Second Time Around by Lacy Muircastle...

It’s finally done…  This manuscript took a long time to come to fruition but I’ve enjoyed the journey immensely, and I have Lanai Jarrico, she of the SL Enquirer, to thank for its existence.  

Out of curiosity, I joined Second Life, which was back in 2008.  What a mind bend it was.  The learning curve was incredible and coming to terms with the technical aspects of just moving around never mind making the avatar look halfway presentable was daunting.  But I persevered and with time things began to fall into place.

But now what?  I decided that if I were to remain in Second Life that I needed to do something constructive.  In Second Life you can do what you want, be what you want and as a creative platform, the options are many and varied. In 2000 I’d dabbled with the idea of writing, but I filed it away and didn’t think about it again till early 2009.  I’d come across several virtual publications in SL and decided that’s what I wanted to do.  Write.

I applied to two virtual newspapers, one of which I never heard back from and which subsequently closed and the other was the SL Enquirer.  Lanai Jarrico, the CEO, and publisher of SLE gave me a chance and now here I am.  She became a good friend and I will forever be in her debt.  Persia Bravin, another colleague at the SL Enquirer, showed me the ropes and with her encouragement, I was on my way.   

Lanai Jarrico

Back in real life, I came to the conclusion that I’d like to write a book.  Apparently, we all have one in us…  I took an online writing course offered by Get Smarter and facilitated by UCT lecturer Dr Ron Irwin.  Second Time Around was born.  My first draft was, well let’s just say not awfully good and I obviously needed to learn a whole lot more about the craft of writing.  Who knew just how difficult it was to write.

I rewrote my manuscript, several times... and along the way, I connected with All About Writing, run by Richard Beynon and Dr Jo-Anne Richards.  They coached and mentored me, and the final version of the book is the result of that collaboration.

To my friends, Persia, Maxes, Mal, Peny, Dallin, Nigal, Lowell, Craig, Giancarlo and IrishGent amongst others, thank you for being part of my journey.   And to all those avatars I’ve had the honour of interviewing over the years, I have enough material to write several Second Life related books…

Huckleberry Hax

A big thank you goes to Huckleberry Hax for allowing his character, Definitely Thursday, to have a cameo role in this book.  Definitely Thursday is one of the main protagonists from the Second Life based AFK series written by Huckleberry Hax.

links:   huckleberryhax.wordpress.com

Last but not least, thank you to Linden Lab for providing the platform for creativity in a virtual environment and to Philip Rosedale for coming up with the concept in the first place.

Second Time Around by Lacy Muircastle

A 21^st Century romance in which virtual life intertwines with real life

Sheridan King had it all and then she didn’t.  Her trust in men irrevocably shattered, or so she thought.

Luke Ashton, accomplished Ad man and artist, surfer and ladies’ man.  His pain and distrust of women run deep.

Having a Second Life© complicates matters even further.  What is real and what is imagined?

Josh Magic and Callista Hancroft

Second Time Around is available on Kindle by Amazon.

Read More

Avatars, Dirrogates, AR, and “Memories With Maya”-A Book Review and Commentary by Allen Eppenberger

I ZOOMED IN AS SHE approached the steps of the bridge, taking voyeuristic pleasure in seeing her pixelated cleavage fill the screen. What was it about those electronic dots that had the power to turn people on? There was nothing real in them, but that never stopped millions of people every day, male and female, from deriving sexual gratification by interacting with those points of light. It must all be down to our perception of reality.

Dsouza, Clyde (2013-02-27). Memories With Maya.  . Kindle Edition.

The first paragraph of chapter one from the book is something we’ve all asked ourselves as residents of Second Life.  What is the pleasure we derive from either socializing or wandering aimlessly in exploring a sim that’s new to us?

           

            I became aware of Mr. DeSouza while following commentary in an Augmented Reality group I follow on LinkedIn.com.  His summary page reads:  Clyde DeSouza works behind the scenes with leading Stereographers and professionals in the film making and Broadcast TV industry. His work also includes advising Government and educational institutions in the creation of collaborative environments and advanced media labs to further the knowledge capital of a country.

Read More