Was Lauren Sylvan, now MLE

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Tue August 26th, 2008, 4:45 pm

Re-introducing ourselves is a great idea. I guess I should write this for people who might just be joining and have not already read my previous posts!

I love history and historical fiction -- it's all I read, excepting recent research in the areas of relationships and sexual dysfunction. My husband and I are heavily involved in lay marriage counseling, mostly for Muslim couples. (No, I'm not Muslim, altho renaissance Islam and the Qur'an is a specialty of mine. I'm a raised-atheist-turned-Jesus-follower.) In my previous working life, I bred and trained llamas, took groups out on wilderness trips, ran a transition home for abused women and children, and designed houses. Somewhere in there I wrote a lot of grant applications. Still do. Gives me lots of practice blending fiction and fact with wishful thinking.

I have a large network of friends/family of many different faiths in undeveloped countries working with the poorest of the poor, which really helps me understand pre-industrial revolution realities. My current passion is stopping human trafficking and the global child sex trade. This tends to affect my opinion on what I read.

LCW · Post by **LCW** » Tue August 26th, 2008, 6:11 pm

[quote=""MLE""]Somewhere in there I wrote a lot of grant applications. Still do. Gives me lots of practice blending fiction and fact with wishful thinking.

[/quote]

Love that! It's so true!

Julianne Douglas · Post by **Julianne Douglas** » Tue August 26th, 2008, 9:28 pm

Hey, MLE, thanks for giving me the heads-up about the new site!

Melisende · Post by **Melisende** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 11:59 pm

MLE - new name - new forum .....WELCOME ...

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Sat August 30th, 2008, 1:38 pm

[quote=""MLE""]I bred and trained llamas[/quote]I saw llamas yesterday in New Jersey and I immediately thought of you. My husband and I were returning home from a day trip to Atlantic City. We always take the back roads because they are more interesting. In a small town in the Pine Barrens, we saw a group of fenced-in llamas. Obviously someone else is breeding llamas!

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Sat August 30th, 2008, 1:56 pm

[quote=""Susan""]I saw llamas yesterday in New Jersey and I immediately thought of you. My husband and I were returning home from a day trip to Atlantic City. We always take the back roads because they are more interesting. In a small town in the Pine Barrens, we saw a group of fenced-in llamas. Obviously someone else is breeding llamas![/quote]
You ain't kidding! When we started back in '81, there were fewer than 7K llamas total in the US and Canada. In '86, when the tax shelter laws for horses were changed, about 30 million bucks came chasing maybe 15K llamas. for a decade there, they were breeding any female who had a leg at each corner (and some thre-legged ones as well!)

Now the registry estimates there are over 300K llamas, so the time has come to launch a YA HF book set in pre-Columbian Peru aimed squarely at the 50K or more llama and alpaca owners on my mailing list. I've been collecting my most hilarious training and trail vignettes to put in it for years.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Sat August 30th, 2008, 2:22 pm

[quote=""MLE""]You ain't kidding! When we started back in '81, there were fewer than 7K llamas total in the US and Canada. In '86, when the tax shelter laws for horses were changed, about 30 million bucks came chasing maybe 15K llamas. for a decade there, they were breeding any female who had a leg at each corner (and some thre-legged ones as well!)

Now the registry estimates there are over 300K llamas, so the time has come to launch a YA HF book set in pre-Columbian Peru aimed squarely at the 50K or more llama and alpaca owners on my mailing list. I've been collecting my most hilarious training and trail vignettes to put in it for years.[/quote]

Interesting! I wish I had my camera with me. I would have stopped by the side of the road and taken a photo.

tsjmom · Post by **tsjmom** » Sat August 30th, 2008, 7:28 pm

Glad you're back MLE!