Hi, I’m Dave S. Koster (my wife is the one in purple). I usually just go by Dave, but as anyone named Dave will tell you, there are entirely too many of us to just go by that, in fact, there are so many Daves out there I would contend that a full name with middle initial is essential for being recognized. So, you can call me Dave, but be advised I may assume you’re talking to someone else. If you’re Googling me, which is borderline creepy BTW, just go for Dave S. Koster, it should turn up this page, and also my twitter account which you can (and should) follow me on @daveskoster, and possibly my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/daveskoster/ (just go ahead and like this too, I don’t spam – promise) where you will be treated to occasional outbursts on writing, parenting, and coffee-drinking. If you find the other Dave S. Koster in Alaska, named as co-author on a few dozen papers on subsistence in Alaska*, that’s also me, while that work is top-notch research, none of it is creative. If you want you can contact me on that as well.

Yes, I live in Alaska, but I’m not an Alaskana writer. I write satire using both Fantasy and Science Fiction as a backdrop. I also write other stuff too. I’m hail from a smallish town called Wasilla***. You may have heard of it, if not, that’s great, if you have -well, all I can say is don’t make assumptions. To that end, I have outrageously strong and unmovable political views that I will do my absolute best NOT to discuss on this blog because that’s not what I want to share and engage on – I’ll treat my friends and family to those particular tirades, that said, if you stick around long enough, you’ll get some of that too.

I’m a huge geek, and love all kinds of geeky things – Firefly, Star Wars, Tolkien, Magic the Gathering, deeply in-depth RPG video games like Elder Scrolls, and the list just sort of goes on. In spite of that, I’ve managed to become a husband and father, and still find time to do a lot of different things like home-brew, bonsai****, tree-growing****, woodworking, and my all-time favorite – packing my iPad off to the coffee-shop and making stuff up while pounding skinny americanos and munching lemon squares.

I also spend the occasional slugs of time writing this blog and reading what my virtual colleagues out here are up to, the point of which is to improve my writing by connecting with other writers and also conduct some healthy rubber-ducking*****. If you’re interested in what I’m working on I’ve put up links in the menu, as well as some links to some fun writing samples.

-Dave

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* Except for a break between summer 2015 and winter 2016, I’ve worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game since 2004. If you really want to know more about that, then google will get you there. If you want to be schooled in sampling of small populations, survey design, data system design, or dynamic SQL, I’m your guy. (I’m not saying I’m the best at data design, but I do have a seriously big chip on my shoulder)
** Everywhere I go, I can’t help but wonder what’s over that next set of hills, or across the valley.
*** The true origin of the name Wasilla isn’t clear, but it’s believed to come from chief Wasillie of the Dena’ina people who lived in the area before white settlers came in.
**** While you might imagine that the comma was misplaced between bonsai and tree, it’s not. bonsai may be the art of growing little trees that look like big ones, I also like growing big trees. Where I live the weather is harsh enough that trying to grow any tree is a crap-shoot. Oak is my favorite, and the bur oak (Quercus Macrocarpa) is one of the few hardy enough to make it here.
***** Rubber-ducking is the process by which a person involved in developing concepts, usually software, discusses a topic with an inanimate object – Like a rubber-duck. The purpose being that describing the problem to anything or anyone, regardless of their feedback, will help to illustrate how stupid an idea is once it actually comes out of your mouth.