Hi, everyone! I’m Courtney Schafer, author of adventure fantasy novels The Whitefire Crossing (Aug 2011) and forthcoming sequel The Tainted City (Oct 2, 2012). I was the original organizer and admin for the Night Bazaar in 2011, and wow…it’s both weird and wonderful to be back.

Weird, because as I sit typing this on a Sunday evening with my favorite gothic/industrial Pandora station serenading me as I write – just as I did every Sunday night in 2011! – I keep flashing back to that rollercoaster of a year.  In which I veered between giddy delight at seeing my debut novel hit the shelves, and stark terror that I’d never be able to finish my second novel in time for my deadline – or that if I did, nobody would like it but me.  Jury’s still out on that second fear, but thank God, I no longer have to worry about my deadline.  As of this past week, The Tainted City is heading to press, on schedule for its Oct 2 release. (Cue more giddy delight!  I’m so excited about this book, you guys.)

And it’s wonderful to be back in the Bazaar, because I’m so thrilled the blog’s still here and going strong (thanks to Night Shade and the inestimable Liz Upson).  I’ve loved getting to read a whole new chorus of voices over the past months, and I’m honored to be back to add mine in for a second round.

So, who am I?

I’m an engineer, a mom to a toddler, a mountain climber, a skier, and a figure skater…but perhaps most relevant in this context, I’m a reader who adores fantasy and science fiction.  Even though I’m an author now, I consider myself a reader and fan of the genre first and foremost.  I still devour every new release I can get my hands on, and haunt my library shelves seeking out older novels I might not yet have read.  I don’t mow through books quite as fast as I did in my pre-parenthood (and pre-authorhood!) days – time is a terribly precious commodity now.  But I read whenever and wherever I can, and believe the thrill of discovering a new book to love is just as exciting as summitting the steepest of peaks.

It’s this passion for reading that drove me to take up writing: I got tired of waiting for new books to come out, and decided to write more of the kind of book I wanted to read.  A book full of magic, adventure, intrigue, spies, narrow escapes, betrayals, reluctant friendships – and mountaineering, for good measure.  (Because when you love the mountains as much as I do, you want to share that love with other people!)  And so, The Whitefire Crossing was born…and what a wild, wonderful ride it’s been since then.  I hope you’ll join me for this next piece of it.