Greetings and Salutations from J Lenni Dorner

Hello, Operation Awesome fans! I'm J. (It's like Jay, but without the superfluous "ay.") I'm from the Lenni Lenape tribe of Native Americans. (Lenape is pronounced “Leh-NAH-pay.") I'll be running the Debut Author Spotlight on Wednesdays.

I write speculative fiction (which is what happens when fantasy, sci-fi, and horror make a baby... and, in my case, Nanny Lore raises that baby). The name of my website, What-Are-They.com, came from the question I intend my readers to ponder.



I also wrote a reference book for writers. It sprang from a conversation where a friend asked me what an agent meant by "settings that feel like characters." Years of being a DM in RPs gave me significant insight. By the time I got to the end of the explanation, there was the basis of a book (and a month of blog posts for the A to Z challenge). It's a book about preparing to write settings that feel like characters. It is NOT about how to write settings, or how to write characters, or a manual on what to do once you’ve fleshed this particular type of character out.

I consider gender to be among the least interesting facts about a person, which is why I don’t care to use pronouns for myself. The religion I grew up around in Lancaster County, PA, prohibits photography of people. Here's a silhouette of me by a tree, which is where I prefer to be. (I have hugged many trees. Literally, I have walked up to large trees and hugged them. Side note- be careful when hugging a maple.)

Introduction posts are HARD! Here's an "about me" that sprang up from the OA Mad Libs post.

J Lenni Dorner is a fantasy author who has written about everything from immortality to sociable dragons and has won publication in the Philadelphia Inquirer for an essay. J is happily married and living in Pennsylvania. The author was a student at PSU and has enjoyed spelunking in Crystal Cave, drinking Yogi tea, and horseback riding with some Lenni Lenape elders. J aspires to become the first novelist to write a book while living in a submarine under the waters of Lake Erie.

I'd love to connect with you online.




FAQ page for Debut Authors: http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com/debut-authors/

If you're a debut author who is ready to be interviewed, get in touch with me! If you're anyone else, tell me about your favorite ice-cream.

Author Bio Mad Libs

At some point, whether you're writing short stories or novels, you're going to be asked for an author bio -- that quick little blurb that gives readers a glimpse into who you are. Since joining the wonderful folks at Operation Awesome, I've been reading and researching author bios in order to put together a little something to tell OA readers a little something about myself. 

After discovering that many author bios follow a similar format, I took that format at turned it into an "Author Bio Mad Libs" for your amusement -- and who knows, maybe it can help you write your own author bio as well.

Before you read mine, try it out for yourself!

AUTHOR BIO MAD LIBS

Step 1: Jot down a word or phrase for each of the descriptions below

1. Full name:
2. Genre:
3. Noun:
4. Adjective:
5. Plural noun:
6. Award:
7. Occupation:
8. Gerund (non-finite action verb, usually ending in -ing):
9. State:
10. Number:
11. Adjective:
12. Animal:
13. College major:
14. 2-3 random letters:
15. Gerund:
16. Place:
17. Gerund:
18. Beverage:
19. Sport:
20. Famous author:
21. Verb:

Step 2: Scroll down and fill in your answers in the author bio below!

(your name) is a (genre) author who has written about everything from (noun) to (adjective) (plural noun) and has won a (award) for his/her nonfiction book, "The (occupation)'s Guide to (gerund)." S/He lives in (state) with his/her family and (number) (adjective) (animal)s. S/He is a (college major) graduate of (2-3 random letters) and has enjoyed (gerund) in (place), (gerund) (beverage), and playing (sport) with his/her close friend and mentor, (famous author). S/He aspires to someday be the first full-time author to (verb) on the moon.

In case you were wondering, here's mine (with some tweaks for accuracy):

Wendy Nikel is a speculative fiction author who has written about everything from time travel to magical islands. She lives in Utah with her family and four imaginary puppies. She is an elementary ed graduate and enjoys taking photographs, drinking chai tea, and playing board games.

Post your Mad Libs Author Bio in the comments! How accurate is it?