Surf around on the Internet long enough, and you may think you've seen it all. I know I was of that mind, until recently, when I was faced with something I really had never seen before. Imagine my delight at discovering this new Member site ... containing, of all things, a fully interactive novel! Not a role playing game, not an add-on novel ... a complete work of fiction so beautifully detailed with images, sounds and links that it literally comes alive on the screen. You will find yourself drawn into the story with the characters as you listen to the music they are listening to, view the images they are looking at, and link to sources that are both relevant to the action and illuminating to the reader.

Michael B. Shimer, the creative force behind this innovative site, provides not just a great read, but also a great place to read at Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude.

I stole a few minutes of Mike's time to chat about his website and his writing; no simple thing when you consider the ocean that lies between us. An M. P. with the United States Army and currently residing in Germany, I was fortunate to be able to connect with him through the Yahoo pager.

"The media that I like to use is this "hypertext fiction", with the links and the sounds and pictures. You can't do that in traditional print. Mostly, I have the standard blurb when somebody asks what my story is about; and then I show them the pages on the Internet and that sparks their curiosity. I'm trying to explore a new media, a way to make a story truly interactive."

Ever the curious one, I asked Mike about how he got into writing.

"I have been writing off and on for as many years as I can remember. I use to tell stories to my brother when we were little, just off the top of my head and making it up as I went along... and then, I played Dungeons and Dragons when I was in high school. You have to make up some pretty interesting scenarios if you want to keep people's attention. I like to do impromptu writing and D&D kind of makes you do that."

"This is my first novel. I have other writings that I haven't uploaded to my pages yet... a lot of starts in sci-fi and nonfiction... I do have some of my military stories on the Sgt. Rock page. It can be accessed from "Changes..."

"I started this particular story when I was getting ready to leave Ft. Campbell, Kentucky for here. I started with some stories of some of the people I know, some of the things that happened to them, kind of mixed it all together and added on."

"I like to research on a subject as much as possible; I hate nothing more than reading something and knowing that the author has his facts wrong."

I asked Mike about his plans for expansion of "Changes..."

"I'm going to be adding some more of my writing as I get the chance. I want to add a submission page and feature some other writings... and I will be adding chapters to "Changes..." this week. "

Like most of us who spend so much time and energy on the web, Mike is a strong proponent of what the Internet has to offer.

"I tend to believe that EVERYONE has something to say, everyone should be ABLE to have a website. It's just a matter of putting your best foot forward, associating with people who are interested in the same things you are ... that way your site doesn't get lost out there in this dark sea they call the WWW."

"The Internet is probably the most revolutionary creation since the printing press or the telephone. Mostly unrestricted and an awesome forum... I did entire papers in college from Internet sources ... not a replacement for the good ol' library just yet, but I think it is a wonderful tool if used properly."

"Sometimes you have to wade through a lot to find what you're after, but you could never find some of the information and stories through conventional resources."

"But it can also prevent us from doing the things that we would like to do, from the people in the next room." "It's the double edged sword, isn't it? You have to mix the Internet with the true life experiences, don't you?"

~ Michael B. Shimer is the author and creator of Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude.

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