What is a YAM?

No, I don't really write on giant potatoes, although if I don't get an agent's contract soon, I might try it.  If nothing else, maybe I'll get a few points for originality.

Let me introduce myself: my name's Jude Austin, popularly known on some sites as JudasFm.  If you've come to this blog via FF.net, then I guess you're familiar with (or have experienced) my writing already.  Nice to see you here too; pull up a chair and let me fetch you a drink :D

For those of you meeting me for the first time, I didn't choose my penname for the shock value or to offend the Christian community.  Funnily enough, the only serious stick I've got came from someone who said, "I'm not a Christian, but do you realize your penname could be considered very offensive by them so you really should change it!" (or words to that effect; it happened a few years ago so I'm paraphrasing).

The few Christians who have commented on it have always been more curious than offended.  Is there a lesson here about the waste of time and effort that is political correctness? Yep, I think there might well be.

Anyway, for those of you who want to know the story, read on.
The first real online community I joined (and actually participated in) was one for the actor Jerome Pradon, who played Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Since I didn't want to give out my real name at that point, I just extended it a bit from Jude to Judas ;)

The Fm part came much later, when I was registering with AOL instant messenging. Apparently the name Judas was taken by a few hundred people already, and I was told to put something in 'about me'. I wrote 'female' and AOL suggested JudasFem. I wasn't too keen on that (not sure why but still) and so I shortened it to JudasFm. It's pretty unique and I like it.

As for a YAM (plural YAMS, or should that be YAMSS?) it's a Young Adult Manuscript.  

I never really started out intending to write YAMS; I wanted to hit the adult market.  It wasn't until I'd submitted and bounced my very first YAM off everyone I knew that one of them - a friend of my aunt who worked for a publisher - came back and said I was targeting the wrong people, that I should concentrate on YAMS.

I came to blog via another writers' blog that I've started contributing to.  This will mainly be a backup of my articles on that blog, though I'll probably do a few personal posts too as my life develops.

So that's it from me for now.  It's half one here and I need to go and get some lunch, and the parrot could probably do with cleaning out as well.  Not the most glamorous of jobs, but someone has to do it.