I developed an interest in Science Fiction when I was quite young, staying up late to watch STAR TREK and LOST IN SPACE in the 60s, and getting caught up in the third wave of Tolkien mania in the 70s a couple of years before THE SILMARILLION was published.
Since then my interests have leaned more toward Fantasy than Science Fiction, and I've developed a real love for Tolkien's pseudo-history and similar fantasy backgrounds. My researches into Tolkien's world have led me to create <a href="http://www.michael-martinez.com/books/parma_endorion.html">PARMA ENDORION: ESSAYS ON MIDDLE-EARTH, REVISED EDITION</a>, a collection of essays about Tolkien's world covering topics such as marriage customs, what the Elves might do in Aman, and how the Woodmen would live.
My other favorite authors include Andre Norton, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Christopher Stasheff, and Arthur H. Landis.
Although I now live in the Southwest, I've been involved in what is politely referred to as Southern Fandom for several years. I've helped organize small conventions and am currently the Track Director for Hercules and Xena at DragonCon. And right now I'm very well known in the online Hercules and Xena communities.
I founded <a href="http://www.xenite.org/xor/home.shtml">XENA ONLINE RESOURCES</a>, the largest and most comprehensive collection of links, addresses, news groups, and other resources of interest to fans of HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS and XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS. I also founded <a href="http://www.xenite.org/xenahist/">THE HISTORY OF XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS</a>, an ongoing project which documents the life and history of Xena and her friends in a full narrative format, rather than simply episode summaries.
My work on Tolkien, Hercules, and Xena-related Web sites has led to some contract writing assignments and an expanded role in the fannish community. I've published several books on Tolkien and Middle-earth, including Visualizing Middle-earth, Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth, 3rd Edition, and Understanding Middle-earth: Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.
<a href="http://www.xenite.org/">Science Fiction and Fantasy: Xenite.Org</a> is my personal tribute to Science Fiction and Fantasy in general. <a href="http://www.sf-fandom.com/">SF-FANDOM: Science Fiction and Fantasy Forums</a> hosts the popular numerous discussion communities that have grown out of Xenite's network. <a href="http://www.sf-worlds.com/">SF-WORLDS: Science Fiction and Fantasy</a> documents several popular SF worlds, including Middle-earth, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Stargate, and more.