This intro, paraphrased from the Robert E Howard short story “The Phoenix and the Sword”, was my initial introduction into the wide-world of fantasy. Fate had smiled on me. I felt immediately drawn to the genre. Growing up across the street from a library, I had ample access to eagerly devour every Conan short story I could find. The librarian, despite the sadist that she was, encouraged my appetite, and introduced me to Kull and Solomon Kane. A year later, I chanced across the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, the Greek and Norse myths, and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Life was good.

Television of the era introduced me to Space 1999, Logans Run, the original Battlestar Galactica ( although I will admit every time Lorne Greene came on the screen I expected “Hoss” to show up). I remember being at the drive-in the night Star Wars came to town. Life changing. I also loved the older movies like Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and the old Flash Gordon Syndicated series from the 1930’s. (who didn’t think the original Ming the Merciless was cool?)

In 2006 I released my first gothic poetry collection “These Old Bones” and my first dark fantasy novel, “Darksteel Destinies”. 2010 will see the release of the follow up novel to Darksteel Destinies entitled “Lords of the Earth”, a new novella called the “ArcheoMage: Curse of the RelicThief”, and two poetry collections, “Slow Suicides of the Soul” and a “Best of Daniel C Nielsen” which should have at least 160 poems in it written over the course of the last 20 years.

I started coming to WillyCon six years ago and have been actively attending conventions ever since. Through these conventions I’ve met some incredibly diverse, talented and wonderful people whom I count among my closest friends. Roderick Vasek with whom I will be writing a sci-fi novel with soon (I hope), Jeff Ifland, the incredibly artistic Patrick Kennedy, and a whole host of others. I find myself humbled at being named this years Guest of Honor and want to extend my thanks to everyone who helps make WillyCon happen.

Here are a few quick facts about me:

• Born: 19th day at 6 a.m. of the 8th month of 1968 on P3X-984…that’s just weird.
• Place of birth: The primary launching platform for the “black chopper units” that routinely practice cow mutilations in the greater quad-state area and create those lovely crop circles proclaiming 2012 the year Elvis comes back to earth to take us all away to his Jungle Room Planet. Hail to the King baby!
• Alias(es) Cory, Cosha, Coco, Cocashi Sensei, Cork (pick one, I’ll answer to them all)
• Blood Type: A+ with a little dash of garlic and absinthe
• Spouse and Children(s) Name: Svetlana “Lana the Terrible”, Anna and Bredan “Foof the Destroyer of Light,” and reportedly other various litters across the globe
• Hobbies: anything to do with computers, writing dark military fantasy, sword and sorcery, fantasy adventure and other plain weird things. Reading, going to conventions, and photography
• Favorite Movies: Stargate, 300, Troy, Alexander, Gladiator, Dragon Slayer, Conan the Barbarian, Firefly, The Ring, Alien, Predator, Army of Darkness
• Favorite animes: FLCL, Naruto, Avatar the Last Airbender, DBZ, Robotek
• Favorite Authors: Glen Cook, Steven Erikson, Janet Morris, David Gemmel, Robert E Howard, Michael Moorcock, Lyndon Hardy, James Silke, Lin Carter, Fritz Leiber, Ben Bova, James Alan Gardner
• Favorite Quote(s): “Ukulele no good!”- Haruko Haruhara FLCL | “Indeed”-Te’alc Stargate SG1

It seems fitting I paraphrase the intro I used above into one which seems more fitting to finish this biography.

“Know of people, that between the years when the barbarians drank the dorms and the gleaming city of Wayne dry, and the day of the rise of the Son of Daniel, there was an age undreamed of, when shining stars lay across the heavens like rhinestones above the earth…Hither came Cory, the Norfolkan, receding hair, bleary and four-eyed, pen in hand, an author, a dreamer and most importantly a fan with ginormous appetites and a decent sense of humor, to trod the cheeto and chocolate-strewn carpets of WillyCon beneath his big honkin feet.”

Lets all have a great time!

"The Soft Landing"