Name: Dezlboi. Also known as Dezl or Jeff.

Location: New Hampshire. Originally from Massachusetts.

Age: 31

Birthday: July 6th

Hobbies: Listening to and making music, cycling, and anything that lets me work with my hands.

How did you get started with writing?

I'd been forced to write for classes in high school and college, but I had never written anything electively until last year when I started hanging around Comicality's Shack. The friends I made there included some budding authors and I was inspired to give it a try. That's when I started writing my first series, a 3-chapter story called "The Boy".

What are you working on now?

I'm continuing my second series, called "Spinning". I don't know exactly how long it will end up being, but I'm guessing in the area of 5 or 6 chapters. I'm also starting to participate in the GA Anthologies, which is a new experience for me since I've never written to a set topic or with a deadline before. It's possible that anthology pieces might end up as their own series, depending on how they turn out and how well they are received.

Are your stories "true"?

Yes and no. I'm not a very creative person; I've never been able to sit down and spin plausible storylines or situations out of thin air. So I draw on my own experiences, base my characters on people I've met, and build plotlines out of real events that have happened to me. The result often has little resemblance to anything that's ever happened to me, since the people, places, and events will be chronologically out of order and mixed with details that are complete fabrication. But for me, it works because I don't have to imagine all the details myself; I just have to recall them and modify them to suit my story. People have told me that my characters "feel" right, so I guess it's working.

What sub-genre do you feel most comfortable writing in?

I'll let you know when I figure it out. "The boy" was, debatably "adult youth" tho there was no actual relationship developed. "Spinning" is about a college-age student struggling with his sexuality, various intrapersonal issues, and his feelings for another guy. I've had a story on the back burner for a while whose main character is a heterosexual woman, so I guess I'm all over the map. I think I'd rather keep bouncing around to see if I can find my boundaries.

What does your name mean?

I get this question a lot. It doesn't "mean" anything, per se. I needed an online username and I thought something like "Diesel boy" was very much unlike me in real life. I think of someone who is "diesel" as being built, and I am pretty scrawny. "Boi" sounded gay to me, and I'm pretty closeted and stealth, so waving it around like that was tongue-in-cheek. Over a year later, almost two in fact, I'm used to the name and it feels like my own; but in the beginning, it was sort of a joke, a name that was the antithesis of the real "me".

Anything else you want people to know?

Erm, I don't know...why don't you think of a question or two yourself, and PM me about it? Better yet, post in my forum. :)