Robin Layne on HubPages

Robin Layne loves fiction, and is presently working on a YA vampire novel. She is researching vampire folklore and literature, which so far has inspired two Hubs. She is managing editor of a mental health activities newsletter and enjoys writing poetry and songs as well as nonfiction. Her blog, "Hatching My Eggs," primarily about her writing, is at myspace.com/robin_layne. She does most of her writing at the computer in her room, inspired--and sometimes annoyed--by her shrill-voiced cockatiel Angel. She has started an editing and writing business, Robin Layne Enterprises, LLC. Her business webpage is http://www.writing-that-sings.com.

Robin has discovered zines (no, not e-zines, and not traditional magazines, either), and has two currently for sale. The first is an anthology from a Write Around Portland Seasoned Writer's group, in which she has two pieces of flash fiction. It's called Repeat Offenders. The second is her own creation, mostly illustrated by herself, titled A Chracter Sandwich. It features short pieces about fictiional characters sandwiched in between pieces about herself. Robin is already at work on her next zine, Turtle Soup: On Finding My Voice. For more information, see her website.

In August 2009, she won AuthorsbyDesign.com's Twisted Fairytale contest. Read the winning story, "Mother of All Good Children," at AuthorsbyDesign.blogspot.com. In May 2006, she won her first contest on AuthorsbyDesign for "Blood Ties," a short story based on her novel in progress. Characters from the same vampire series are included in both the zines mentioned above.

Robin's latest adventure is returning to university life after leaving the University of Oregon in 1989. Her new school is Portland State University, where she will finish her bachelors degree in English, minoring in writing.

A note to those who have read my grammar/punctuation Hubs, especially Life Without Grammar: I feel I was a bit rough on people who struggle with these issues. This doesn't mean I advocate improper or sloppy writing by any means. But some of the books I have been reading about the subject show a compassion I lacked when I wrote the past articles. It is hard to get it right. I feel bad that I accused people of simply being stupid. But I think if we want to be taken seriously as writers, business people, teachers, etc., we ought to care enough to edit what we write, and to get help with it if we need to. Spell checker and grammar checker can't catch everything. And we ALL need help at least from time to time.

Okay. Off my soapbox now.

I didn't include much personal information here in the past. I am a single mother of a 19-year-old daughter who is even more of a computer addict than I am. My daughter is an artist who specializes in manga and anime (Japanese style graphic novels and animation), and she did three of the illustrations in A Character Sandwich.

The apartment in which I live has been largely taken over by my daughter's cat Zidane, who you may remember from the addendum to Cats I Have Loved. He is big and buff now, has torn up the bathroom hamper with his claws, leaves litter all over the bathroom floor, and ambushes you when you walk by. Altogether an amusing and beautiful cat. But poor angel doesn't get out of his cage much anymore, for safety reasons.

A big thanks to all readers who encourage and sometimes correct me. You are all needed. I wish I had more time to read other Hubbers' work.