Style: Novels, Short Fiction, SciFi Reference

Interests: Klingon Language studies, biology, psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology

Samples:

  *  Short Fiction: The Promise   *  Lawrence's Publication List

A Brief Bio:

Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen is probably most known as "That Klingon Guy" because of his years of service as the founder and director of the Klingon Language Institute. His doctorate is in psychology, and indeed he spent ten years as a professor of psycholinguistics and cognitive psychology, and along the way published a series of research papers in the areas of language and memory. Nowadays he splits his time between his work as a writer and serving as a research consultant for a Philadelphia mental health and addictions treatment agency. He lives just outside of Philadelphia, PA in a quiet neighborhood that knows little of his eccentricities. His short fiction has appeared in four countries and three languages. He writes every day, yes, even when he's traveling the world promoting Klingon or appearing at a your local con.

Favorite Books/Authors

Fantasy: Lawrence doesn't read a lot of fantasy, though he's vicariously read the Wheel Of Time books because of his ex-wife's interest in them. Other fantastic influences on his work include Middle Earth and Earthsea.

Science Fiction: A huge fan of the works of Gene Wolfe and Roger Zelazny, Lawrence zealously collects even the most obscure offerings by these writers. He's shown similar 'binge collecting' before, but these two still top the list. Other SF influences include Walter Jon Williams, and Stan Robinson.

Horror: Unfortunate as it may seem, Lawrence rarely reads horror. Maybe he just hasn't found the right author to chill his blood.

Current Writings

Fantasy: Lawrence has all but finished his second novel, a fantasy involving a young thief and the planes of magic. Also -- possibly due to his recent involvement in the Fantasy Game Warhammer -- he has developed an unusual interest in Dwarves and begun work on a collection of stories involving the Dwarves of the Gorsk Mountain.

Science Fiction: Not surprisingly, much of his fiction involves elements from his years as a research psychologist. The most popular of these seem to be his stories about the Amazing Conroy, a stage hypnotist with a knack for getting involved in alien affairs.