BOOKS & AUTHORS:     Chelsea Quinn Yarbro One of my favourite authors (all the more so now that I have been in communication with her and found what a wonderful person she is as well). Author of nearly 60 books (though not all under her own name) my favourites are the Saint-Germain novels. J.R.R. Tolkien whose magnum opus The Lord of the Rings is probably my most favourite book of all time. Raymond E. Feist author of Magician (and continuing novels in Midkemia ) are possibly the best original fantasy that I have read since Tolkien. Julian May who with The Saga of the Exiles was able to blend Science Fiction and ancient Celtic myth into something which struck such a chord with me. Neil Gaimen creator of The Sandman comics. Neil made me think that maybe comics could be more than just guys with their underpants on the outside (and Death is soooo cute!). Since then his novels such as American Gods and Neverwhere have shown that fairytales aren't just for kids. Kim Newman whose Anno Dracula (and continuing books) paid homage to just about every literary vampire (and then some) that ever was. Prof. Christopher Frayling who has written some excellent books on everything from Tutankhamun to Vampires. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle author of the fascinating Sherlock Holmes stories and an early proponent of spiritualism. Katherine Kurtz author of the Deryni novels and, with Deborah Turner Harris, the Adept series. Nancy A. Collins for her ultra cool Sonja Blue stories. Laurell K Hamilton whose snappy humour shines in her Anita Blake – Vampire Hunter novels. Robert Asprin of the Myth novels fame. These satires on the whole fantasy genre still give me a really good laugh. Stephen Brust author of the hugely fabulous (and sarcastic) Vlad Taltos fantasy novels. Brian Lumley creator of the amazing Necroscope books. and H. Beam Piper whose untimely suicide just before his fame took off means that the literary world is less than what it could be. FILMS: Films that I personally think are worth watching : The Abyss, Aliens, Braveheart, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (sad but true), Back to the Future, Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Crow, The Dark Crystal, Die Hard 1&2 (My Christmas movies), Dogma, Dune, The Fisher King, The Great Race, Highlander, Immortal Beloved, Interview with the Vampire, Last of the Mohicans (one of the best "costume dramas" I've ever seen), Legend (for Tim Curry), The Lost Boys, The Matrix, The Name of the Rose, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Robocop (excellent film!), The Sixth Sense, Titanic (for the reproduction of the famous ship. Okay and maybe to see Di Caprio die again...), Tombstone, Toy Story (I even bought the toys for this film), 12 Monkeys and The Untouchables. And pretty much anything by Tim Burton!!!   ACTORS: Some actors and actresses who, even on a bad day, will have me think about seeing the film that they're in: Tim Curry, Kenneth Branagh, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Max von Sydow, Christopher Lee, Madelaine Stowe, Nicole Kidman, Pat Tallman, Gary Oldman, Jeremy Irons and Sean Connery. I've also been very impressed by Kirsten Dunst and Reese Witherspoon in their recent movies.                 TELEVISION: There's a lot of crap on TV. Reality TV shits me to tears. If I can avoid another Big Brother or Australian/American Idol or friggin' home renovations show I will! Some people might say that the stuff I like is crap too. Okay by me. If people that think that Melrose and Seinfeld are great TV, then I can live without their opinions too! Shows I do like include Babylon 5 (better than Star Trek), Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (fun in a dark kind of way), Firefly (Joss Whedon in space), The Goodies (classic stuff), Neverwhere (a nice fantasy for adults), Robin of Sherwood, Black Adder (though not keen on the first series), Sliders, Legend (I love that whole Steampunk thing), Granada's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (with Jeremy Brett), Stargate (one of the few film spin-off that I think works),Millennium (the X-files comes of age), The League of Gentlemen, Black Books, Rumpole of the Bailey and Yes Minister (which sadly, while over 20 years old, is still accurate in its portrayal of politics). More recently I've been getting into Dead Like Me and Carnivále. Lost I am absolutely loving!   I loathe Seinfeld and Friends. HUMOUR: My tastes in humour are surprising to many (especially when I tell them I have at least 13 "Weird Al" albums. They just look at me as if I need help). Billy Connolly is someone who will literally have me rolling on the floor laughing. Funny – with an accent! "Weird Al" Yankovic – 'nuff said Lenny Henry, Garfield, Dilbert (I worked in an office for 10 years), Danny Kaye, Bill Bailey & The Goons. Ambrose Bierce and Oscar Wilde appeal to my sarcastic side (which gets a thorough workout). There's a couple of webcomics I'm rather partial to as well: Something Positive, Two Lumps, User Friendly and the now sadly completed Waiting for Frodo. MUSIC: My tastes in music are also eclectic. I spent 5 years studying classical piano in High School which not only gave me a love of the classics but also an appreciation of music in general. There is some stuff out there that is utter shite. But there's quite a lot of music that I'll listen to. Even the "mainstream" is becoming more and more "alternative". My fave bands include Dead Can Dance, Snog, Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, NIN, Garbage, Quench, Depeche Mode, New Order, Inkubus Sukkubus, Rammstein, Placebo, L'Âme Immortelle and Love Lies Bleeding. I also enjoy listening to some dance/electronica like The Chemical Brothers, Apoptygma Berserk and VNV Nation. I even have a not so secret love of Kylie. Lotsa soundtracks – Danny Elfman, James Horner, Graeme Revell, Basil Poledouris and Patrick Doyle. As well as music by Clannad, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Grieg and Gilbert & Sullivan. ARTISTS:   I'd probably be considered a bit of a snob when it comes to art. Most "modern art" is a bit crap as far as I'm concerned (but that's what the artist is trying to convey Dahling! ). I do have a few artists whose work I can only stand in awe of: Gustave Doré Charles Dana Gibson Bottaccelli John William Waterhouse Degas Then of course there's always the one exception to the rule. Phil Foglio's work doesn't inspire awe – it pretty much leaves me chuckling away for the rest of the day. A gifted artist with a warped sense of humour who used to do several comics but has spent much of his recent time painting those collectable card game thingies (never got into those myself). studiofoglio.com