Despite her mother's protests to the contrary, everyone knows Fiona Lynn Zimmer was deposited on her alleged "parent's" doorstep by visiting ogres in October of 1969. Like any good changeling child, she promptly adjusted to fit her environment: A bohemian household/ writer colony on the borders of Berkeley and Faerieland. Fortunately, both her parents were already redheaded, but she was forced to refrain from eating her siblings, a regrettable oversight that caused her much trouble later in life. Luckily for her school buddies, she channeled her repressed ogrish tendencies into artistic expression, resulting in a truly godlike (or ogrelike, if you prefer) gift for illustration and graphic design.

Her parents were active in the local theatre, poetry groups, Science-fiction and fantasy communities, and are considered one of the 'founding families' of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Their house, Greyhaven, has become a virtually legendary place in the San Francisco Bay Area community, and still functions as a nexus for various organizations devoted to preserving the historical, the creative, and the fantastic.

Growing up in this delightfully eclectic environment, Fiona Lynn Zimmer acquired a lifelong interest in the various subcultures that orbited her family: RPG games, Fantasy and Science-Fiction Literature, Historical Re-Enactment, Alternative Religions, GLBT culture, and, of course, Art. She found she had a gift for illustration and graphic design, and pursued it with vigor.

She spent much of her childhood and teen years volunteering for Science-Fiction Conventions such as BayCon, Silicon, NorWescon, and MythCon. She also worked as a child actor in local Renaissance Faires and worked backstage with the local Rocky Horror Picture Show theatrical troupe at the now-defunct UC Theatre.
In 1988, she left Greyhaven and began her own household. Her first job was at a Theatrical Supply/Costume shop in Oakland.
She was present for both the Quake of '89 and the Fire of '91, both of which narrowly bypassed her parents' house in the Berkeley Hills.
In 1997, she married her long-time partner Darrin Laurelsson, an accomplished Computer professional and swordmaster.
In 2001, she graduated from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco with a BFA in Illustration.
In 2003, she separated from Mr. Laurelsson, her husband and partner of ten years. They are still friends, but distance is probably for the best.
In 2004, she moved to the barbarous hinterlands of Wisconsin to pursue a life of wild adventure.

It hasn't materialized yet, but we're hoping.

Stuff I've done that doesn't really fit on a resume:

• Ages 0-10: Worked (alongside my brother and parents) as a child actor in the Seasonal Renaissance and Dickens Faires put on by Living History Productions. This included language workshops, costumery, and acting lessons, and gave me a lifelong interest in history and theatre.
• Read perhaps 10,000 books of various genres, not including comics or children's books.
• Drawn more than 100,000 pictures, mostly figure studies sketches in college.
• Written a novel.
• Been a professionally (that is, paid) published author.
• Volunteered as a Stagehand, makeup artist and costumer for community collge theatre groups.
• Taken college courses in medical anatomy, chemistry and physiology for fun.
• Worked as a freelance Illustrator for sundry Science-Fiction magazines.
• Written short stories, poetry and lyrics.
• Run (Gamemastered) tabletop RPG games for groups of people ranging from three to thirty, in various RPG systems.
• Written custom RPG Adventures.
• Written custom RPG settings, including dungeon designs, alternate histories, items and creatures.
• Played both tabletop and Computer RPG games.
• Designed custom "mods" for computer RPG games.

Further information:
Client List
Employment History: the Day Jobs
Creative Resume

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