I do enjoy your site. I check in on it quite often, tho’ I haven’t left any comments ’til recently. Sorry ’bout that.
ZOMG! I’m from Venango County! The river I wasn’t supposed to go near was the Allegheny! I CAN EVEN SPELL IT!
I wondered if it was the Allegheny. It’s my favorite river. I spent a whole week canoeing down it once — rapids, portages and all. We started at Warren (about 30 miles from where I lived, in Kane) with hopes of going all the way to Pittsburgh. Didn’t make it any further than Kennerdell, because one of our people was injured at Oil City, which I think is in Venango Co., right?
Best & most exciting part of the trip was shooting the rapids. Absolutely *loved* it. The most terrifying part was being attacked by a *huge* water snake — barely missed me. That was “exciting”, too — like a heart-attack. Scared the crap out of me. That was in Venango Co., too — about 5 miles up-river of Oil City. Your parents were right-on for warning you away from playing there.
Hee…we went anyway. Yes, Oil City is in Venango County! We saw Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Drake in Oil City. ^__^
I’ve always wanted to go whitewater rafting. Never managed it yet, but I’m not giving up!
:quote: “Hee…we went anyway. :/quote:
Why does that not surprise me? LOL … Actually, I suspected as much. I would’ve gone, too.
That canoe trip was in 1967. Closest I came to that kind of outdoor excitement was a “Swamp-Tromp” — on foot (while 7 months pregnant) thru’ the Everglades in ’75 … with gators, snakes, gar fish, etc. up close and *very* personal — like inches away.
I’ve wanted to whitewater raft in the Smoky Mntns., since we moved here from Miami in ’81. Haven’t made it, yet. But I’ve *tubed* down the Little River’s rapids, in the middle of the Smokies, a couple dozen times, when my sons were kids. That was a kick — especially right after a heavy rain and it’s pushing huge boulders along ahead of it. 🙄
Greetings from a long-lost cousin from PA.
I can’t wait to start reading your work.
I have to finish a Heinlein novel first…
~Christian
Chris! Hello! Wow, it has been a long time! Awesome to hear from you!