It's been a busy week at the day job, but it's time for another question. With no further delay, question #2 comes from Nob01:

Could you please tell us how in the name of all things Sullustan did you get such an earth-shatteringly wonderful gig like this????

Well Nob, I don't know how to answer that and not sound ridiculous, but I'll try. I've been incredibly lucky and I've received equally incredible opportunities. While I've worked hard, I recognize that this earth-shatteringly wonderful gig has been largely serendipitous. I also find it hard to talk about myself, so I apologize if I oversimplify things.

Several years ago, I started writing for a couple Star Wars fan sites, one of my own and one with a bit of a following, largely about the Star Wars books and EU. It was a hobby, but not something I pictured myself doing "professionally." I was in graduate school, working on a doctoral degree. My writing was going to be in academic journals and textbooks; my life was going to be in scientific research. But life is funny, and one thing led to another. I found myself out of school, with a real job, and writing for entertainment and genre-related sites on a part-time basis, making some money in freelance fees (but nothing to pay the rent with, for certain - the key here was exposure and experience). Along the way, I made several friends in the SW community, and my work had been noticed. Little did I know...

Early in 2001, I became one of a select number of people who reviewed and provided feedback for the New Jedi Order (or as Aaron Allston refers to us, the Continuity Mafia). I finally could put all the Star Wars miscellania rattling around in my brain to good use. It appealed to my academic side, in addition to be a fan. Also, not long after, I was offered the chance to write a few pieces for the Star Wars Insider. That was a lot of fun, and I'd like to do more of that at some point. I don't know if my writing for the Insider had any bearing on getting the book, but I'm sure it didn't hurt.

Fast forward to May 2005. Revenge of the Sith was about to hit the theaters, and our collective excitement for all things Star Wars was at a fever pitch. Del Rey contacted Ann Lewis about doing an update to the Essential Guide to Alien Species, and in turn, Ann contacted me to ask if I'd be interested in co-writing the book with her (she was one of those friends in the SWs community that I mentioned above). Ann has a toddler at home, and if you've ever been a regular caregiver to a little kid, you know writing or any other higher order thinking is a task when you have to find the time to do considerable amounts of it on a regular basis (I can say this, I have a son of my own). A mom barely has time to breathe! Ann also knew what I'd been doing on the NJO, and felt that I could make a contribution beyond simple fact checking. Steve Saffel (who was then the editor of the Essential Guide series at Del Rey) agreed to ask Lucasfilm for approval. Thankfully, Lucasfilm agreed, and after the very boring wait for contracts, getting them signed and so on, I was on the project.

Can I stop now?