Hey everybody! I guess it's introduction time. I am Michael, also known as Starfollower on the NaNo forums. This going to be my 6th year doing NaNoWriMo, and hopefully my 3rd win. Clearly, I've had much less success with this than many, but that's okay, it's always a good time (plus in 2007 I had technical difficulties that necessitated me getting a new computer).
As with my previous two wins, I am once again writing a science fiction story. I love that genre in particular since I am a biologist with a wide interest in scientific topics, and writing gives me a chance to explore what I see as the promise and limitations of current research through extrapolation. This year, for example, I intend to explore the dangers and potential benefits of commercial level cloning.
A new twist for me this year, however, is the addition of a mystery element to my story. It's something I've never tried before and I'm honestly a little bit nervous about it. It seems a very difficult genre to write well in, since so many plot points need to fit together in just the right way to create the proper atmosphere of suspense. Still, this story has been sitting in my head, waiting to be told for some years, and this year it's going to get its chance!